[LAU] How is the bass mixed? Per-channel frequency analysis? Histogram?

[Gene Heskett]

On Thursday 06 February 2014 11:22:43 Vytautas Jancauskas did opine:

> On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 12:17 PM, Fons Adriaensen <fons at linuxaudio.org> 
wrote:
> > On Thu, Feb 06, 2014 at 10:41:33AM +0200, Vytautas Jancauskas wrote:
> >> One of the first rules of mixing you learn is to mix bass to the
> >> center.
> > 
> > There is no such rule.
> > 
> >> Also when mixing for vinyl if bass is not centered it will make
> >> the needle jump out of the groove.
> > 
> > No, it won't.
> > 
> > Ciao,
> > 
> > --
> > FA
> > 
> > A world of exhaustive, reliable metadata would be an utopia.
> > It's also a pipe-dream, founded on self-delusion, nerd hubris
> > and hysterically inflated market opportunities. (Cory Doctorow)
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > Linux-audio-user mailing list
> > Linux-audio-user at lists.linuxaudio.org
> > http://lists.linuxaudio.org/listinfo/linux-audio-user
> 
> http://www.resoundsound.com/mixing-for-vinyl-dont-fall-for-these-traps/
> 
> "Make the bass mono when mixing for vinyl. Always and absolutely. With
> bass I don't only mean the bassline. I mean all low frequencies - the
> bassline, the low end of your drums, percussion, any bassy effects,
> etc. No panning, no stereo effects. Make it mono.
> 
> With stereo bass content the needle has to do big vertical movements
> which easily results in skips. Also the record will have to be cut
> quieter."
> 
> I'm sure you know better, just saying that this is what everyone else is
> saying.

This may be an artifact of the std vinyl playing gear at radio stations, 
used historically where the records were played live on the air by local 
dj's.

The majority of the stations I'd had experience with usually were equipt 
with decent turntables and arms, but because it was indestructable, had the 
old Pickering/Stanton D500 cartridge fitted.  Those were so stiff they ate 
records with brand new needles in them.

I was the CE at a small county seat CA radio, am-fm op in NE CA for a 
couple years, went in just as Olivia-Newton John's "Physical" was climbing 
the charts.  Figuring it would last several months near the top of the 
playlist, they ordered 10 copies because they were destroying those 45's 
from cue burn & skipping at about 1 a week.

Checking the arms, I found them set for about 12 grams, and that the 
needles were a good 10,000 hours old, resembling a lathe tool under the 
scope.  I could not see the needle move when I pulled a finger across it.
I knew the Shure RE15 was a good cartridge, so I hied myself over to the 
local Radio Shack, who had just one (small town shack) under their own 
label for about $57.  Cecil (owner) had a cow about it.  I said listen to 
it.  4 days later I did the same, readjusting the arms for 1.5 grams, with 
his blessing to the other TT & arm. They were able to cut the number of 
records being burned up to zero. We had 8 copies of "Physical" that went to 
the morgue in the garage, never touched by a needle.  Pet Clarks "Downtown" 
same story.  Cue burns and skips simply never happened again.

We had one big fellow who was doing the evening shift that had arms & hands 
that weren't used to handling an arm that weighed so little, he was around 
6'6" & 325 lbs and he managed to destroy a needle by rotating it in the 
elastomer mount, I took some tweezers and twisted it back vertical. Still 
in service and looking good under the microscope 2 years later when I 
headed east.  That $115 change had probably saved them 10 grand in records 
not bought in that 2 years.  Radio stations, because of the expected high 
play counts, have to buy specially licensed records at 3 or 4 times what we  
pay at Wallies, and still have to keep play records for ACAP/BMI & pay 
those fees.  So it can be a major ongoing expense.

However with that cartridge in that old viscous damped Grey arm, could have 
been quite capable of playing one on Emery Cooks 78 rpm lp's of an 
earthquake, in real time or sped up 16x as some cuts on the record were.  
It also could repeatedly play the Mercury recording of the 1812 overture 
without damaging either the Harkness Tower bells or the cannon shots.  Play 
that record once with a lessor cartridge and the bells turned into 
fingernails on a blackboard.  Even if it was a mono recording, that record 
was and is a technological tour de force.  Those cannon shots?  Recorded by 
an Altec M21B mic, located about 6" below the muzzle of the cannon.  That 
mic was capable of around 135 volts peak to peak output, admittedly with 
some 2nd harmonic distortion, but it did NOT clip.  I do not think its 
equal has ever been made since.

That cartridge tracked at 1.5 grams, .75 grams on the needle, and .75 grams 
on the carbon fiber brush that rode slightly inboard to clean the record 
before the needle got there.

Does anyone sell something like that today, 35 years later?

Cheers, Gene
-- 
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>

NOTICE: Will pay 100 USD for an HP-4815A defective but
complete probe assembly.