Digital Noise: Music and Tech

Neuros is a device manufacturer with a simple focus: it creates devices that let you record video from almost any source into a digital format (MPEG-4) that can then be played on almost any device. The trick: its devices connect to your video output sources (VCR, DVD player, etc.) using standard analog RCA cables, avoiding digital copy-protection technologies like HDCP or CSS. I'm not a lawyer, but it seems like this method skirts the DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions: the devices don't bypass these digital copy protection schemes, they simply take the signal after the device has decoded it, and allow you to make a copy for personal use and archiving. (Plus, content owners are primarily worried about digital-to-digital copies, which lose no quality with each generation.)

Copy-protection and DRM technology run counter to the goals of Neuros--while Neuros wants to make it easier to make copies for personal use and play content on any device, these technologies make it harder. Now, Neuros is proposing a logo program--Unlocked--that would let consumers identify DRM-free content and the devices that play that content. In other words, content that actually plays for sure.

It's only a proposal at this point: Neuros actually intends for some third party (the EFF?) to administer the program. And there are a couple important questions that aren't answered on the Unlocked page.

First, while DRM is the most notable technology preventing universal playback, what about codecs and file formats? Unprotected Windows Media content can be played on any device...as long as the device maker has licensed the codecs from Microsoft. Would it qualify as Unlocked? MPEG-2, MP3, and MPEG-4 are widely supported, but protected by patents and require a license fee. Would they be Unlocked? Or would the Unlocked logo only be applied to content in license- and patent-free formats like FLAC or Ogg Vorbis?

Second, how restrictive would the logo be for device makers? Would it exclude devices, like the iPod, iPhone, and Zune, that are capable of playing DRM-protected content? Or would it include any device that can play unprotected content in the Unlocked-approved file formats?

Still, identifying DRM-free content seems like an excellent place to begin, and I hope that Neuros can get some of the big players to the table to hammer out a definition that helps consumers. A good place to start would be content distributors who have stayed away from selling DRM-encumbered files--Amazon and eMusic come to mind.

There's a war going on among music critics of a certain age. A few months ago, San Francisco Chronicle critic Joel Selvin mourned the loss of concern for sound quality in the MP3 era. Since then, writers for the Wall Street Journal and New York Times have thrown down the gauntlet for the other side, arguing not only that MP3s and other forms of compressed digital music are sufficient, but that audiophiles are delusional--especially older audiophiles, whose hearing has probably decayed to the point where they couldn't even hear all the things that MP3s take out. Slate columnist Fred Kaplan responded this week with an impassioned defense for the audiophile team, arguing that you need to the gear in order to hear the subtle beauties that make music musical ("the silky sheen of massed violins; the steely whoosh of brushes on a snare...").

There's an element of truth to both sides. Nobody's arguing that MP3s sound as good as a CD or LP on a proper stereo system. But in listening to audiophiles rave about their gear, I've often found that they show a strong bias toward big, expensive speakers. Same with many studio engineers. To me, that sounds a lot like conspicuous consumption masquerading as knowledge.

Personally, I agree with the kind folks at my local audiophile store, Hawthorne Stereo, who argue that speakers are chronically overmarketed, overadvertised, and overpriced. Yes, bad speakers can absolutely ruin sound, usually by trying to add color that shouldn't be there, or sometimes by having obvious gaps in their frequency response. (There's a story about the Beatles recording "Hey Jude" at a different studio than usual. It sounded great on that studio's speakers, but horrific at Abbey Road, where they usually recorded. Turned out that the other studio's speakers were set to artificially boost the treble.) But source is king--if your system can't convert your source material to electrical signals accurately, the best speakers in the world cannot help you. They cannot add to sound, only subtract from it!

So, if your budget's limited, you'll do far better to spend about 40% on an audiophile turntable or CD player, and split the rest between amplifier and speakers. This holds true in amplified live music as well--the most important component is the source (the player), followed by the construction of the instrument, followed by the electronics on the instrument, followed by the amplifier, with the speaker serving as a mere transducer to transfer electrical into acoustic energy. It's not unimportant, but it's the least important component in the chain.

All of this is a roundabout way of saying that there's an element of chicanery in a lot of audiophile marketing and self-congratulatory backslapping. As I've said before, if you want convenience and portability--background music for working out at the gym or driving--MP3s on an iPod are adequate. The convenience more than outweighs the lack of sound quality. Compressed AAC or WMA files generally sound better for the same bitrate, and lossless files are the best but take up lots of space. But if you are the type of person who really sits and listens to music, invest in the best turntable or CD player you can afford, make sure your amplifier and speakers don't suck, place yourself in the center of the stereo field, and allow yourself to be carried away.

Just to let you know a little bit more about me, here's the obligatory "hit random shuffle and tell me the first ten songs that come up" post. Only instead of using an iPod like most bloggers, I'm using my Zune.

