MP3 SoundClips Suck and Why They Shouldn't be used as basis for Selection

[lolwat]

Brüel & Kjær microphones anyone?

[farseer]

Hi Alex, hope your doing ok...

Its all relative, in some cases it may give a good approximate on how a guitar will sound... this clip made me really want a Somogyi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SadUTHYE-DA and the 2 Somogyis I bought have that same timbre... not 100% but quite close

I have a build w/ Raymond Kraut due this year... This is a video of his most recent guitar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM7HkhTmYgk, I think I wont be getting a guitar this good... medyo processed kasi..

There are many variables in recording, some can capture the real sound of the guitar, some try to enhance, some just dont know what they are doing
I guess, kung marunong yun nagrerecord kaya makalapit

[skunkyfunk]

Actually, sa Philippine situation, kasing rami ang BAD music, BAD melody, BAD song, BAD artist, BAD lyrics as BAD tone.  Dapat siguro kung hindi maka-praktis sa tone, magpalit na lang ng career o kaya mag-audition na lang sa Pinoy Idol.  Mas cheap naman kasi libre naman ang vocal chords di ba?

Does Creed follow that example?  I heard you hate Tremonti's tone. 

[tongski_02]

Hi Alex, hope your doing ok...

Its all relative, in some cases it may give a good approximate on how a guitar will sound... this clip made me really want a Somogyi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SadUTHYE-DA and the 2 Somogyis I bought have that same timbre... not 100% but quite close

I have a build w/ Raymond Kraut due this year... This is a video of his most recent guitar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM7HkhTmYgk, I think I wont be getting a guitar this good... medyo processed kasi..

There are many variables in recording, some can capture the real sound of the guitar, some try to enhance, some just dont know what they are doing
I guess, kung marunong yun nagrerecord kaya makalapit

tang na ang ganda ng tunog naluha ako

[IncX]

Does Creed follow that example?  I heard you hate Tremonti's tone. 

lol

i think April Boy, Aegis, Yano, Siakol, etc etc have made more money than most of us ever will playing guitar.

-*-

case in point: never ever ever use "getting paid" in a guitar argument.

firemodel is the biggest guitar nerd i know, and that's not a bad thing ... it's just a lot of things in music are cooler than a "perfect guitar tone" and for the most part, buying stuff via brand repu-tation and mp3 soundclips are good enough for most people

[firemodel55]

di naman sound bad eh ... di naman siguro kailangan perfect tone gitara mo para makuha ng bare minimun ng magandang tunog, di ba?

or kailangan mo ba ng perfect tone para tumugtog ng "its not about the money money money, we dont need your money money money?"

Well, I am NOT asking for perfect tone but baka mas mataas ang bare minimum ko kaysa sa iba.  Unfortunately, for people who I talk to who refuse to watch live bands because of bad sounding guitars -- mataas ang bare minimum nila for guitar. 

I mean a lot of people who gig hope to get payed by the organizer or club owner right?  So its about the money.  I don't need to gig but the only gig I attend to is Blue Rats at the Mandarin because it sounds great AND they have great music.  Why don't you try attending one of their gigs at the Mandarin and watch and listen.  More importantly, watch the MONEY flow.

[firemodel55]

lol

i think April Boy, Aegis, Yano, Siakol, etc etc have made more money than most of us ever will playing guitar.

-*-

case in point: never ever ever use "getting paid" in a guitar argument.

firemodel is the biggest guitar nerd i know, and that's not a bad thing ... it's just a lot of things in music are cooler than a "perfect guitar tone" and for the most part, buying stuff via brand repu-tation and mp3 soundclips are good enough for most people

case in point: never ever ever use "the term guitar nerd" in an argument because I consider people who classify other people GUITAR NERD as DEAF.

[firemodel55]

Does Creed follow that example?  I heard you hate Tremonti's tone. 

I like Tremonti's songs but hate his tone.  Which shows you that in my perspective, its not ALL about gear.  But if he had a better EAR on how to set up his gear, I would greatly appreciate and enjoy his songs more.  By the way, I can never get my Uberschall to sound as bad his tones.

[firemodel55]

slightly off-topic:

I am just wondering, what with all these debates on which sounds better than what or who's credible than whom...

Why do I never hear anyone here argue about tone on a musical context? Pagsintunado ka kahit anong ganda ng gear tunog ta.e pa rin yan. Its always about name-dropping something someone read from somewhere or believe me because Im all this and that...

My point is: tone is supposed to be a tool for making music and with the billions of moneys spent on the advancement of producing tone, none of these techs have even gone close to producing the tone you want for the music you want to produce? Does it always have to be the tone that's out of reach by many? Why? And for what music? Maybe you'd want to re-evaluate why you are evaluating tone in the first place. Its sad if you're doing it just to be a notch up the next guy.

