THE A/B CD: The A/B CD volume 1 - abcd

The A/B CD

The A/B CD volume 1 - abcd

© 2001 steve carr (783707371825)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

Sonic Comparisons of Audio Technologies and Techniques.

tracks

1 Analog/Digital Mixers #1
2 Analog/Digital Mixers #2
3 Digital/Analog Recorders #1
4 Digital/Analog Recorders #2
5 Digital/Analog Recorders #3
6 Digital/Analog Recorders #4
7 Preamps #1
8 Preamps #2
9 Preamps with compressors
10 Home Computer/Pro Digital Recorder
11 24 bit/16 bit
12 Super Bit Mapping On/Off #1
13 Super Bit Mapping On/Off #2
14 Neaumann U87/ SM 58
15 Akg 414 /sm57
16 Acoustics and Reverbs #1
17 Acoustics and Reverbs #2
18 Acoustics and Reverbs #3
19 Acoustics and Reverbs #4
20 Acoustics and Reverbs #5
21 Acoustics and Reverbs #6
22 Acoustics and Reverbs #7
23 Modeling and Instruments#1
24 Modeling and Instruments#2
25 1708 Stradivarius/Standard Violin
26 DW Drums/Pearl Drums
27 Home Studio /Commercial Studio
28 Mastering #1
29 Mastering #2
30 Mastering #3
31 Elements Of Production #1
32 Elements Of Production #2
33 Elements Of Production #3
34 Elements Of Production #4
35 Elements Of Production #5
36 Elements Of Production #6
37 Playback Formats #1
38 Playback Formats #2
39 Cables / Wires #1
40 Cables / Wires #2
41 Cables / Wires #3
42 Cables / Wires #4
43 Cables / Wires #5
44 Cables / Wires #6
45 Cables / Wires #7
46 Cables / Wires #8
47 Cables / Wires #9
48 Cables / Wires #10
49 Connectors #1
50 Connectors #2
51 Signal Paths
52 Reference Tracks #1
53 Reference Tracks #2

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notes

**Since the release of The A/B CD in 2001, other audio comparison products have appeared on the market. To understand why The A/B CD is the only accurate, unbiased and complete audio comparison resource available, please check out the FAQs page on The A/B CD website**
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About The A/B CD
It's understandable that there are many questions regarding what makes a recording sound the way it does. Popular opinions regarding sound quality differences between things like analog and digital recording began propagating around the birthdate of the audio CD. It's gotten to the point that nowadays, everyone "knows" or at least has heard things like "analog sounds warmer than digital"

And yet to this day, the fact is: very few people have actually heard an accurate side by side comparison of the two. This can lead to misconceptions as to what makes a recording sound the way it does, resulting in recordings that don't live up to expectations for mis-identified reasons.

The only logical and educational way to decipher what determines a recording's sound qualities -out of the infinite number of variables that make up a recording path - is to break down the complete recording process into individual components and then present accurate multitrack comparisons of the different competing formats of those components such as tube versus solid state.

This is exactly what The A/B CD does.

Five years in the making due to the technical challenge of presenting accurate, useful comparisons of all the major components that make up a complete recording path, The A/B CD allows you to hear and decide for yourself what type of things make a big difference and what type of things make little difference in a recording's sonic quality.

Please keep in mind, the MP3 soundclips described
here only play a small snippet from each of their corresponding tracks as they appear on The A/B CD.

Track 1 -This "A" soundclip was mixed using a Mackie analog mixer (equipment A). On The A/B CD, it is followed by the same 12 second section of 24 track music as mixed through the Yamaha hardware digital mixer (equipment B).

Track 3 - This "A" soundclip is from one of the tracks that compares a 2" 24 track analog recorder to a 16 bit 24 track digital recorder. On The A/B CD, it is followed by the same section of 24 track musical performance as recorded on the other 24 track recorder (equipment "B") . Two other tracks on The A/B CD show how a metal rock group and an acoustic folk rock group sound when recorded using analog vs. digital 24 track recorders.

Track 19 - This soundclip plays the complete A/B comparison from track 19. Counter 0:00 "A" Shows the imaging and tone of a real drum kit recorded with close & room mics. Counter 0:08 "B" Shows the imaging and tone of the same performance when only the close mics are used in the mix. If you're using a microphone to record, then you need to know how influential the acoustics of a room can be. The A/B CD delivers this prerequisite experience.

Computer based recording is happening, but many questions still surround the sound quality of computer recording systems. Can a computer make a recording that sounds as good as it's hardware counterparts? The A/B CD lays all the cards on the table regarding the sound qualities of computer recording. From the sound quality of a stock 16 bit computer sound card versus a 24 bit professional audio interface to a software plug-in reverb vs. an industry standard hardware reverb. The A/B CD subsequently compares the same hardware reverb to a real acoustical environment .The Track 22 webclip to the left shows the hardware reverb (equipment "A") vs. the computer "plug-in" reverb (equipment "B") comparison.

