Perfecting Sound Forever

Perfecting Sound Forever
Author: Greg Milner
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Total Pages: 566
Release: 2009-06-09
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1429957158

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In 1915, Thomas Edison proclaimed that he could record a live performance and reproduce it perfectly, shocking audiences who found themselves unable to tell whether what they were hearing was an Edison Diamond Disc or a flesh-and-blood musician. Today, the equation is reversed. Whereas Edison proposed that a real performance could be rebuilt with absolute perfection, Pro Tools and digital samplers now allow musicians and engineers to create the illusion of performances that never were. In between lies a century of sonic exploration into the balance between the real and the represented. Tracing the contours of this history, Greg Milner takes us through the major breakthroughs and glorious failures in the art and science of recording. An American soldier monitoring Nazi radio transmissions stumbles onto the open yet revolutionary secret of magnetic tape. Japanese and Dutch researchers build a first-generation digital audio format and watch as their "compact disc" is marketed by the music industry as the second coming of Edison yet derided as heretical by analog loyalists. The music world becomes addicted to volume in the nineties and fights a self-defeating "loudness war" to get its fix. From Les Paul to Phil Spector to King Tubby, from vinyl to pirated CDs to iPods, Milner's Perfecting Sound Forever pulls apart musical history to answer a crucial question: Should a recording document reality as faithfully as possible, or should it improve upon or somehow transcend the music it records? The answers he uncovers will change the very way we think about music.

Perfecting Sound Forever

Perfecting Sound Forever
Author: Greg Milner
Publisher: Granta Books
Total Pages: 333
Release: 2011-11-03
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1847086055

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From our CD collections to iPods bursting with MP3s to the hallowed vinyl of DJs, recordings are the most common way we experience music. Perfecting Sound Forever tells the story of recorded music, introducing us to the innovators, musicians and producers who have affected the way we hear our favourite songs, from Thomas Edison to Phil Spector. Exploring the balance that recordings strike between the real and the represented, Greg Milner asks the questions which have divided sound recorders for the past century: should a recording document reality as faithfully as possible, or should it improve upon or somehow transcend the music it records? What does the perfect record sound like? The answers he uncovers will change the way we think about music.

To Feel the Music

To Feel the Music
Author: Neil Young
Publisher: BenBella Books
Total Pages: 173
Release: 2019-09-10
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1948836637

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Neil Young took on the music industry so that fans could hear his music—all music—the way it was meant to be heard. Today, most of the music we hear is com-pressed to a fraction of its original sound,while analog masterpieces are turning to dustin record company vaults. As these record-ings disappear, music fans aren't just losing acollection of notes. We're losing spaciousness,breadth of the sound field, and the ability tohear and feel a ping of a triangle or a pluckof a guitar string, each with its own reso-nance and harmonics that slowly trail off intosilence. The result is music that is robbed of its original quality—muddy and flat in sound compared to the rich, warm sound artists hear in the studio. It doesn't have to be this way, but the record and technology companies have incorrectly assumed that most listeners are satisfied with these low-quality tracks. Neil Young is challenging the assault on audio quality—and working to free music lovers from the flat and lifeless status quo. To Feel the Music is the true story of his questto bring high-quality audio back to musiclovers—the most important undertaking ofhis career. It's an unprecedented look insidethe successes and setbacks of creating thePono player, the fights and negotiationswith record companies to preserve master-pieces for the future, and Neil's unrelentingdetermination to make musical art availableto everyone. It's a story that shows how muchmore there is to music than meets the ear. Neil's efforts to bring quality audio to his fans garnered media attention when his Kickstarter campaign for his Pono player—a revolutionary music player that would combine the highest quality possible with the portability, simplicity and affordability modern listeners crave—became the third-most successful Kickstarter campaign in the website's history. It had raised more than $6M in pledges in 40 days. Encouraged by the enthusiastic response, Neil still had a long road ahead, and his Pono music player would not have the commercial success he'd imagined. But he remained committed to his mission, and faced with the rise of streaming services that used even lower quality audio, he was determined to rise to the challenge. An eye-opening read for all fans of Neil Young and all fans of great music, as well as readers interesting in going behind the scenes of product creation, To Feel the Music has an inspiring story at its heart: One determined artist with a groundbreaking vision and the absolute refusal to give up, despite setbacks, naysayers, and skeptics.

