Originally Posted by nightchef ➡️

Same thing happens here in the US. There is so much evidence that arts education leads to better outcomes across the board, but it gets ignored, because there’s a prevailing assumption that anything kids might actually enjoy and get excited about is ipso facto a retreat from excellence; they must be punished into achievement (especially if they’re not white and wealthy), so goodbye clarinets and paintbrushes.

Originally Posted by Yannick ➡️

As an example of adapting or spreading workload, whatever:

https://youtu.be/xUjrRPmpYKw

this was part of a three session (spread in time) CD recording, which was also filmed. To reduce costs I actually rented out our complete video setup to the musician, the event was filmed by the daughter of the soloist.

So, by all accounts, this promo clip is made by an amateur. They will also release the full "concert" versions on Youtube (later, as we now have the cd release), which amounts to weeks of editing video on the audio sessions. Unpayable for a self-funded project.

IMO this defeats A LOT of rigid arguments in this thread.
1. leave it to the pros
2. only the BEST matters
3. only well-funded ensembles should do this (this project being funded by the soloist)
4. hidden between the lines : only amateurs make junk

A couple of answers to these from myself:

1. of course we did the audio (of the music), but did we insist working only with a pro videocrew ? Hell no, I agree, MOST of them are overpriced 3-4x ! There was not even budget for our "normal" fee.
2. nope - for this kind of production, I do not care if it was 8 cam or 4 cam, 1 manned or 4 manned, or if the audio of the interview is sometimes a bit off. I would mind, however, if it was shot by a pro for 18K ...
3. no - because this will be a brilliant piccolo concerto CD, with great/new music which would never have been released. Moreover, the music would not have been written !
4. I have seen plenty of professional Youtube vids which have big issues as well - maybe this forum would be more productive to concentrate on that - much more relevant - problem. But, we cannot attack our beloved colleagues, can't we ?
If for one, have really big issues with the Berliner Digital Concert Hall. It is "perfect". I cannot listen to it for more than a minute. It has nothing to do with how music works. It is a total sell-out to the I want to hear everything next to me crowd. Last time I checked it was even severely crippled dynamically, even in the higher res version.

So, making threads about terrible self recordings on the WWW has ZERO relevance for us, professionals. They would not have been work for us. They should make us appear MORE relevant, unless we do a half-assed job ourselves.

Some flexibility, and the willingness to help out and work together can get you a lot further, unless you only want to be and do "the best". In that case, you can remain locked up in the ivory tower.

In the mean time, some of us will keep doing "our best", which is most often "good enough" and sometimes (as in the above CD) surpasses "the best" by some, on more than 1 level.

Originally Posted by M50k ➡️

Anyone care to speculate why there's such differing experiences right now regarding CDs? - there seems to be little middle ground; some are saying they are asked to supply CDs on almost every job, and the rest say they can't remember the last time they were.

Originally Posted by David Spearritt ➡️

Have you tried buying a decent CD player these days? Almost impossible in Australia at least.

Originally Posted by M50k ➡️

Blue Ray and DVD players still readily available, and make excellent CD players.

Originally Posted by deedeeyeah ➡️

tascam just released a new cd-writer, no kidding!

Originally Posted by M50k ➡️

Blue Ray and DVD players still readily available, and make excellent CD players.

Originally Posted by M50k ➡️

My now-ancient Tascam CD-RW4U is still working flawlessly; never a hiccup.

Originally Posted by Thomas W. Bethe ➡️

I am talking about recordings of regional or local symphonies done on an Iphone or IPad not someone's recording of an acapella group doing something in a room. People can record all they want of themselves and friends but when it comes to a professional or semi professional classical ensemble or solo artist then "please don't ruin it by having some amateur record it with their phone and posting it on the WWW"

That was my reason for posting this...

Originally Posted by deedeeyeah ➡️

tascam just released a new cd-writer, no kidding!

Originally Posted by David Spearritt ➡️

Have you tried buying a decent CD player these days? Almost impossible in Australia at least.

I still buy and listen to them and have a couple of players (ready to flog second hand for a huge markup).

But for promotion of a concert or chamber ensemble, sending a reasonably good video (but excellent audio) recording clip link to a grants committee who will then forward and share and posting on FB or Twitter, you just cannot compare the effectiveness of that to printing a few CD's and handing them out. By all means sell CD's at the concert, but to get people to go to the concert and "follow" the group, you can't beat YT.

Originally Posted by M50k ➡️

Blue Ray and DVD players still readily available, and make excellent CD players.

Originally Posted by Plush ➡️

I recommend the truly excellent QUAD Electroacoustics cd players.
One model in use here is the ARTERA PLAY, a cd player and preamplifier combination. ARCAM also makes excellent cd players. Both of those companies are English hi-fi makers. These players extract the most out of the 16 bit medium.

https://www.quad-hifi.co.uk/artera-play-2/

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-2N1q3k...EaAv-uEALw_wcB

Originally Posted by M50k ➡️

Anyone care to speculate why there's such differing experiences right now regarding CDs? - there seems to be little middle ground; some are saying they are asked to supply CDs on almost every job, and the rest say they can't remember the last time they were.

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn ➡️

FWIW, at the showcase venue I mix for, I'm seeing people start to include flash drives in their merch. I asked last night's artist about it and he said he gets 128mb drives (big enough for mp3's but not WAV's) with CMYK printing for $2.70 apiece in quantities of 100. He had some further packaging that added to the cost (and the PITA), but it couldn't have been that much. He includes the CD "booklet" on the drive. Last night, it looked like he sold quite a few.

Originally Posted by deedeeyeah ➡️

sure - but there is such a thing as 'critical listening' which lets you assess things in a somewhat more informed way; needs to get practiced gor years if not decades...

'mumble rap'?! - good lord, what's next?

[in terms of intelligibility, it's probably not much different from 'screamers' in the metal genre: one cannot understand a word... - not really a desireable thing.]

youth culture has a lot to do with distinction - that's not a new phenomenon.


well, serious musicians cite other reasons for their preferences: humbuckers vs single coil, scale length, neck shape, tremolo etc.

___


short: imo you're on the wrong track as social distinction alone cannot explain a technically measurable difference!

Originally Posted by alcastiella ➡️

"serious musicians"

oh boy...

Originally Posted by nitrateaudio ➡️

..., even though the Les Paul may well be a much better guitar that stays in tune better.