Back to topic:
Soundclips help a lot, be it mp3 or any format, because it tells you a lot of what is possible with a particular gear with x mic and y interface. It gives you an idea of the potential of that particular guitar through an amp etc... You'd be an idiot to think though that that's exactly what it sounds in person. And if it sounds good on a file format that sucks, won't it generally just sound better on the real thing? While it is true that recordings cannot get 100% of the real thing, if you're satisfied with the 60-70% thats on the recording then why not? Meron bang photogenic na audio, sa recording gumanganda panget sa personal? (pwera pilosopo, rendered raw ang usapan hindi yung pinaganda na ng experto)... teka, on a different context, kung experto ka sa pagpapaganda ng sound, won't you be able make a shi.tty guitar get good tone on a recording?

Great Gear rarely goes out of tune .... so its a non-issue for discussion at least in my experience.

Great Tone is a tool and like any other tool how you use it is AS important.  Just watch American Idol.  The Great Singers have so many factors that make them great singers BUT look at whats common.  Whats common is that ALL of their voices have GREAT TONE.

But using MP3s at 5% fidelity?  For a lot I guess thats sufficient but I won't even bother given my standards.  In my experience, for the people who come over and try out my gear IN PERSON; they are so shocked that Guitar Gear can sound so good.  They usually start out with the usual -- LETS SEE WHAT THIS GUY HAS TYPE OF ATTITUDE.  When they finish; as if they have never heard such great gear in their life.   

[pitongjerome]

I use mp3's as my basis for guitar/gear selection.  It approximates what it would sound like. it narrows my selection, as i don't have all the time in the world. Its just that i don't use it alone. I still need to hear it live.

[IncX]

Well, I am NOT asking for perfect tone but baka mas mataas ang bare minimum ko kaysa sa iba.  Unfortunately, for people who I talk to who refuse to watch live bands because of bad sounding guitars -- mataas ang bare minimum nila for guitar. 

I mean a lot of people who gig hope to get payed by the organizer or club owner right?  So its about the money.  I don't need to gig but the only gig I attend to is Blue Rats at the Mandarin because it sounds great AND they have great music.  Why don't you try attending one of their gigs at the Mandarin and watch and listen.  More importantly, watch the MONEY flow.

sounds like an interesting band. i'd check them out if i were in town and they had a show.

i also do not watch a lot of live bands because of bad tone and song writing... but my bare minimum is a lot lower than yours

[firemodel55]

sounds like an interesting band. i'd check them out if i were in town and they had a show.

i also do not watch a lot of live bands because of bad tone and song writing... but my bare minimum is a lot lower than yours

They play EVERY Thursday night at Martinis.  For me, they remain to be the standard that ALL local bands should be compared against for live gigs.

[firemodel55]

I use mp3's as my basis for guitar/gear selection.  It approximates what it would sound like. it narrows my selection, as i don't have all the time in the world. Its just that i don't use it alone. I still need to hear it live.

I love your foot note on Suhr... I would greatly appreciate it if you would add this statement on the footnote to provide a better AND fair context which I believe is my right given that you quoted me.  "There are NO good sounding Ibanez guitars ONLY BAD SOUNDING ones."

[firemodel55]

di naman sound bad eh ... di naman siguro kailangan perfect tone gitara mo para makuha ng bare minimun ng magandang tunog, di ba?

or kailangan mo ba ng perfect tone para tumugtog ng "its not about the money money money, we dont need your money money money?"

I just want to challenge the people who watch your band...  Charge them a P500 gate fee each.  Tell them it goes to your band.  Tingnan mo kung ilan talaga sa kanila ang totoo sa banda mo.  Kung wala, subukan mo babaan sa P400 gate fee.  Kung umabot ng below P100 at panay puri lang ang binibigay sa banda niyo, huwag na kayo tumugtog para sa kanila kasi sa hirap at sakripisyo niyo, ayaw ka nila buhayin.  ITS ABOUT THE MONEY, MONEY, MONEY WE NEED THE MONEY MONEY MONEY.

[firemodel55]

Hi Alex, hope your doing ok...

Its all relative, in some cases it may give a good approximate on how a guitar will sound... this clip made me really want a Somogyi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SadUTHYE-DA and the 2 Somogyis I bought have that same timbre... not 100% but quite close

I have a build w/ Raymond Kraut due this year... This is a video of his most recent guitar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM7HkhTmYgk, I think I wont be getting a guitar this good... medyo processed kasi..

There are many variables in recording, some can capture the real sound of the guitar, some try to enhance, some just dont know what they are doing
I guess, kung marunong yun nagrerecord kaya makalapit

I suggest you email Neil Young.  He knows more about acoustics than me... or EVEN you I guess.

[pitongjerome]

I love your foot note on Suhr... I would greatly appreciate it if you would add this statement on the footnote to provide a better AND fair context which I believe is my right given that you quoted me.  "There are NO good sounding Ibanez guitars ONLY BAD SOUNDING ones."

OT:

Its been more than 2 years since you said that haha

But what you said was different. You said ibanez has more bad sounding guitars than there are good ones. Anyway I don't care, I'm not an ibby fan, will include your ibanez quote when I get home.

