What is music if not live? Except when it’s on record. This episode gets into why ‘live recordings’ can be amazing or lousy. Not an oxymoron, the sound of a live record has some different sonics to what is possible in the studio. There’s also a decent range of moments that you have to capture in the time. Shout outs to James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Ahmad Jamal, and several surprise guests for making this possible.

What’s that sound that has all the people wanting more? It’s reverb!!! Well, actually it’s a bit more like salt than pepper, but it makes recorded music taste delicious. Reverb helps create a ‘space’ that grounds the insturments, and when used creatively, it can make things sound psychedelic, dreamy, or just plain rock. Happy SXSW, if any listeners are off to the interactive portion, tweet me at @michaeldain and give me tips on what you’d like to hear in future episodes.

Episode four, I think, is a new level. If you’ve ever turned it up to 11, its all about dynamics, loudness, or just plain impact. If you turn back to the 20’s just being loud enough to be heard over the sound of dust in the grooves was the challenge. Contemporary music has a bit less of a hurdle, but still because we hear literally twice as much spectrum as can be captured on a recording. How do you cram dynamic sounds into such as small space? I’ve got some good examples in this episode. Bonus points for all who post in comments on what tunes are in the new intro collage, along with your thoughts on what sounds you think really hit the sonic mark.

The gloves come off this episode, I get down and dirty and really begin to research some of my rambled opinions. And what a befitting subject. As mono recordings could represent black and white movies, some amazing art, but technology marches on. Stereo adds that extra bit of oomph for those of us with two ears. But it was a rocky road starting out, 3 track recording, 4 track, 8 track, the sounds, the technology, the story, give a listen!

Sophisticated sounds, in a monaural vein. How early mastering to mono created some of the great sonic gems, with examples from Pablo Casals, and Louis Armstrong. Then, fidelity gets better, Les Paul is introduced, as well as just what good sounds can come from Sam Cooke and the Rolling Stones, indeed who needs Stereo?

Ok, it’s really here, the first episode of the long mulled over “Unbelievable Sounds” – for those used to the yearly dip into the record rack, this will come as a departure. I wanted to come up with a way to share some of the unsung nuances of what it means to listen to recorded music. Why do bands have a great album, then a dud? What is it that makes us love a tune, and then dismiss a sound-alike? My theory is that the real hand behind great tunes is the producer/engineer. The people that figure out what to turn the knobs to, the people that listen past the performance and create something to share. This isn’t a rant against bands, far from it, but a celebration of the great things we can all turn our ears and hear. Unlike a pricy wine, this one is free, the only cost is to listen to me prattle on over great music. Still, take a chance, its only a click away. Recommended for headphones and portable listening devices!

Episode one – Mono

Primitive recordings = amazing sounds. Even with some people shouting in a megaphone to make a needle vibrate, it was still able to deliver riveting music. A smattering of classical, world (madagascar), elvis, proves the point that this way of recording, working within its limitations, provides great pleasure.