Todd Fredericks
06-18-2002, 07:49 AM
Bob was very kind to send me two CD-R's as a "surprise" after I sent him the vinyl transfer CD-R of 'Deja Vu' (see other thread). The two CD's are wonderful mood pieces entitled 'Cocktail Lounge Mix Vol. 6' & 'Classic Rock Vol. 1'. Bob explained in the enclosed letter that he created these compilations by recording the material (from selected CD's with good mastering) to his Teac X10000R reel recorder (circa 1982) using BASF SM-900 high output tape at 7.5ips (no NR). He did a straight transfer from his compiled program tapes to his HHB professional CD recorder, which created the CD-R's he sent me (no clones). Last night I sat down (with a bottle of wine) and listened very carefully to the first CD.
'Cocktail Lounge Mix Vol. 6' has 20 songs on it (it runs from start to finish, no track numbers/Bob's choice/no problem) ranging from Nat King Cole to Harry Connick, Jr. Bob, described it as a program he created to be listened to with a nice lady friend. I didn't have the lady friend but I did have the wine & cigarettes.
Okay, so how did a CD made from an analog reel recorded from source CD's sound? It sounded wonderful. I did not hear any noticeable sonic degradation from the process he used to create this. The songs sound very clean and in some ways analog. Perhaps the mixture of the BASF tape in his process added some magic or slight coloration to give the recordings a nice warmth and lack of harshness. I would have never known that this CD was created from a dub made on a reel recorder. I felt totally relaxed when listening to this and even went through half a bottle of wine and several ciggies (this only happens when I'm not aware of time and I'm enjoying myself).
So this makes me think about what is digital, analog, etc.? How come this CD-R sounded so good as a dub? I somehow suspect that if Bob created this same compilation CD on his PC by ripping tracks and using the same song order it may not have had the same effect as this one does (I'd be curious to hear to compare). Each song sits very well together (even though they are from different CD sources with different mastering). Usually, when I hear CD-R's created from this process I get a slight (and sometimes glaring) impression that the songs are from different CD's because they just don't sit well together or the difference in mastering shines through (you know what I mean).
Why does Bob's CD sound as a "whole" as one piece with different songs. Does the reel recorder & tape add a consistent uniform ingredient to the entire CD (almost like adding very slight room noise to the sound of an edited film to make the cuts cohesive)? Does analog tape work well with helping translate audio information into music (add some life)? It's food for thought (maybe chicken).
I think digital and analog can work well together and this CD is an amazing result of this. We have a lot of great technology that's out today but they are just some more tools that are added to the very, very big toolbox. I think a lot of the older tools are getting pretty dusty because of the new kids on the block but maybe there's an opportunity to start considering that we really just have more choice and opportunity from project to project. What the heck do I mean (you tell me)? In the future, when I start working on original recordings again (my music) I may start considering different techniques to achieve a sound I want on the finished song and collection of songs. I use a DAW at home because that's what my budget allows but maybe in my mastering process I may try going to reel to reel tape or some other process instead of just stacking each song in sequence on the PC. Yes, I may have generation loss (which only I will know) by doing this but if I feel that it adds a nice flavor to the package then why not? Bob, demonstrated with this CD that he could put a mood piece together with songs from different CD sources yet sit them together so that they work together. I don't care if it's an exact digital clone of the source (Heck, I'll buy the original CD's or get CD-R's with perfect 0'1 & 1's). This CD is about "all" the songs creating a mood and Bob's technique worked very well!!
Thank you Bob for sharing your process with me. Tonight (or tomorrow) I'm looking forward to listening to the 'Classic Rock Vol.1' CD. I won't drink wine for that one, maybe a rum & coke (or two)...
Here's the material Bob used for 'Cocktail Lounge Mix Vol. 6' CD:
1. (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 – Nat King Cole (DCC Gold CD)
2. You Came A Long Way From St. Louis – Anita O’Day (Verve Master Edition CD)
3. If I Could Be With You - Lurlean Hunter
4. The Best Is Yet To Come - Frank Sinatra
5. I’m Glad There Is You – Sarah Vaughn (Verve Master Edition CD)
6. When Your Lover Is Gone – Chet Baker (Japanese 24/96K re-mastered CD)
7. My Last Affair – Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie (Verve Master Edition CD)
8. Never Let Me Go – Dinah Washington (Verve Master Edition CD)
9. Lush Life – John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman (Japanese 20 bit re-mastered CD)
10. Night And Day – Billie Holiday
11. It Was A Very Good Year – Frank Sinatra
12. I Don’t Know Enough About You – Peggy Lee
13. Scotch And Soda – Kingston Trio
14. A Woman In Love – Anita O’Day (Verve Master Edition CD)
15. She’s Got You – Patsy Cline (MCA Gold CD)
16. Fever – Elvis (DCC Gold CD)
17. Almost Like Being In Love – Chris Conner
18. Doggin’ Around – Jackie Wilson
19. What Is This Thing Called Love – Frank Sinatra
20. I Could Write A Book – Harry Connick, Jr.
Thanks again,
Todd
'Cocktail Lounge Mix Vol. 6' has 20 songs on it (it runs from start to finish, no track numbers/Bob's choice/no problem) ranging from Nat King Cole to Harry Connick, Jr. Bob, described it as a program he created to be listened to with a nice lady friend. I didn't have the lady friend but I did have the wine & cigarettes.