[Skybox]

Welcome back Mr. Oas. Looks like this never ending story is still alive and well. Truly a sign that Philmusic is back! 

BTT:

I completely agree with the thread title. I also agree that Youtube demos should not be used as a sole basis for buying guitar related gear or any kind of gear for that matter.

It is definitely a great tool to window-shop and see what's out there for us consumers but we should still go to music stores to audition gear before pulling the trigger of course.

Now, is this also the thread where you (Mr. Oas) can bash the tones of local gigging artists or should we just stick to the topic?

[IncX]

I just want to challenge the people who watch your band...  Charge them a P500 gate fee each.  Tell them it goes to your band.  Tingnan mo kung ilan talaga sa kanila ang totoo sa banda mo.  Kung wala, subukan mo babaan sa P400 gate fee.  Kung umabot ng below P100 at panay puri lang ang binibigay sa banda niyo, huwag na kayo tumugtog para sa kanila kasi sa hirap at sakripisyo niyo, ayaw ka nila buhayin.  ITS ABOUT THE MONEY, MONEY, MONEY WE NEED THE MONEY MONEY MONEY.

hell no! they will not pay that amount of money to watch a fat 32 year old chinese bass player with my skills, the same way no one would that amount of money to watch you play guitar.

let's face it man, there's more to entertainment than guitar tone.

taylor swift can play a lumanog, and i would pay 500php for that and call it a bargain... hell, i paid 4.5K (plus dvo-mla-dvo plane tickets) to watch Dashboard Confessional and they were playing Epiphones. best show evah!

[superbuni123]

...Dashboard Confessional and they were playing Epiphones. best show evah!

 

Though i paid only for GenAd.

[nathanmanansala]

Great Gear rarely goes out of tune .... so its a non-issue for discussion at least in my experience.

i'd like to learn how to set a guitar up for that. i'd like to sit down and watch arie or someone like that do it too kasi i've never, and i mean never, met a guitar, even one with locking tuners, properly stretched strings, properly cut nut, that would not go even slightly out of tune, in the course of a set when given, uhm, proper persuasion. i play elevens (yes, even when using a guitar with an FR) and throttle the heck out of the thing when the sound i'm after requires me to do so, but otherwise, i'm as gentle as a well mannered shih-tzu on cesar milan's lap.

i mean stay completely in-tune with itself with chords ringing true and beat-less through 1 whole set and not require adjustment sometime during that set. its the nature of the design talaga yata. or anything with moving parts and parts that would naturally change with the surrounding environment.

not even the best locking tuners/locking nut setups in the market do that. they always require a bit of fine adjustment.

and its one of the things i cannot stand sa youtube video demos. when they take the trouble to record a video demo but skip tuning the damn thing properly. so i'm usually the guy commenting "tune the damn guitar!" or adding a +1 to those comments.

[randymarsh]

^ unless you have perfect pitch like malmsteen

 

[Skybox]

I think it is possible for 'great gear' to 'rarely get out of tune after the initial set-up' if after it gets set-up, it never gets played but only gets talked about. 

[skunkyfunk]

Ito na lang isipin niyo.  When the first iPod came out, it was like, 5Gb in capacity, right? And at the time, THAT WAS A LOOOOOOOT OF SPACE for 128kbps MP3s. 

And look now, your iPad can at least store 16Gb of data. Your iPhone can store more songs than contacts.  AND PEOPLE STILL DO NOT MIND STORING 128KBPS MP3s!  AND NO ONE BOTHERS TO STORE IN LOSSLESS AIFF OR WAV!

So what does this tell us?  PEOPLE DO NOT CARE ABOUT FIDELITY.  When people buy (or steal) mp3s, they are after content, and not the sheer attempt of emulating realism through playback (aka fidelity).

[treblinkalovescene]

Personally I'm selective over which albums I bother listening to generally or for geeking out on production/frequencies. General consumption stuff, I could care less about so long as it isn't below 128 but if it's something like My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, I'd rather have it on .flac

[Bolt Thrower]

Ito na lang isipin niyo.  When the first iPod came out, it was like, 5Gb in capacity, right? And at the time, THAT WAS A LOOOOOOOT OF SPACE for 128kbps MP3s. 

And look now, your iPad can at least store 16Gb of data. Your iPhone can store more songs than contacts.  AND PEOPLE STILL DO NOT MIND STORING 128KBPS MP3s!  AND NO ONE BOTHERS TO STORE IN LOSSLESS AIFF OR WAV!

So what does this tell us.  PEOPLE DO NOT CARE ABOUT FIDELITY.  When they buy (or steal) mp3s, they are after content, and not the sheer attempt of emulating realism through playback.

Besides, what's the use of FLAC or Lossless if people listen thru Stock Ipod earphones (or any "reasonably priced everyday use earphones")? A 320 CD rip vs a FLAC won't sound that much different thru them.