Wisdom From the Great Walter Sear

[Richard Monroe]

I would also add that a 7 course goumet banquet is not always better than Mom's home cooking.-Richie

 

[billisa]

I read almost everything on the Sear site, and one of the things that stood out was his reliance on his own hearing/listening sensibility. It reminded me of how I'd sit for hours listening to Sgt. Pepper, just to get all the nuances. CD's (which I like much better than vinyl, sorry) haven't kept me from listening. Our culture has changed and CD's (even more so MP3 players) reflect that.

Mr. Sear can talk about harmonics, and accurately too, but most people listening in the old days didn't have nearly the gear to hear disks played back at anywhere close to what the master tapes would've sounded like. CD's, and other things, made very high fidelity much more accessible to the masses -- and I say that's a great thing.

In my view, Peter Gabriel's recent recordings are as musically/technically beautiful as any I've ever heard. I have 'em in both regular and SACD. I'd be completely happy with either medium... But regardless, they're made for those who will really sit and listen. They're not nearly as playable in the car...

My son, who is a trained musician, listens as intently to music as I always have -- though we've never had vinyl spinning on the platter. It's just sits on my collectibles shelf! Even so, I'd say he's much more attuned at his age to good sound than I ever was!

Wasn't Rudy Van Gelder's great work done at home in his living room?

 

[omtayslick]

Mr. Sear can talk about harmonics, and accurately too, but most people listening in the old days didn't have nearly the gear to hear disks played back at anywhere close to what the master tapes would've sounded like. CD's, and other things, made very high fidelity much more accessible to the masses -- and I say that's a great thing.

QUOTE]

Good point. I resisted the switch to cds at first. (more due to not wanting to change formats than being an audio purist) But when I eventually jumped on the cd bandwagon, one of the first things I noticed was little details that I had never been able to hear on vinyl or cassette. --Both good AND bad details. It seems like the noise floor of cassettes was more forgiving, and sort of glued everything together. On the other hand, if it's digital it's all unforgivingly laid bare. So consider this: Maybe to record good digital, you've got to be really good?

 

[cellardweller]

...So consider this: Maybe to record good digital, you've got to be really good?

I finally have a viable excuse!