Welcome! Panlingual is a site where "formal" and "pop" music come back together. It is a site for music lovers of all kinds, from those who can recall Shoenberg tone rows for memory, to those who have not a clue whether the piano keys go up to the left or to the right. If you love music, you are welcomed with open arms. If you don't, then I hope you will start to. Music can unite or divide. We have to choose which one it will do in the end.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

iPods Ruining Perception of Music?

Are iPods really the best way to listen to your music? Some companies are bringing back records because the sound just isn't the same in digital recordings. Evan Shamoon on "Switched.com" says: "Enthusiasts also prefer the warmer, analog sound of records. MP3s, on the other hand, can have the harsh and tinny sound typical of digital music files (and they don't always reproduce every sound or instrument in the original recording). And let's not forget that you don't need DRM (Digital Rights Management) or other piracy controls with vinyl -- after all, you can't encrypt a record." What do you think? Here's the link to the full page at "Switched.com":
http://www.switched.com/2007/04/16/why-vinyl-records-are-back/
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 30, 2010 at 8:57 PM

    I'm old school - I grew up with records and thus have an affinity for them. Soundwise though, I think the digital recordings have them beat. It's nice not having the constant scratching sound mixed whatever you're listening to :)

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  2. UnknownSeptember 30, 2010 at 9:46 PM

    As a choral music aficionado, I'm very sensitive about this issue in my own particular way. Digital recordings exclude many of the overtones that are SO important in the sound of the human voice. To be sure, there are great recordings out there, but none of them are like a live performance. Furthermore, I believe that recording technology has had a tremendous impact on live choral sound and even the kind of music composers write. Here's how: 1) straight-tone singing (we're talking laser beam here) records the best, so this is what we like to record; 2) because we hear it, we emulate it; and 3) because this kind of singing is being reproduced, composers increasingly write close harmonies that require it. It's a vicious cycle that admittedly has brought us some beautiful music, great performances of it, and great recordings, but it doesn't encourage a whole lot of variety. Don't get me wrong: I love the sound of a great choir singing with little to no vibrato, but there's a lot of misunderstanding about this kind of sound, and there's also a whole range of other possible sounds.

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