[Scott[_6_]]

On Sep 4, 10:39=A0am, "Arny Krueger" wrote:
"Scott" wrote in message
...

[quoted text deleted -- deb]

The problem with all of this is considering the room tone to be a
noise floor the same way you have noise floors in the equipment
itself. The noise floor in real life is 0 in that all the "noise" in
real life is actually signal not noise. I want to hear the sound of
the room. that isn't noise that is the sound that transports me as a
listener to that space. The true dynamic range of real life is about
120 dB depending on one's thresholds of pain.

Back in the real world, the primary sources of room tone in most
contemporary live recordings is HVAC noise and/or other forms of atmospheric
or structure-borne noise from the environment.

Every time I do a spectral analysis of room tone from one of my recordings I
see the LF spikes from the HVAC air movers and hiss from the turbulent air
in and around the ducts and vents.

Everybody who wants to suffer the economic slings and arrows of building a
120 dB dynamic range recording system in order to produce 60 dB dynamic
range recordings of HVAC and traffic noise can be my guest! As things
stand, I'm usually producing recordings of them with 30 or so dB dynamic
range, and seems to produce little concern on the part of the paying
customers. A nicely done fade in and out at the beginning and end of the
song, and all seems well.

I believe the question posed was what is the dynamic range of the real
world for us as listeners. If you don't like the sound of the rooms
you are recording in I suggest finding better rooms. But that sound,
whether or not you approve of it is part of the real world and is not
noise in the same sense as you have noise in the gear itself. so if
one is actually interested in capturing everything one can hear one
does need a dynamic range of at least 120 dB. At least. If one is
interested in getting it without gross distortion one needs
substantially more headroom.