(Full disclosure: this Zune is a review unit I received from Microsoft. I use it as my main music player for two reasons. First, my iPod's hard drive died out of warranty, and my wife is devoted to hers and won't let me steal it. Second, I convert a lot of vinyl using Microsoft's Analog Recorder from the now-discontinued Digital Media Plus Pack for Windows XP, which I bought with my own $20 or whatever it cost. That tool automatically outputs Windows Media Audio. It's possible for iTunes to convert WMA files to AAC files so they'll play on an iPod, but this is an extra step I don't have to take with the Zune. In other words, I'm not only cheap, but lazy.)

Without further ado:
1. "This Corrosion," Sisters of Mercy, from their greatest hits collection, A Slight Case of Overbombing. I went through a Sisters phase in the early 90s, about the time their album Vision Thing came out. I always associate them with Ministry, probably because both Vision Thing and Ministry's Psalm 69 have songs that make fun of the first President Bush. I bought a sealed reissue of Overbombing on vinyl a few years ago, and converted a few favorite songs, including this one.
2. "Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls," Godspeed You Black Emperor, from 2004's Yanqui U.X.O. This group from Montreal plays long, epic, ominous instrumental pieces with a full rock band and classical ensemble (I think there are nine or ten of them). They're highly political, which is interesting given that their songs have no lyrics...but you can see it in their album covers (this record features a plane dropping bombs) and choice of voice samples (the end of the vinyl version of this record contains a George W. Bush speech on fast-forward, with clapping breaks and all, and is quite frightening with snippets like "Islam" and "terror" coming through clearly through the muddle). This piece is particularly doomy--it sounds like B-52 bombers approaching. Converted from vinyl, which I bought brand new when the album came out.

Pretty heavy stuff so far. What's next?

3. "Four Minutes," Roger Waters, Radio K.A.O.S.. No respite here--an album about the threat of nuclear war! I think I'm one of the very few people in the world who loved this album when it came out, and still listen to it today. I was a senior in high school when I first heard it, and its combination of paranoia and slick dance-beat production seemed to capture the 1980s perfectly. Roger Waters pulled out all the stops on the tour for this album, even allowing members of the audience to "call" him on stage to make a request (the album revolved around a mythical radio show). Unfortunately, he was touring at the same time as his former band, Pink Floyd. Guess which sold more tickets. Which is why most people have probably never heard, or even heard of, this record. But everybody's heard that Floyd song from around the same time. This was converted from oft-played slightly scratchy vinyl.
4. "Diner," Widespread Panic, from the band-approved online recording of their July 15, 2006 show in--of all places--Redmond, Washington. A relative took me to this show shortly after I became a father. It was a great break in my sleepless state, a meandering set of music (this song's more than 11 minutes long) in a beautiful outdoor venue on a gorgeous Northwest summer day. I am not a big fan of "jam bands," but of all of them, Widespread is my favorite. The same relative later bought me this show from the online archive as a Christmas present.
5. "Straight to Hell," The Clash, Combat Rock. My favorite song from this album, and the only one on my Zune. As with jam bands, I'm not a huge punk fan, but these guys and Dead Kennedys are probably my favorites of the classic 1970s punks. Converted from vinyl that I bought used for $2 or something.
6. "Good Lovin Outside," Animal Collective, Sung Tongs. An amazing record, probably my favorite of 2004, and perhaps of the last few years. I'm not sure how you categorize these guys--I suppose they fit into the recently invented genre of "freak folk," with mostly acoustic instruments and an avant-garde approach with odd time signatures and overlapping vocals and joyous percussion. It could be annoyingly pretentious, but on this album it's weird and beautiful. Converted from vinyl that was given to me as a birthday present.
7. "Bellevue," Half Light, Wait for Someday. A seven-minute, glacially slow dirge-like song from a band I used to play with. (I know I promised no more plugs. But this really came up in the #7 position, out of the 2800 songs on my Zune.) I really enjoyed playing slow amplified music--it's actually much harder than playing typical fast rock, with much more restraint required and less room to cover mistakes. Ripped from a CD that I helped create.
8. "Veinte Anos," from the Buena Vista Social Club soundtrack. I missed all the hype around this album, as I was traveling overseas when it came out. I watched the movie some time later, and bought the soundtrack after that. Ripped from a CD I bought new.
9. "Olsen Olsen," Sigur Ros, Agaetis Byrjun. These Icelanders are often categorized with Godspeed because they play long, slow, epic pieces with vocals that sound more like another instrument than words. In fact, on their followup album to this (which had no title), the singer sang in his own made-up language. Listeners were invited to submit their own "lyrics" to the band's Web site. This may sound gimmicky, but the music's gorgeous, and they are able to pull it off very well live with only four members. Their bassist plays an old Ampeg flip-top tube amp, which is very rare and gives a rich, warm tone, but doesn't have a lot of power (not that it matters in large club or arena shows, where a microphone is placed in front of each amp). Ripped from a CD that a friend burned for me. (Can the RIAA sue me for that?)
10. "Sad Songs and Waltzes," Cake, Fashion Nugget. I really liked this album for a few years, until I saw the band live at Seattle's Bumbershoot festival. The singer seemed to be making fun of the crowd, and they didn't play their biggest hit, "The Distance," which was written by their original guitarist, who was no longer in the band. This particular song was written by Willie Nelson. Ripped from a CD that I bought new.