[LAU] digital voodoo: master fader should be set at 0db

[fons at kokkinizita.net]

On Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 01:43:33PM -0700, Kim Cascone wrote:

> >And let me add that psychoacoustics is not the same as
> >subjectivism -
> 
> you are correct in that they are not the same 
> but psychoacoustics does study the  _subjective_  human perception of auditory phenomena
> not the _objective_ human perception of auditory phenomena

It studies both. From basic perception (e.g. determining the
limits of what can be heard) to scene analysis which concerns
how those things that can be heared are used to reconstruct
a mental picture (e.g. detection of patterns).
 
> and while there are acoustic phenomena common to all healthy
> hearing/neurology which can be measured  you are glossing over
> two factors involved in psychoacoustics which render most
> scientific generalization sort of dicey: emotional state and
> cultural bias

Researchers in this field are not as stupid as to 'gloss over'
these factors. They are very well aware of them. If there is
any problem in this area it is with those who have heard some
bells ringing and think they understand it all. 

> and anyway my post was referring to the claim that if a property
> of a mix can't be scientifically measured then it doesn't exist
> -- which we all know is poppycock because 'music mastering' is
> NOT a science - it is pure sonic voodoo

While in general I do agree with the idea that you put forward
(because perception of music is not the same as perception of
sound), something doesn't have to be science to be studied by
science. Even religion can be a *subject* of science, while
clearly it is not science itself.

Ciao,

-- 
FA

O tu, che porte, correndo si ?
E guerra e morte !