[Edwin Hurwitz]

In article ,
"Trevor" wrote:

"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...
Remember that digital recording was applied to the production of LPs up to
nearly a decade before the release of the first CDs. This was done so that
when the CD format was finalized, it would be possible to exploit its
sonic and practical advantages from the start.

Actually it was mostly done as a pont of difference from other techniques
being used at the time to try to improve the sound quality of vinyl. Half
speed mastering, Direct metal mastering, and Direct to disc recording were
all being tried to improve sound quality, as were those early digital
recorders (and video interfaces). That the digital recordings could be more
easily transferred to CD when it was released was only a minor benefit IMO,
since ANY transfer was still relatively easy compared with the problem of
actually making a CD master disc and pressing consumer discs in the very
early days.

Trevor.

Digital multitrack recording was also used for it's improved signal to
noise ratio, lack of wow and flutter, lack of hiss buildup, ability to
play the tape over and over without losing highs as you overdubbed other
tracks, ability to get off the tape what you put on it (subject to the
vagaries of early converters.), although that's a mixed bag because the
euphonic compression that tape has is something we now miss as is head
bump artifacts on the low end, etc.

Editing was also seen as potentially easier, as you could calculate
crossfades and create edit decision lists that would allow you to edit
in ways that a razor blade can't. Of course, a good engineer with a
blade could do some awesome ****. I worked at it a lot and got good at
it, but not like some of the masters I saw at work. It's all pretty easy
on a computer now, so it's largely a lost skill.

Punching in and out was also something that some saw as an improvement,
what with the ability to set very precise ins and outs which included
crossfades. However, I miss the days that my clients called my Mike
Tyson due to my ability to quickly and accurately punch in and out,
sometimes even punching parts of words. Ah, the good old days, I don't
miss them a bit! Pro Tools, Logic, etc. rock!