define "warm"

Angstrom · Post by **Angstrom** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 5:14 pm

mike holiday wrote:warm is like muddy but not bad

I like that

perhaps:

" warm is not muddy, just a little 'dirty' "

wait, perhaps that's another forum !

telekom · Post by **telekom** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:33 pm

A really nice sharp cibachrome colour print, alongside a digital image on a screen, placed beside a 600 polaroid... they might all be photos of the same thing but they will have totally different qualities. Some of those qualities might be very 'faithful' to the object photographed, some of those qualities may introduce very pronounced artefacts - pixelation, film grain, colour distortion, lower or higher contrast, blur...

Somebody mentioned that warmth is subjective and I suppose that's what I'm reaching for here. I like polaroids but they are not high quality photographic images compared to more 'professional' methods.

So maybe 'warmth' in sonic terms is comparable with visual judgments like 'realistic' or 'nicely lit' or 'pleasingly composed'.

I haven't got a sub-woofer. But I do have my very own subjective-woofer.

ohiowa · Post by **ohiowa** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:30 am

anymore it is all marketing.

any company can put a "tube" (check for led's under the tubes, lighting them up making them look like they're "really warming up") in a cruddy preamp or keyboard (korg please!!!) so that nimrods who work at guitar center that have never recorded with cassettes let alone 2"tape can talk up warmth until it doesn't mean shit anymore, oh wait...it doesn't.

i have a tube heathkit sine/square wave generator from a long time ago

i also have a solid state VIZ sine/square wave generator from less of a long time ago.

the heathkit is intermittant but sounds warm as all get out in comparison when it works. funny for what is supposed to be a sine wave.

eyeknow · Post by **eyeknow** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:41 am

I can't agree.....I think warm is a feeling...more than anything else.

If I record guitar (especially dirty tones, believe it or not) without my preamp (tube) I can hear a very distinct high"ick" that bothers me.

Put the solo 610 in front, and the "ick" is diminished or gone......depending on the setting.

I believe some software companies understand this. For example, URS plugs are expensive but are un-mistakably "warmer" than some other plugs. Not to mention how incredible the PDC is

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:15 pm

eyeknow wrote:I can't agree.....I think warm is a feeling...

"fuzzy" is a feeling too...and when you combine the feelings of "warm" and "fuzzy", well, it's Christmas every day.

mike holiday · Post by **mike holiday** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 4:09 pm

"warm" is the opposite of "bright"

knotkranky · Post by **knotkranky** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 4:45 pm

mike holiday wrote:"warm" is the opposite of "bright"

yup, that's about it.

3dot... · Post by **3dot...** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 5:47 pm

the ar wrote:Harmonic distortion.
Which has nothing to do with 'common' distortion.

+1 Isecond that brotha

Lazos · Post by **Lazos** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:03 pm

I'll throw this in. If warmth is defined by some as pleasing harmonic distortion, the sitar or the yayli tanbur or a number of other "buzzy" acoustic instruments from around the world that emphasize overtones would be "warmer" than say, an acoustic guitar or piano (instruments that place more importance on the fundamental). Of course I'd argue with myself about this but thought I'd take it completely out of the "Analog/Digital" realm to truly "audiophile" sound (acoustic sounds played live).

Angstrom · Post by **Angstrom** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:43 pm

and struck 'untuned' metal bars would be non-warm

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:46 pm

what if the metal bars were heated?

Angstrom · Post by **Angstrom** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:48 pm

nebulae wrote:what if the metal bars were heated?

then you have made a vibe or a gong, which is warm.

next: violin in space
warm or cold ?

Lazos · Post by **Lazos** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:03 pm

I know that when I'm warm (slightly overheated), I play better, and I think my sound is "warmer" after I've "warmed up."

Contra · Post by **Contra** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:08 am

i have to find it in one of my textbooks,
but the human ear is accustomed to hearing even number harmonics.

2,4,6,8 and so forth

analog is compromised of evenn numbered harmonics,
as opposed to digital which playsback odd numbered harmonics.

so maybe the reason we like "warm" is because it sounds kinda like an analog board or tape but in reality its the natural harmonics which are pleasing to the ear and not necessarily eq's or tape machines, just what it becomes afterwards (even numbered harmonics)

i tried to explain this briefly but probably did a horrible job, thank you for letting your ears bleed.

radib · Post by **radib** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:27 am

warm means somehow soft, dirty, dusty but also wet and thick, lifeful and dark. but also a matter of frequency. on the xtremes long bass for instance is warm, a short hi hat sounds cold.

you see its an easy question since you loved a girl/boy, not just try to fuck her/him like a dumb kid. same with music. never start doing before haven´t a clear picture to that question, otherwise its such a shame.