KVR Audio

Phase47 · Post by **Phase47** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 3:10 am

The average listener? And I don't mean this in any deprecating or negative way, but the average listener, meaning, the average, mass-conumer of music, does not listen critically to technical details.

bailees7irish · Post by **bailees7irish** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 3:46 am

Does the average listener really care if its analog?

No.

ENV1 · Post by **ENV1** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 3:49 am

pdxindy wrote:
V0RT3X wrote:Serious question. Do you think all the people who listen to music composed with Access Viruses, Nord Leads, Waldorfs etc actually care ??
The Virus and Nord Lead are not analog

That was probably his point.

And no, i dont think they care, much like a person eating in a restaurant doesnt care if the chef was using salt from Italy or China. As long as it tastes good, its good.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 4:34 am

I don't care, either. It's analog, so what, that doesn't mean anything through itself. I remember numerous things I never liked much.

ccDuckett · Post by **ccDuckett** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 4:38 am

This question has arisen more than once in the relatively short time I've been here,
and the short answer to the literal question is "No."

There are those who are extremely passionate and knowledgeable about either side of the analog/digital debate, and this, to me, is the key, in a sense: passion and knowledge. While perhaps the average listener, or even the average KVRist, isn't particularly interested in reading essay-length posts or interminable arguments about the issue, it's people who care deeply about sound, who aren't satisfied with
"eh, it sounds sorta decent, let's go with it" that enable those of us who are less obsessive get on with the business of using tools that result in the average listener
finding something to delight in.

Yes, there inevitably grows a certain amount of mystique and bullsh*t around anyone or anything that has something that stands out, or that simply has been around long enough. The "halo effect" is certainly alive and well.
That being said, for all those who do nothing but argue about things that very few people on this planet are aware of, let alone care about- there are those who work on them in a practical sense. For those people, and for those that help them, I am grateful.

Restoring an old piece of long-forgotten analog kit so that it's not only working but reliable for years to come, or coding something incredibly compact yet powerful that takes full advantage of modern processing power- these activities may not cure cancer, house the homeless, or make armed conflict obsolete- but even world-changers need something to listen to..

Aloysius · Post by **Aloysius** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 4:55 am

trimph1 · Post by **trimph1** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 5:48 am

jancivil wrote:I don't care, either. It's analog, so what, that doesn't mean anything through itself. I remember numerous things I never liked much.

Don't remind me!!!

MRT · Post by **MRT** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 5:57 am

If you could take a song and mix it in the box with free plugs and do a remake with fine analog gear. I believe the average listener would prefer the one that was cheapest.
At the end of the day no one may like your song so you better load it up with stuff that makes you happy. When people feel your joy through the music they will seek you out and ask,"Is it analog?".

werp · Post by **werp** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 6:26 am

the average listener doesn't want to spill his or her drink.

MFXxx · Post by **MFXxx** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 6:40 am

average listener doesn't care if it's mp3 @ 128 or hi-res 24-bit/96k/24-bit/192kHz +

"Does the average listener really care if its analog?"

'NO'

The market forces of hardware and formats drive the end users desirability. If the listener cared the media industry wouldn't have a worry in the world ie format choice, piracy, quality and value for money.

Mainly it's the experience. Analog, digital or emulation is pretty much for the front end musician/producer.

Personally, it's down to the sounds(s) that the kit produce, tactility of the instrument, the fun in making the tracks and the end result.

JPQ · Post by **JPQ** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 6:48 am

Normal listeners dont care or even understand such things. I actually based normal dance pop/rock etc listener they dont even understand if singer sings wrong note....... based they like so crappy singers... i know x factor matters also some artits make better show than others which is this x factor to me.

wonshu · Post by **wonshu** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 7:04 am

Rhythm, Melody, Harmony, Sound...................................... sound source.

Kriminal · Post by **Kriminal** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 7:15 am

It doesnt matter what the listener cares about, it matters what the artist cares about.

Urs · Post by **Urs** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 7:25 am

This question is similar to what designers hear all day. "Why do I need to pay you when all you do is change the font and move that paragraph a bit to the right?"

Back at design university one of my teachers had created a new fountain pen for pupils, which was then manufactured by a company that wasn't exactly successful in that market. To most people it would look like every other pen. Yet, while no-one could put in words why they would prefer one pen over the other, this pen swept the competition away within a year. It won all the awards, in some countries it became the fountain pen that was supplied to pupils by the state.

Subtle things can make differences. Designers know and musicians know as well.

Just my 2c albeit strongly biased ones.

- Urs

Spiritos · Post by **Spiritos** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 7:54 am

I think on a subliminal level it can matter as little nuances such as sense of space and certain overtones or frequencies are heard by the ears yet not consciously processed by the brain.

I don't know if it's the same but recently I saw the documentary 'Soundcity' about the studio with the (analogue) Neve console and how it influenced the inspiration of musicians but also the final sound of the song.