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It sounds cool, but it will be a disaster. Does anyone remember the "ultra boost" button on the old Walkman to raise the bass to insane levels? Or all the equal

It sounds cool, but it will be a disaster. Does anyone remember the "ultra boost" button on the old Walkman to raise the bass to insane levels? Or all the equalizer voodoo, where people will "tune" moving levels and buttons forming shapes? The sad truth is that audio engineers are way better than anyone else in mixing the music and making it shine. The better approach is not to mess with that and just trust them. The same thing goes for headphones. It's better to get something more or less neutral in the sound to listen music in the way is supposed to sound, not distorting it adding crazy bass.

johnchristopher 12y ago
I'd agree with you if those audio engineers hadn't participated in the loudness war for the three last decades.
- kevincennis 12y ago
  For what it's worth, most engineers want absolutely nothing to do with the loudness wars. These are people who've made a career on developing their ears, and the harmonic distortion from limiting the fuck out of a recording sounds even worse to them than it does to the general public. The problem is that record labels have bought into the idea that a record needs to be outrageously loud in order to compete on radio. And the labels are the ones paying the mastering engineers.
malka 12y ago
It might not be for simply listening to the music, but for a moment 'hey this bassline kicks ass, I want to hear it alone to study it'
post_break 12y ago
Doesn't matter who's better at what. If consumers want to make smiley faces with their EQ let them. It's all about customization. Ask Metallica about how great their sound engineers were when they basically neutered their album. People buy Beats because they like the way they sound (or because their idols use them). Even if you may think it's the same as ultra boost. It's not about what sounds good, it's about what you think sounds good.
dbever 12y ago
People often comment on the lack of bass in my headphone choices - I describe it as 'clinical' and much prefer studio-style response.
ihsw 12y ago
> The sad truth is that fashion designers are way better than anyone else in designing clothing and making it shine. The better approach is not to mess with that and just trust them. > The sad truth is that chefs are way better than anyone else in creating a delicious menu and making it shine. The better approach is not to mess with that and just trust them. Who ever said that keeping people from dressing hideously or eating food that doesn't match was a good idea? Some people might even make it sound better, but you're advocating we take that opportunity away from them without giving them the benefit of the doubt.
- jaimebuelta 12y ago
  I don't think that people should be forbidden of playing with equalizers or even making their own recordings and mix. At the moment there are lots of tools that allow this. But releasing a format for music that works around the idea of "do your own mix", that's a different issue. If some artist wants to do it, hey, that's totally fine. What I'm skeptic about is that it's the future of music.
kevincennis 12y ago
As someone who spent a number of years mixing records professionally, I can definitely attest to the fact that even talented musicians are usually pretty terrible at mixing. It's a subtle art, and it takes a lot of experience/practice to do even remotely well. But I think the larger point is that most artists and labels would hate this. To a singer, having someone hear your soloed vocal track is like being seen naked. I think most artists view their records as being a single work of art. The song, arrangement, equipment, mixing, and mastering are all part of something bigger. Artists don't really want people to be able to break that apart. It's not meant to be experienced that way.

johnchristopher 12y ago

I'd agree with you if those audio engineers hadn't participated in the loudness war for the three last decades.

kevincennis 12y ago
For what it's worth, most engineers want absolutely nothing to do with the loudness wars. These are people who've made a career on developing their ears, and the harmonic distortion from limiting the fuck out of a recording sounds even worse to them than it does to the general public. The problem is that record labels have bought into the idea that a record needs to be outrageously loud in order to compete on radio. And the labels are the ones paying the mastering engineers.

malka 12y ago

It might not be for simply listening to the music, but for a moment 'hey this bassline kicks ass, I want to hear it alone to study it'

post_break 12y ago

Doesn't matter who's better at what. If consumers want to make smiley faces with their EQ let them. It's all about customization. Ask Metallica about how great their sound engineers were when they basically neutered their album. People buy Beats because they like the way they sound (or because their idols use them). Even if you may think it's the same as ultra boost. It's not about what sounds good, it's about what you think sounds good.

dbever 12y ago

People often comment on the lack of bass in my headphone choices - I describe it as 'clinical' and much prefer studio-style response.

ihsw 12y ago

> The sad truth is that fashion designers are way better than anyone else in designing clothing and making it shine. The better approach is not to mess with that and just trust them. > The sad truth is that chefs are way better than anyone else in creating a delicious menu and making it shine. The better approach is not to mess with that and just trust them. Who ever said that keeping people from dressing hideously or eating food that doesn't match was a good idea? Some people might even make it sound better, but you're advocating we take that opportunity away from them without giving them the benefit of the doubt.

jaimebuelta 12y ago
I don't think that people should be forbidden of playing with equalizers or even making their own recordings and mix. At the moment there are lots of tools that allow this. But releasing a format for music that works around the idea of "do your own mix", that's a different issue. If some artist wants to do it, hey, that's totally fine. What I'm skeptic about is that it's the future of music.

kevincennis 12y ago

As someone who spent a number of years mixing records professionally, I can definitely attest to the fact that even talented musicians are usually pretty terrible at mixing. It's a subtle art, and it takes a lot of experience/practice to do even remotely well. But I think the larger point is that most artists and labels would hate this. To a singer, having someone hear your soloed vocal track is like being seen naked. I think most artists view their records as being a single work of art. The song, arrangement, equipment, mixing, and mastering are all part of something bigger. Artists don't really want people to be able to break that apart. It's not meant to be experienced that way.