"but maybe we
haven't seen the Ron Hardy or Derrick May of the laptop yet. But it's
silly to argue that computers, in and of themselves, are the problem."
no, true.
it's the lifeless,stiff, ear-scratching bright sound that is the problem..
it's like a plastic doll,with or without make-up it's still nothing more
than
a pathetic substitute.. unlucky imitation of a great thing..
widely accepted as the real thing requires way more skills.
i think the limitations of certain aspects of digital technology
available to most people (meaning, people who record in 16/44.1 and
process the life out of everything using free plugins) is partially
at fault. however it's also how people's ears are changing and that
has to do with the interface between the computer and the ear. you
can't hear what it really sounds like in there if you're using the
headphone jack, some sub-par powered speakers, or even a converter
box and amp that's not up to snuff.
people also listen to music in their earbuds too loud, and the way
most mp3s are encoded (the old mp3.com, itunes and myspace being the
worst and most widespread offenders) remove many subtleties of warmth
and depth. as more and more people get used to this sound, and want
everything super-compressed, bright and in your face. sadly this
includes some people making music, and they worsen the trend by
recording things with no warmth or depth to begin with, or processing
until it sounds like what they're used to.
there are ways around this, but most don't bother to find them.
d.
