Where we go from here

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Audiophilia, the obsession with high-fidelity sound reproduction that afflicts many music enthusiasts, is a psychological disorder. lol

Click on listen for real music…
great78.archive.org/

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I'm certain you are joking of course, but the pendulum swings in both directions for many. Some folks want the very best sound and willing to pay for that satisfaction, whilst others not so much. Depends on how important it is in an individuals life.

JACS (Just Another Canon Shooter) wrote: What does this make us, the photography gearheads?

Fools…

There are several ways of compressing audio levels, some by hand (which we did in LP days as it was recorded) and some with electronics (again often done at the time of recording or mixing, with different instruments treated differently). One can reduce the dynamic range of the loudest parts, by turning the loud bits down, or that of the softest parts, by turning them up. If done electronically, the former is often actually “limiting” which often means that the top 10dB or so is squashed into 1dB. Or one can compress the whole range, such that, for instance, a 60dB dynamic range becomes 40dB, but all the levels are still in proportion to each other.

I recall looking at the meters on one Michael Jackson recording, and they never moved! It was totally compressed and limited.

David

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There are various ways in which they do it.

Exactly. Just like photography or any hobby, sport, or even career it depends on how important it is in an individual's life. I used to be very much into good sound and good sound equipment but am less so these days as I have less time for it as I am more into photography. However, there is nothing like listening to a superb recording on excellent equipment. 😀

Thanks. Another brilliant album that "has no right to sound so good" considering it was recorded back in 1959 is Dave Brubeck's "Take Five". An average DR of 13 and a maximum of 15 and it sounds stunning, IMO. The SACD version I have is clear, deep and spacious, an immersion of superb sound.

The music is pretty darned good, too.

Dave Brubeck was my introduction to Jazz several years before that album. I had the good fortune to hear him live in New York and at the Philadelphia Academy of Music when he was still his trio and later quartet. When I heard Take Five at its release, I felt he had gone "too commercial." But I treasured the album as an LP. Never got the CD.

Rich

That goes without saying. 😁

Not necessarily. My mother was passionate about music throughout her life. But she hated wi fi and stereo etc. She played piano and organ throughout her life and loved music heard in churches. She grew up in the era of 78 platters and regular AM radio. To her, that was the way recorded music ought to sound.

Yes, that's what we need to discuss.
However, my vision for the site and some practical considerations are not quite the same.
A site has to be able to survive, whether or not it achieves the vision. So first some considerations on what I think is needed to survive.
1. A site has to be able to make $ for long term survival. The work behind the scenes is huge. We ask a lot of these people if they are getting no return. Enthusiasm is much appreciated but eventually that has to run down. Conclusion 1. This site needs to have a long term plan that generates at least some $ for the managers. Advertising? Subscription? Sponsorship?
2. Photography sites are doing it tough. I think the hero days of photography are behind us. Cameras are universally getting too good and too automatic. Cameraphones ditto. We are drowning in images and it is now easy to access the work of the greats. Photobooks and quality photo prints are a declining market.
"Gear" remains a major interest. DPR had this sewn up. It wasn't just the current forums, the search facility gave the ability to go back years when you wanted info. It was a great place to discuss how to do things, or work around or other operational questions relating to particular gear. Their database of cameras and their reviews stretched back a long long way. This covered hardware, software, processing, auxiliary equipment, news. It has been an invaluable resource. It still is. I can't see any way it can be competed with so let's not try. Gear reviews require deep pockets and they have to be up to date with the latest. It is noticeable that DPR is already falling off the pace here. If they can't do better they are doomed. PetaPixel is picking this up. PetaPixel also has a comprehensive collection of tutorials. They are organized to be accessible for beginners to advanced. It's a resource that is valuable for photographers at many levels. PetPixel doesn't run forums.
DPRevived has been wonderful but I can't see it being able to compete in these areas either. It relies on participants notifying about news they have spotted and I don't think this is comprehensive enough for the need.

There remain a couple of areas where the door is wide open.

The image itself. It always looks nuts to me that so many people want to talk about the gear but have so little interest in the images themselves. That is, beyond the "Wow, that's sharp" and "Fantastic colors" level. If you are going to spend all that money and time and things that make images, it would seem to make sense to spend time on developing your critical skills. Critiquing is complex. There are many different ways to look at images and many different ways to create them. There are several benefits from a regular habit of critiquing. You improve your own photography from the feedback you receive. You sharpen up your own photography by really thinking about what others are doing. Best of all, you increase the pleasure you get from images.
It's hard work, you need to really look and it takes time. You will regularly find you need to reassess your thinking.
For these reasons I find the Weekly C&C thread on DPRevived to be invaluable. There is nothing I know of like it elsewhere. I also appreciate that the admin has put critiquing prominently on the home page so that more users of this site are likely to find and explore it. The flat forum view makes discussions difficult but I know the admin are working on threading. Fingers crossed.

The other doors that look to me to be open are genres. Street photography is huge with twenty somethings. Landscape. Travel, portrait, abstract. concert. The list goes on and on. News of exhibitions and books in the different genres. Unlike gear reviews, this doesn't have to be up to date. A reference section can be incorporated and added to by participants. I've been building up a list of references re critiquing that may eventually be attached to the C&C forum.

My conclusion. Carve out a niche that is based on images. This in itself wont be enough. Some kind of coverage of new developments will still be needed and I am unsure as to how this might best be managed. I have some thoughts on it but it is too early to discuss them.

Depends on whom you ask. Ask me, far from that.

Many pros I know ignore DPR totally, mentioning DPR is considered to be mauvais ton.