music or graphics whats the difference

[soundboy]

it seems like everywhere i go on the net people are talking about the wave should look like this or that in the edit window and if it dosen't then that is a bad mix dynamically. What ever happened to if it sounds good really sounds good it is good. Are we making music or graphics. I understand spectrum analysers and their use but honestly it just seems like if you get a good sound then that is what you go with. Am i wrong for thinking this way? If there is something i am missing please enlighten me so that i can get on the right track. i mean if its all about wave graphics why do we all have monitors?

 

[db51]

i mean if its all about wave graphics why do we all have monitors?

To see them. That's what 19" monitors are for.

Nah seriously I understand what you mean. Of course if a mix sounds good it's good. But unless you're a big shot engineer with golden ears I don't think you'll get your mix to sound perfect the first time around...So for us 'homerecordists', spectrum analysers can help to point out what's wrong with the mix.

Using your ears is good, but if you have eyes as well you might as well use'em also.

 

[mixmkr]

a hit never happened because the VU meters looked good, or the .wav file was a solid rectangle, but with dynamics....never

 

[MONTE]

The waveform analyzer/PC/Mac/whatever is just another tool to better help you do your job. It's not meant to be absolute! I could go re-shingle my house with a rock or a ball-peen hammer instead of a nail gun, but frankly I got more important things to do than spend a week on the roof. If you do this for a living or even part time, you use every tool you can get your hands on! OF COURSE you have to use your ears too!

 

[Gidge]

Using just your ears or just the waveform visual is robbing yourself of an important tool.....seeing the wave gives u such an advantage, not to tell you if its good or not, but what you can do to make it better.....

 

[Teacher]

is spectrum analyzer a separate program or does it come wit sonar, cubase, and programs alike?

 

[RWhite]

Teacher do a search, there was a thread not too long ago just called "Spectrum Analyzer" I think which had some program & plug-in names and suggestions. Most of them were seperate stand-alone programs.

As for sound vs. graphics, the video display doesn't mean dick if the sound is not good. Monte is right, it's just a Tool.

 

[Teacher]

thanks....but whatever helps helps right