Re: [ARSCLIST] Classical Radio, was [ARSCLIST] Mercury co-founder Irving Green passes

[David Lennick <dlennick@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mike Richter wrote:

> David Lennick wrote about assumed unique problems of ADD recordings:
>
> > They aren't..my (possibly incorrect) assumption is that at least ADD processing might have minimized the tape hiss and background noise. When I did a "collectors' classics" show on CJRT in the 80s and 90s, I had to make an unofficial arrangement with engineering to get them to shut off the limiters immediately before airing my show, or surface noise and crap would have been overwhelming. The particular CD I mentioned may be eminently listenable on most systems but not on a radio station which is aiming to put out a signal as loud as everything else on the dial. A couple of years ago the Buffalo station had similar problems any time it put on a Mercury Living Presence reissue or a
> > Sony reissue of any old Ormandy recordings. I don't notice this now but I don't know whether they improved their signal or acquired better transferred CDs.
>
> Any reissue has the opportunity to improve or to degrade the sound
> whether the tools are analogue or digital. Digital processing can do
> more for good or ill more easily than analogue, but having done both I
> can assure you that one can foul up a clean original with analogue
> limiters, denoisers and the like just as effectively as with the most
> sophisticated digital tools.

>

Actually, my original point was that this CD shouldn't have been broadcast, and neither should they have aired a totally insignificant performance of the Nutcracker Suite (Vanguard, couldn't even tell you the orchestra) that had the same problems. Management, engineering and announce staff should be made aware that certain CDs of older analog recordings are going to sound ghastly on the air and should make it a point to listen to their station as it's actually coming out of radio speakers, and the audience should open up a mouth as well.

dl