Audible Distortions in Good Recordings?

Cpyder
Cpyder Posts: 514
edited November 2009 in 2 Channel Audio
Sometimes when I listen very closely to music I sometimes hear slight crackling sounds in voices and some instruments a few times in songs. The crackling maybe lasts 0.1 seconds, if that. At first I thought maybe it was my setup - long optical cable to receiver, but after testing on other devices I found it is indeed in the music.

I thought maybe it was just the recording studios increasing the loudness of their music and maxing out the waveform, but I hear it even in "non-loud" albums such at Michael Jackson's 1987 Bad release. It is louder in the 2001 "loud" release, as expected.

Are the distortions coming from the recording studio room such as the microphone maxing out and distorting, or is there another problem at hand?

Listen for yourself:

Michael Jackson - Bad - Just Good Friends - Track 5
Audible distortion at 1:48 when Jackson says - "First impressions, I try to hide."
The words "I" and "hide" have a raspy tone or distortion to them but I don't feel that the sound is originating from Jackson's voicebox.

I can find more examples from other music if requested for people who don't have this album.
Post edited by Cpyder on
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,564
    edited November 2009
    For some reason, beat it comes to mind.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

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  • Montoya
    Montoya Posts: 506
    edited November 2009
    Tool 10,000 days has a lot of audible distortion.
    F1nut wrote: »
    For some reason, beat it comes to mind.
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  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited November 2009
    If it is audibly jacked up, how is it a good recording? Did I misplace my secret decoder ring?

    Now, notice that I didn't say it's bad music (although in this case, it is)...there are lots of phenomenal performances that weren't recorded well....especially with a lot of the older classical.

    BDT
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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  • concealer404
    concealer404 Posts: 7,440
    edited November 2009
    Eh, i have a couple cds that are recorded pretty well, other than an annoying crackle in a few isolated places. It's frustrating as hell. I thought my tweeter was blown at first.

    Incubus - Light Grenades comes to mind.

    But yes... the whole "It sounds great, BUT" is pretty amusing. :p
    I don't read the newsssspaperssss because dey aaaallllllllll...... have ugly print.

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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,564
    edited November 2009
    I wasn't referring to the song.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • concealer404
    concealer404 Posts: 7,440
    edited November 2009
    F1nut wrote: »
    I wasn't referring to the song.

    Oh... FML. I get it now. I feel like a Slow Polky.
    I don't read the newsssspaperssss because dey aaaallllllllll...... have ugly print.

    Living Room: B&K Reference 5 S2 / Parasound HCA-1000A / Emotiva XDA-2 / Pioneer BDP-51FD / Paradigm 11se MKiii

    Desk: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / ISK HD9999

    Office: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / Dynaco SCA-80Q / Paradigm Legend V.3

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  • michaeljhsda2
    michaeljhsda2 Posts: 2,184
    edited November 2009
    Robert Cray - Some Rainy Morning CD has artifacts in the recording.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,564
    edited November 2009
    concealer404 wrote: »
    Oh... FML. I get it now. I feel like a Slow Polky.

    LOL.....yeah, you've got it now.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited November 2009
    It would be hard to enjoy the music if you're that focused on the nuances of imperfection in the performance, recording, mastering, and production.
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
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  • concealer404
    concealer404 Posts: 7,440
    edited November 2009
    dkg999 wrote: »
    It would be hard to enjoy the music if you're that focused on the nuances of imperfection in the performance, recording, mastering, and production.

    Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of this hobby, though? ;)
    I don't read the newsssspaperssss because dey aaaallllllllll...... have ugly print.

    Living Room: B&K Reference 5 S2 / Parasound HCA-1000A / Emotiva XDA-2 / Pioneer BDP-51FD / Paradigm 11se MKiii

    Desk: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / ISK HD9999

    Office: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / Dynaco SCA-80Q / Paradigm Legend V.3

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  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited November 2009
    We listen to music

    On the Hi-Fi
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
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  • Cpyder
    Cpyder Posts: 514
    edited November 2009
    So am I just awakening into the world of critical music listening and these small distortions are something I just have to deal with from now on? Because now that I'm picking up on them, I hear it everywhere and I can't stop hearing it!

    Help!

    Lol
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  • concealer404
    concealer404 Posts: 7,440
    edited November 2009
    Cpyder wrote: »
    So am I just awakening into the world of critical music listening and these small distortions are something I just have to deal with from now on? Because now that I'm picking up on them, I hear it everywhere and I can't stop hearing it!

    Help!

    Lol

    If it's truly in the source material, yep. Sucks. A large chunk of my library sounds like **** these days. :(
    I don't read the newsssspaperssss because dey aaaallllllllll...... have ugly print.

    Living Room: B&K Reference 5 S2 / Parasound HCA-1000A / Emotiva XDA-2 / Pioneer BDP-51FD / Paradigm 11se MKiii

    Desk: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / ISK HD9999

    Office: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / Dynaco SCA-80Q / Paradigm Legend V.3

    HT: Denon AVR-X3400H / Sony UBP-X700 / RT16 / CS350LS / RT7 / SVS PB1000
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  • vc69
    vc69 Posts: 2,500
    edited November 2009
    concealer404 wrote: »
    If it's truly in the source material, yep. Sucks. A large chunk of my library sounds like **** these days. :(

    Welcome to my world. I'd say 20% of my CD collection sounds A+.
    Average is actually "suck".

    Effing Hi-Fi :p
    F1nut wrote: »
    For some reason, beat it comes to mind.

    That is the funny.
    -Kevin
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  • Cpyder
    Cpyder Posts: 514
    edited November 2009
    concealer404 wrote: »
    If it's truly in the source material, yep. Sucks. A large chunk of my library sounds like **** these days. :(

    vc69 wrote: »
    Welcome to my world. I'd say 20% of my CD collection sounds A+.
    Average is actually "suck".

    Effing Hi-Fi :p

    Well, this is just depressing now. :(

    Do we have any idea where the audible distortions come from? Is it the microphones operating beyond it's limits, ADC process, or something else?
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