Understanding what makes a recording sound the way it does would not be possible without also studying how different levels of musicianship and different designs of similar musical instruments effect a recording's sound quality. For example, The Track 24 webclip plays a comparison of a Line 6 POD amp and speaker model versus the same performance as played through a real Marshal 50 watt amp & 4X12 speaker cabinet mic'd with a Shure SM57 mic.

reviews

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  • This Both Frightened And Elated Me
    author: Bradley Rourke

    I'm a musician who enjoys home recording. Like many of us, I enjoy gear as much as the next guy. When things aren't sounding good, often my first instinct is to decide I need a new piece of gear. I am currently preparing to go into the studio with my band (for the second time). This remarkable CD made me scared and nervous about these upcoming sessions . . . but ultimately elated me. Why? Without giving away the punchline, by isolating each individual link in the signal chain, and allowing you to hear its effects, Steve Carr builds a very, very strong case for what we all know intellectually anyway: that it is the individual musical performance that matters most. Getting the best sound starts with doing the hard prep work and practice -- slapping a new mic on that guitar isn't going to cut it. While I knew this intellectually, this CD showed it to me in my gut. So now I am fretting about my musicianship -- which is exactly what I ought to be doing beforehand! Which brings me to why I am ultimately elated listening to this CD. This CD shows me that good sound is within the reach of anyone, so long as they are willing to put in the work to get the tunes right. The equipment required for good sound is within the reach of home recordists and the differences involved are well illustrated in this CD. No doubt those with refined ears will hear things I did not. But what I DID hear is more than enough. I expect to return to this CD often as a training device on the engineer side -- and as a motivator on the musician side.

  • Worthwile
    author: Faisal

    A very well thought out and executed concept. The results are interesting and useful, particularly to the amateur with intentions of buying new equipment. One interesting note - I had to fight disappointment during the examples where no differences could be heard at all (although those instances might have been a result of my listening set up)!

  • Demonstrates what is most important for good sound.
    author: Bruce Bartlett

    I don't want to prejudice other listeners of this CD by telling what I heard. But I will say that I was surprised and enlightened. This CD demonstrates what is most important for getting good sound in recordings. Is it the gear? The musicians and their instruments? You'll find out! Fascinating presentation. What's more, the engineering that it took to produce this CD is first-rate. Very skillfully done.

  • a must for the sound engineer or anyone doing home recording
    author: Ignace Dhont

    In a nutshell: great to hear what makes a real difference and what does not. This CD is worth it's weight in gold.

  • first the music than the technic
    author: guido bugmann

    this is a very good possibility for a real a-b-comparison! and as you hear the differences you realize once more - the big difference makes the music - the arrangement - the musician - what you loose in the beginning - you never will get back - even with the highest level of equipment - - then, when your music is the way you want to hear it, you can get some cream on it with the right equipment!

  • Very Interesting Idea
    author: Matt Long

    The A/B CD is an interesting tool for ear training. I found the most interesting comparisons were of: **** the different microphones (Neumann U87 vs. Shure SM58 and AKG 414 vs. Shure SM 57)--noticeable difference with solo singer, but almost no difference when mixed with a band. **** modeled guitar amps vs. real guitar amps--I prefered the modeled sound, though the difference was clear **** and the Stradivarius violin vs. standard violin--A Stradivarius is so eery and full of character. It's amazing the difference. What was also striking is that there really is very little difference between the sound of solid state and tubes according to this CD. I have friends who swear by tubes and say they can prove the opposite, so it does make you wonder if there is any sort of bias held by the CDs producers. I'm not saying there is, it just makes you wonder if they felt they had something to prove (maybe the myths needed debunked--who knows). All in all, I really like the disk and will use it again to further refine my listening ability. And while I've spoiled a couple of the comparisons, you'll really have to just get the disk and judge the rest for yourself. Definitely worthwhile!!

  • "A GREAT TOOL FOR BUILDING LISTENING SKILLS!"
    author: Larry Crane (editor, TAPE Op)

    Given that my "end rant" is about critical listening, this is a perfect CD to recommend. It has 52 minutes of comparisons in 15 categories: digital mixer vs. analogue, tape vs. digital, tube vs. solid state, etc. I sat and pored over these tests and worked my ass off listening for details. One of the most notable comparisons was between a 1708 Stradivarius and a standard violin--holy shit did the Strad sound much better. Some tests were hard to hear (like different guitar cables). Others were quite obvious (like tape hiss and low-end roll-off with 30 IPS tape). But either way, this is a great tool for building your listening skills while also gaining insight into different techniques and recording equipment. Steve Carr did a fantastic job of putting this collection together, and we should all take advantage of the results.

  • The A/Bcd lays to rest many of the questions I had about pro audio
    author: Bruce Smith

    I'm a project studio owner and was always curious about the "real" difference between expensive mics and cheap ones, is there really a "tube sound," and other "pro" equipment. This cd really shows the difference (or lack thereof) between the high-end stuff and the middle-of-the-road stuff (that I can afford). It also helps me decide where I should spend my money and where not. Buy the cd and find out for yourself.

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