[ARSCLIST] Pristine Audio and the Milllennials . . .

["Gary R. Boye" <boyegr@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

ARSClist members,

I'm a recent member and have greatly enjoyed your technical discussion 
about audio quality--although I'm not sure I always understand the 
terminology.  I was unimpressed by the Robert Johnson recording because 
it seemed to me that the upper note slides were dampened in comparison 
to the LP recording and certainly in comparison to the "real thing" 
(i.e., me trying to play guitar like Robert Johnson).

My second point deals with the general problem of education and today's 
"younger generation."  I'm 45, so I have some experience with analog 
from LPs to 8-tracks.  I teach a "Survey of Country Music" course at the 
University level (a sign of changing times in itself) and I will say 
that I wouldn't think of teaching such a class only through CDs or 
streaming audio--although those are the two formats I use most.  I lug 
in a cylinder player, a Victrola, and a c.1948 RCA Victor portable tube 
record player so they can actually hear this stuff as it was originally 
heard.  These are just brief demonstrations, of course, but it is part 
of the history of the style.  I may even bring in my old 8 track player 
and show them what track-changing in the middle of a song sounds like! I 
just wish I had a jukebox, a wire recorder, and a way to play old music 
on an old radio . . .

This is all a small step, but the 60 or so students in my class at least 
learn something about twentieth-century analog audio . . . every other 
spring semester.

Thanks for all of your comments, I'm learning alot.

Gary


--
Gary R. Boye, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Music Librarian
Appalachian State University