(( Do not miss the microphone comparison, speaker cabinet comparison, string comparison, etc linked at the end of this post, which are all equally revelatory. )) From video comments — ”I am just a performer, I know nothing about circuits but in one summer I reversed engineered the whole guitar industry and made it open … Read more
Drum Head Authority posted a grrrreat article on drum tone — probably the most-useful to-date — Drumheads: More important than drum wood We’re covering drumheads first, because drumheads are by far the biggest factor in your drum sound. Out of everything, the drumheads you choose (and what you actually do with the heads) will contribute to the vast … Read more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag4iFa6E_yY Great comments: If you want to know why kids don’t enjoy music, listen to the subtractions of MP3 recording from source material (on vinyl, or 24b CD, or OGG/VORBIS). Half the song removed by the digital compression, resulting in a beautiful looking cake that has no nourishment and tastes (sounds) thin and unsatisfying. … Read more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPY9Mxg3OJQ Brandon Acker importance of characteristics — Playability – not fighting the player Timbre Resonance Projection (un-trapped) Sustain – all fundamental, no overtone, coloration Notes on guitars and price points — $200 guitar – overbuilt inside for abuse, cheap laminated top. Sound is trapped, no colored overtones. $2k guitar – solid top but … Read more
Heads. Hoops. Lugs. Lug Washers. Metal. Plastic. Wood. Maple. Birch. Poplar. Cherry. Oak. Spurs. Mounts. Shells. What matters? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qvYr8KOMu0 DW kick was a nightmare to tune. DW lots more finicky, much more on-edge between good and bad sound than cheaper EASTAR kit. Wow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY3hwEVCong From the video comments — “I think the overall sound quality is becoming homogenized. The players switch up instruments nearly with every song, presumably to get differing sounds? Possibly for fresh strings to keep in-tune after such full-blast playing. The drums sound more homogenous than ever — every song now has the exact same … Read more
Guitar Preamp Tone Explained by Phil Taylor For images and entire article: http://www.effectrode.com/blackbird-vacuum-tube-preamp/guitar-preamp-tone-explained/ During the research and development of the ‘Blackbird’ vacuum tube preamp I undertook a thorough investigation into tube preamp circuits in a quest to discover just what factors are important in creating great guitar tone. The following article is a result of … Read more
We currently offer two models of mobile tube amp — the more expensive BaM235, and the less expensive Liquid. Both are class A input and driver stages, with push-pull, class AB1 output stage. — Milbert, the Most Musical Amplifiers “Continuing engineering” generally seems to try to get more (or at least the same) for less, … Read more
In this guitar lesson I go over everything you need to know about setting your intonation on any guitar. It works for hard tails, tune o matics, floyd rose, all bridges. You will use this information for the rest of the time you play on your gibson, fender, Ibanez, or any guitar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3phxqPP9UTU
In this video I debunk that the nut and bridge lose their independent resonant frequency when attached to the guitar, and become part of the guitar bodies and neck. I also prove that a guitar’s body and neck have multiple resonant frequencies. tone wood can only exist if a body has a very narrow window … Read more
I got a friend and incredible guitarist, Nadav Tabak, to do a little video clip of my 3D printed guitars in action in a range of different styles of music, and showing off some of the different designs. The clip goes through chords, finger picking, funk, blues, heavy rock, progressive, and alternative rock. The bodies … Read more
Here are some possible reasons. There are differing theories, thoughts; apparently, some people honestly can not hear the difference. But, some can. The purpose and goal of semiconductors was always primarily cheapness (to make and operate) and also high-frequency operation — sound quality was never a goal or purpose. If but at a microscopic level, … Read more
“…the perception of musical pitch at high frequencies is not constrained by temporal phase locking in the auditory nerve but may instead stem from higher-level constraints shaped by prior exposure to harmonic sounds.” Humans’ ability to recognize musical melodies is generally limited to pure-tone frequencies below 4 or 5 kHz. This limit coincides with the … Read more
Claudia Fritz, Joseph Curtin, Jacques Poitevineau, Hugues Borsarello, Indiana Wollman, Fan-Chia Tao, and Thierry Ghasarossian PNAS 2014 111 (20) 7224-7229; published ahead of print April 7, 2014, http://www.pnas.org/content/111/20/7224.full.pdf+html
“…the fundamental premise of tonal superiority has not yet been properly investigated.” http://www.pnas.org/search?fulltext=violi n&submit=yes&x=0&y=0 http://www.pnas.org/content/109/3/760.a bstract ABSTRACT Most violinists believe that instruments by Stradivari and Guarneri “del Gesu” are tonally superior to other violins–and to new violins in particular. Many mechanical and acoustical factors have been proposed to account for this superiority; however, the fundamental premise of … Read more
When you subtract a mp3 file from its comparatively uncompressed origin, the result is surprisingly musical. It is shocking how much information is lost between original and digitally-compressed mp3.
In general, with other variables held steady, as the power rating goes up dramatically (10x), the perception of loudness only doubles. 3,000 Watts sounds only “four-times louder” than 30 Watts. It seems unlikely, but measurements and anecdotal evidence have consistently shown it is generally true. People often ask, how does the Milbert BaM-235ab compare, in … Read more
What is “sound quality”? Measurement Mania Not long ago, and presently in many circles, sound quality (“SQ”) was said to be best represented by audio systems amplifying with the lowest Total Harmonic Distortion (“THD”) measurement. Overlapping the THD focus was realization and consideration of Transient Intermodulation Distortion (“TIM”, AKA Slew-Induced Distortion “SID”), also a quantitative measurement said to … Read more
Sound quality (“SQ”) concerns the subjective psycho-acoustic perception of sounds and music. It’s something we all hear and enjoy differently. Join the journey.