Question for Mastering Engineers..please answer

[Abery Clark]

Hello, over on the Hoffman forum, there is a discussion about audio cables. I'm not getting into the whole expensive cable debate here. The OP asked if audiophiles use cables as tone controls. One poster stated the following:

Look through your better sounding CDs. It's possible the person who mastered the CD may have used a specific cable to smooth out a sound, or to tame brightness, or make the sound a little fuller, or whatever the issue. I used Steve's reference as support, because Steve's been around more gear and more music than you and me put together, squared.


I just don't see a Bob Ludwig changing out cables (unless defective) to change the sound during mastering.

I hear Hoffman and Diament are considered top mastering engineers in the field, but I highly doubt that they switch cables to smooth out sound, etc.

I would like some mastering engineer's opinions here.

[recall]

There is a video of Greg Calbi saying he does exactly what you mention.

Interesting approach.

[Cellotron]

Calbi is the only ME I've ever heard stating that he chooses between two different types of patch cables depending on sound he is looking for.

I'll go on record here that even though I think Greg is truly an excellent and outstanding engineer - I still think that he's just buying into the placebo effect in regard to this.

As far as a cable working as a tone control - when a premium priced cable maker goes ahead and puts a Zobel network in line - then it in fact will change the sound of the audio rather than transmitting it transparently.
For a nice look at some hilarity doing exactly this check out:
PSW Recording Forums: Brad Blackwood => Transparent Audio, meet Dr. Zobel of Bell Labs...

Most ME's I know have no desire for these kinds of shenanigans and tend to go back to science rather than snake oil salesmen in terms of cable preference.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[Bonati]

Basically what Steve said. And the probability of getting two top-tier guys to submit to double-blind ABX listening tests is very slim. So I guess we'll never really know if they can hear different cables or not. I've got my hunch though.

Cables are the trivial part of the job. There are plenty of other things to focus on to improve your work. Optimizing room acoustic treatment & loudspeaker placement for starters.

Learn to solder your own quality interconnect cables and be done with it. Avoid long runs of cable from power amp to loudspeakers if you can. That's about all the cable advice I can think of in a mastering context.

[Adam Dempsey]

All I'll say is that, in my opinion & experience, not using a patch bay as of several years ago has made improvements to transparency. There's more valid science in minimizing cables, connectors & cable lengths from the outset than in comparing the sound of wires (especially for given lengths well within spec, although that's a slightly deviating issue).

[Abery Clark]

I think, as well, much is snake oil. Great quality cables that have good insulation and connectors are vital. Great quality may cost a little more...but the exotic prices makes no sense to me. I find it funny how some audiophiles will spend more time/money on exotic cables than the people who actually produce the music they are listening to. In my opinion, if you need a cable to change the tone of the source material you are working on you either have a faulty cable or inferior equipment

[jackthebear]

Originally Posted by Abery Clark

no sI find it funny how some audiophiles will spend more time/money on exotic cables than the people who actually produce the music they are listening to.

I find it funny how most audiophools use listening environments where they will never get to hear what their gear is actually doing........

[ed littman]

@Steve,
thanks for the link.....a classic

Ed

[Abery Clark]

I'm in the wrong business

[KyleDiSanto]

I want a cable that is as transparent as possible. This way I know exactly what I'm getting when I patch something in.

[Steab]

[Kazuya]

When i do mastering i always change the cables i use.

I got the new "audio high resolution gold edition" from Wodoo-Cables

They ad some clarity, a bit of lowend punch, a sweet 12 kHz boost, some superloud but still tranparent limiting and take off all the unwanted frequencies of a bad mix.

[jackthebear]

We just recently swapped cables about.....wow what a difference.......manufactures must put arrows to show which way the signal flows......this will go a long way to ending the confusion......

[Nystromfredde]

Originally Posted by Kazuya

When i do mastering i always change the cables i use.

I got the new "audio high resolution gold edition" from Wodoo-Cables

They ad some clarity, a bit of lowend punch, a sweet 12 kHz boost, some superloud but still tranparent limiting and take off all the unwanted frequencies of a bad mix.

Don't they autotune the vocals a bit too?

[jackthebear]

Originally Posted by Nystromfredde

Don't they autotune the vocals a bit too?

Yes......and comp them!!

[Kazuya]

Originally Posted by jackthebear

Yes......and comp them!!

:-) Yeah, and you can use the "all cables" mode to get that 1176 compression.