Pinpoint: How GPS is Changing Technology, Culture, and Our Minds

Pinpoint: How GPS is Changing Technology, Culture, and Our Minds
Author: Greg Milner
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2016-05-03
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0393244997

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"One of the most mesmerizing and exhilarating, yet alarming modern technology books…an extraordinary tale." —Gillian Tett, Financial Times Pinpoint tells the fascinating story of a hidden system that touches nearly every aspect of modern life. Tracking the development of GPS from its origins as a bomb guidance system to its present ubiquity, Greg Milner examines the technology’s double-edged effect on the way we live, work, and travel. Savvy and original, this sweeping scientific history offers startling insight into how humans understand their place in the world.

The Sound Book: The Science of the Sonic Wonders of the World

The Sound Book: The Science of the Sonic Wonders of the World
Author: Trevor Cox
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2014-02-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 039324282X

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"A lucid and passionate case for a more mindful way of listening to and engaging with musical, natural, and manmade sounds." —New York Times In this tour of the world’s most unexpected sounds, Trevor Cox—the “David Attenborough of the acoustic realm” (Observer)—discovers the world’s longest echo in a hidden oil cavern in Scotland, unlocks the secret of singing sand dunes in California, and alerts us to the aural gems that exist everywhere in between. Using the world’s most amazing acoustic phenomena to reveal how sound works in everyday life, The Sound Book inspires us to become better listeners in a world dominated by the visual and to open our ears to the glorious cacophony all around us.

Perfecting Sound Forever

Perfecting Sound Forever
Author: Greg Milner
Publisher:
Total Pages: 464
Release: 2010-07-01
Genre: Musical perception
ISBN: 9781847081407

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In 1915, Thomas Edison proclaimed that he could record a live performance and reproduce it perfectly, shocking audiences who found themselves unable to tell whether what they were hearing was an Edison Diamond Disc or a flesh-and-blood musician. Today, the equation is reversed. Whereas Edison proposed that a real performance could be rebuilt with absolute perfection, Pro Tools and digital samplers now allow musicians and engineers to create the illusion of performances that never were. In between lies a century of sonic exploration into the balance between the real and the represented. Tracing the contours of this history, Greg Milner takes us through the major breakthroughs and glorious failures in the art and science of recording. An American soldier monitoring Nazi radio transmissions stumbles onto the open yet revolutionary secret of magnetic tape. Japanese and Dutch researchers build a first-generation digital audio format and watch as their "compact disc" is marketed by the music industry as the second coming of Edison yet derided as heretical by analog loyalists. The music world becomes addicted to volume in the nineties and fights a self-defeating "loudness war" to get its fix. From Les Paul to Phil Spector to King Tubby, from vinyl to pirated CDs to iPods, Milner pulls apart musical history to answer a crucial question: Should a recording document reality as faithfully as possible, or should it improve upon or somehow transcend the music it records? The answers he uncovers will change the very way we think about music.

Here, There and Everywhere

Here, There and Everywhere
Author: Geoff Emerick
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2006-03-16
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 110121824X

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An all-access, firsthand account of the life and music of one of history's most beloved bands--from an original mastering engineer at Abbey Road Geoff Emerick became an assistant engineer at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in 1962 at age fifteen, and was present as a new band called the Beatles recorded their first songs. He later worked with the Beatles as they recorded their singles “She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” the songs that would propel them to international superstardom. In 1964 he would witness the transformation of this young and playful group from Liverpool into professional, polished musicians as they put to tape classic songs such as “Eight Days A Week” and “I Feel Fine.” Then, in 1966, at age nineteen, Geoff Emerick became the Beatles’ chief engineer, the man responsible for their distinctive sound as they recorded the classic album Revolver, in which they pioneered innovative recording techniques that changed the course of rock history. Emerick would also engineer the monumental Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road albums, considered by many the greatest rock recordings of all time. In Here, There and Everywhere he reveals the creative process of the band in the studio, and describes how he achieved the sounds on their most famous songs. Emerick also brings to light the personal dynamics of the band, from the relentless (and increasingly mean-spirited) competition between Lennon and McCartney to the infighting and frustration that eventually brought a bitter end to the greatest rock band the world has ever known.

