[eclein]

Is sure does seem like listening to music is getting awfully complcated!!! anybody else feel that way??

[S Clark]

Is sure does seem like listening to music is getting awfully complcated!!! anybody else feel that way??

Well, it certainly hasn't gotten any simpler.  My wife used to enjoy my old Sherwood receiver and the Dual turntable (although she never would try the Teac RTR). Now, she won't even try to turn on either of my systems.  I bought her a Sony all in one receiver/cd and built a pair of speakers for the kitchen.  She listens to that and the bedroom clock radio.

[xr2]

Listening to music is as simple or as complicated as you want to make it.  You can buy a simple, all in one device, plug in, put in a CD and press play.  Or you can obsess over every cable, every tweak, and every box involved in a complex system.

As much as we like to say it's all about the music, that's a lie.  For me at least, part of the experience is building and tweaking my own custom system, then sitting back and enjoying it.

[Diamond Dog]

Is sure does seem like listening to music is getting awfully complcated!!! anybody else feel that way??

I think it's as complicated as you want to make it. Ed. I run a real simple system here ( 1-box CDP, tube pre, SS monos, isolation transformer, speakers ) but each piece is good quality and everything gets along with everything else so I'm happy with how it all sounds. I don't spend a lot of time looking for ways to make it more complicated.
Simple recipe made from quality ingredients makes for some good eatin' !

D.D.

[bladesmith]

Is sure does seem like listening to music is getting awfully complcated!!! anybody else feel that way??

Yes, more complicated and more gimmicks.

V..

[rollo]

  Well it appears that the Cassette tape is being manufactured again for just that reason. Home brew musicians seem to perfer the Cassette to digital. Cassettes are coming back.
  When I heard the story on the news that day I popped an old Mobile Fidelity Cassette in the car and was taken back a bit as to the smooth analog sound. Then put in a CD of the same artist and did not like it compared to the cassette. Yes I got more info and less grain with the CD however just not as natural sounding overall. 



charles
SMA

[Devil Doc]

Personally, I think it's funny that 20 and 30 somethings need someone to set up their turntable. Back in the day a 15 yr. old could do it.
I don't ever see myself doing the digital download thing.  I've run out of room to plug stuff into.

Doc.

[JLM]

Most musicians are dirt poor.  And most musicians know what the music should sound like, so they don't need high-end stuff to enjoy listening.  They also know what to listen for beyond what a certain level of fidelity can provide.

If you check the professions of most audiophiles you'll find they are technology related, so we're the gearheads versus musicians that typically aren't.

[Quiet Earth]

Listening to music is as simple or as complicated as you want to make it.  You can buy a simple, all in one device, plug in, put in a CD and press play.  Or you can obsess over every cable, every tweak, and every box involved in a complex system.

Totally agree with this.  Stereo too complicated for you? Then strip it down to the basics and make it simpler. You will enjoy it more if it is less complicated and easier to use.

By the way, Ed, making music can be too complicated (overcooked) too. Isn't it much easier to sit in front of a real drum set than too sit in front of a bunch of machines programming grooves and loops for mixing, sampling, slicing, dicing, etc. Isn't it more fun to just play one instrument in real time with other real people playing their one instrument instead of trying to create an entire ensemble of music all by yourself with "band in a box" technology?

It's certainly more satisfying.

[Quiet Earth]

  Well it appears that the Cassette tape is being manufactured again for just that reason. Home brew musicians seem to perfer the Cassette to digital. Cassettes are coming back.
  When I heard the story on the news that day I popped an old Mobile Fidelity Cassette in the car and was taken back a bit as to the smooth analog sound. Then put in a CD of the same artist and did not like it compared to the cassette. Yes I got more info and less grain with the CD however just not as natural sounding overall. 



charles
SMA

I saw a little news blurb about this awhile ago, but I didn't know that the "come back" was for pro audio too. Do you mean like a Teac Porta-studio kind of multitrack cassette tape comeback? Very interesting......

Another thing about cassettes, which is the tapes themselves. While they might becoming more available to consumers, I think that the current tape formulations are probably not what they once were back in the heyday of tape sales. Have you heard otherwise? I would be interested to know.

[eclein]

Quiet Earth- You are so right....at one time I spent about 8K on a new Roland V-Drum kit, it was the top of the line with cases and everything..man I was the shit. Except it didn't play like a drumset, it sorta did, at least it looked that way but an acoustic cymbal,drum,anything can be played with volume density-dynamics. These V-drums sounded the same no matter where I hit them on the head, or where I hit them on the cymbal (for instance-a stick hit on a cymbal bell does not go CRASH, but these did because the triggered samples were not as dynamic as real hits out in nature).

 I eventually sold it, almost couldn't give it away to anyone who knew how to play, I had fun and spaced out on the neat sounds but it wasn't expressive at all, like zero!!!

[Thirsty]

The best thing about V drums is volume control, we have a set of Rolands in our rehearsal room and they let us keep the voume at a low enough level where everyone can hear each other at a sane level. We've tried to get our drummer to use them live but it ain't gonna happen, and I don't blame him as he has a nice set of Yamaha stage customs.
The bad part is that we play a small club on a monthly basis and regularly follow a band that does use V Drums, they of course can play a lot quieter then us and we always get chastised not only from the club manager but also from patrons.

Back to the original post, Yes, things have gotten way more complicated and expensive then they need to be. It's no wonder that younger people are not buying into it. The industry is bringing this on themselves and as we boomers start dying off I believe high end audio will also.

[Quiet Earth]

I guess if I were a drummer I would probably not want to play the V drums either because of the lack of tactile experience and all of the things that Ed mentioned. But I gotta tell ya . . . .

....man, a couple of months ago we did a gig with a dude that had a set of V drums and it was so nice. It was so nice because we could set the stage volume to sane levels and it was still plenty loud for the audience. (Hey, when the girls get up and dance, then you know that everything is good.    ) Also, when we practiced before the gig we learned a bunch of new songs at those same reasonable volume levels, which meant that we were more focussed on the music and not the rock and roll slam factor. It was so nice for a change.

This is one technology that I wish our regular drummer would buy into but I can't get mad at him for all of the same reasons that Ed mentioned. Hey, he's playing the drums, not me.  And actually, I suppose that he doesn't really need V drums to play quieter .......... he just needs to learn how to play better and only tear it up when the music requires it. I know that it is possible to play with finesse instead of brut force because I've been to shows where the drummer does not set the volume. But usually these guys have an advanced skill level and a lot of discipline.

Practice makes perfect?