OT discussion: lofi vs HIFI

Aequitas123 · Post by **Aequitas123** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:13 pm

I'm always having this debate with my fellow band mates.

How do you define lofi and HIFI?

As an indie rock band we tend to sway towards a lofi ideology, but when it comes to our sound and recording, we are better served by HIFI.

Does the definition of each depend on whether you're discussing performance or recording?

Does the definition depend on what type of music you're playing?

If a band with a lofi style or ideology records in HIFI, are they no longer lofi? And visa versa.

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but i couldn't find it.

UKRuss · Post by **UKRuss** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:28 pm

Lo Fi - anything with '8 bit' in the name
Hi Fi -Overpriced and unnecessary music listening equipment purchased by the gullible.

Aequitas123 · Post by **Aequitas123** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:45 pm

nice!

But its hardly that simple. In my experience, you're either one, or the other. But perhaps my definitions are wrong.

UKRuss · Post by **UKRuss** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:05 pm

I guess lo fi has become a term to describe a style or sound though, hi fi hasn't been adopted in the same way....yet.

Lo Fi reminds me of the electro revival stuff.

hi fi reminds me of 70s disco and vinyl LPs

Aequitas123 · Post by **Aequitas123** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:13 pm

But both terms have evolved. Some recordings in the 70s and 80s that were tracked at the highest quality possible, now sound very low quality in comparison to today's recording capabilities.

last man on earth · Post by **last man on earth** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:21 pm

Lo-fi can be emulated as an audio effect with the right gear and proper ears, and can even be applied to give your music a specific style.

Hi-fi is about transparency and clarity, and not something that is typically referred to as a "style" or "sound", mostly because it's based on the quality (but more often than not pricetag and brand name) of your gear.

I think that the argument for hi-fi is more like that of the reasoning behind buying a hummer for city driving when a honda civic will still do the job in style and comfort.

Besides, most people listen to music on ipods and computers, which are all notorious for NOT having hi-fi sound quality....if you were doing orchestral recording and planned on only selling your recordings to the rich, than great, but otherwise, not super important (although, you still want your music to sound good on any system it's played on, right?).

I lump in hi-fi with surround sound - they are both specialized, small markets in comparison to general music consumption, which is why you rarely see surround sound music recordings, either.

pieter · Post by **pieter** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:58 pm

UKRuss wrote:I guess lo fi has become a term to describe a style or sound though, hi fi hasn't been adopted in the same way....yet.

Lo Fi reminds me of the electro revival stuff.

hi fi reminds me of 70s disco and vinyl LPs

personally, lofi makes me think of 4 track recording. a band like guided by voices f.e.

last man on earth · Post by **last man on earth** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:03 pm

pieter wrote:
UKRuss wrote:I guess lo fi has become a term to describe a style or sound though, hi fi hasn't been adopted in the same way....yet.

Lo Fi reminds me of the electro revival stuff.

hi fi reminds me of 70s disco and vinyl LPs
personally, lofi makes me think of 4 track recording. a band like guided by voices f.e.

I think a really good example of lofi sound with great production is Mirah's Advisory Committee - it's actually a really good album.

chrisedmo · Post by **chrisedmo** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:06 pm

I think of it more as hi tech and low budget.. based on the technology and items used to make the recordings.. ie. a band can make a lo fi recording but still use a laptop, just by using a couple of mics and playing live, where as a high tech set up might involve intense multitracking and outboard gear and big rooms and lots of time.. ?

But i also still think as lo fi recordings as someone with an 8 track tape recorder or reel to reel?

nathannn · Post by **nathannn** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:10 pm

lo fi- analog (tape vinyl)
hi fi - digital (hard disc cd)

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:36 pm

nathannn wrote:lo fi- analog (tape vinyl)
hi fi - digital (hard disc cd)

I disagree. I don't know where you get your ideas on sound quality.

'fi' comes from 'fidelity'. hi fidelity means "sounds faithful to the original source" lo-fi means it "sounds different than the original source."

leedsquietman · Post by **leedsquietman** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 8:12 pm

lo fi is stuff recorded on less than optimal gear, such as using a Casio SK1 sampling keyboard that gives you 1.2 seconds at 1 Khz, 8 bit.

Use the bitcrusher plugins in Ableton Live you can make your drums sound like those old vinyl 'beats, breaks and scratches' albums that Bomb The Bass's Simon Harris used to put out for club DJs and you can use Live's vinyl distortion scratchy sounds for effect too. Use a radio shack 10 dollar keyboard and record it and a kazoo and you have a lofi sounding record.

Think Lou Barlow's Sebadoh and Folk Implosion ....