The Truth About Forever

The Truth About Forever
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 422
Release: 2006-04-06
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1440638500

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From the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Once and for All Expect the unexpected. Macy’s got her whole summer carefully planned. But her plans didn’t include a job at Wish Catering. And they certainly didn’t include Wes. But Macy soon discovers that the things you expect least are sometimes the things you need most. “Dessen gracefully balances comedy with tragedy and introduces a complex heroine worth getting to know.” —Publishers Weekly Sarah Dessen is the winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her contributions to YA literature, as well as the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Books by Sarah Dessen: That Summer Someone Like You Keeping the Moon Dreamland This Lullaby The Truth About Forever Just Listen Lock and Key Along for the Ride What Happened to Goodbye The Moon and More Saint Anything Once and for All

Perfecting Sound Forever

Perfecting Sound Forever
Author: Greg Milner
Publisher: Le Castor Astral éditeur
Total Pages: 434
Release: 2022-04-07
Genre: Music
ISBN:

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« Très, très, très peu de livres changeront votre façon d’écouter la musique. Celui-ci est l’un d’eux. » Venant de Jarvis Cocker – fondateur du groupe Pulp et collaborateur de Nancy Sinatra, Brigitte Fontaine ou Charlotte Gainsbourg –, le compliment vaut de l’or. Greg Milner ne propose pas seulement de découvrir l’évolution de l’enregistrement sonore, il met en lumière une partie trop souvent oubliée de l’histoire de la musique. Occulté, l’enregistrement musical retourne désormais au centre du débat grâce à cet auteur habité par son sujet. Perfecting Sound Forever fait prendre conscience que, de l’amélioration des techniques, émanent d’intenses enjeux humains. De « Mary Had a Little Lamb » – premier enregistrement de Thomas Edison – aux tubes format MP3 des Red Hot Chili Peppers, en passant par Les Paul et Neil Young, l’auteur raconte le destin d’hommes fascinés par la musique et sa captation. Ce récit montre que derrière l’évolution des techniques se cachent des personnages passionnément épris de musique. Dès les premières lignes, Greg Milner manifeste d’ailleurs son amour pour cet art avec une écriture romanesque, pleine de verve, qui dévoile les liens qu’unissent la musique et ces moments jouissifs d’invention, ces Eurêka de la création. À l’heure du digital et du dématérialisé, le livre de Greg Milner pose enfin la question de l’authenticité et de la perfection acoustique. L’enregistrement absolu existe-t-il ? Si oui, quelle est la partition ultime ? À travers l’histoire du son, l’auteur nous raconte comment la musique a fait évoluer la technologie de l’enregistrement, mais également comment cette dernière a influencé la musique en retour. Avec Perfecting sound forever, Greg Milner marque un tournant dans l’histoire de la musique et sa narration. Ce texte a séduit l’ensemble de la critique anglo-saxonne. L’ouvrage, publié par les éditions Granta en 2010, a été plébiscité en Angleterre et aux États-Unis, comme en témoigne sa nomination au National Book Critics Circle Award.

Now You're Talking

Now You're Talking
Author: Trevor Cox
Publisher: Catapult
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2018-09-18
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1640090800

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A history of how humans developed our capacity for conversation—and what might happen now that computers are catching up. Trevor Cox has been described by The Observer as ""a David Attenborough of the acoustic realm."" In Now You're Talking, he takes us on a journey through the wonders of human speech, starting with the evolution of language and our biological capability to speak (and listen), and bringing us up to date with the latest computer technology. Language is what makes us human, and how we speak is integral to our personal identity. But with the invention of sound recording and the arrival of the electrified voice, human communication changed forever; now advances in computer science and artificial intelligence are promising an even greater transformation. And with it come the possibilities to reproduce, manipulate, and replicate the human voice—sometimes with disturbing consequences. Now You're Talking is the fascinating story of our ability to converse. It takes us back to the core of our humanity, asking important questions about what makes us human and how this uniqueness might be threatened. On this illuminating tour we meet vocal coaches and record producers, neuroscientists and computer programmers, whose experience and research provide us with a deeper understanding of something that most of us take for granted—our ability to talk and listen.