Okay, so how did a CD made from an analog reel recorded from source CD's sound? It sounded wonderful. I did not hear any noticeable sonic degradation from the process he used to create this. The songs sound very clean and in some ways analog. Perhaps the mixture of the BASF tape in his process added some magic or slight coloration to give the recordings a nice warmth and lack of harshness. I would have never known that this CD was created from a dub made on a reel recorder. I felt totally relaxed when listening to this and even went through half a bottle of wine and several ciggies (this only happens when I'm not aware of time and I'm enjoying myself).
So this makes me think about what is digital, analog, etc.? How come this CD-R sounded so good as a dub? I somehow suspect that if Bob created this same compilation CD on his PC by ripping tracks and using the same song order it may not have had the same effect as this one does (I'd be curious to hear to compare). Each song sits very well together (even though they are from different CD sources with different mastering). Usually, when I hear CD-R's created from this process I get a slight (and sometimes glaring) impression that the songs are from different CD's because they just don't sit well together or the difference in mastering shines through (you know what I mean).
Why does Bob's CD sound as a "whole" as one piece with different songs. Does the reel recorder & tape add a consistent uniform ingredient to the entire CD (almost like adding very slight room noise to the sound of an edited film to make the cuts cohesive)? Does analog tape work well with helping translate audio information into music (add some life)? It's food for thought (maybe chicken).
I think digital and analog can work well together and this CD is an amazing result of this. We have a lot of great technology that's out today but they are just some more tools that are added to the very, very big toolbox. I think a lot of the older tools are getting pretty dusty because of the new kids on the block but maybe there's an opportunity to start considering that we really just have more choice and opportunity from project to project. What the heck do I mean (you tell me)? In the future, when I start working on original recordings again (my music) I may start considering different techniques to achieve a sound I want on the finished song and collection of songs. I use a DAW at home because that's what my budget allows but maybe in my mastering process I may try going to reel to reel tape or some other process instead of just stacking each song in sequence on the PC. Yes, I may have generation loss (which only I will know) by doing this but if I feel that it adds a nice flavor to the package then why not? Bob, demonstrated with this CD that he could put a mood piece together with songs from different CD sources yet sit them together so that they work together. I don't care if it's an exact digital clone of the source (Heck, I'll buy the original CD's or get CD-R's with perfect 0'1 & 1's). This CD is about "all" the songs creating a mood and Bob's technique worked very well!!
Thank you Bob for sharing your process with me. Tonight (or tomorrow) I'm looking forward to listening to the 'Classic Rock Vol.1' CD. I won't drink wine for that one, maybe a rum & coke (or two)...
Here's the material Bob used for 'Cocktail Lounge Mix Vol. 6' CD:
1. (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 – Nat King Cole (DCC Gold CD)
2. You Came A Long Way From St. Louis – Anita O’Day (Verve Master Edition CD)
3. If I Could Be With You - Lurlean Hunter
4. The Best Is Yet To Come - Frank Sinatra
5. I’m Glad There Is You – Sarah Vaughn (Verve Master Edition CD)
6. When Your Lover Is Gone – Chet Baker (Japanese 24/96K re-mastered CD)
7. My Last Affair – Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie (Verve Master Edition CD)
8. Never Let Me Go – Dinah Washington (Verve Master Edition CD)
9. Lush Life – John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman (Japanese 20 bit re-mastered CD)
10. Night And Day – Billie Holiday
11. It Was A Very Good Year – Frank Sinatra
12. I Don’t Know Enough About You – Peggy Lee
13. Scotch And Soda – Kingston Trio
14. A Woman In Love – Anita O’Day (Verve Master Edition CD)
15. She’s Got You – Patsy Cline (MCA Gold CD)
16. Fever – Elvis (DCC Gold CD)
17. Almost Like Being In Love – Chris Conner
18. Doggin’ Around – Jackie Wilson
19. What Is This Thing Called Love – Frank Sinatra
20. I Could Write A Book – Harry Connick, Jr.
Thanks again,
Todd