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terminology
The Muses
use the following terms in these ways:
- Record—the physical medium on which sound or images are
recorded for subsequent reproduction, as grooved disks that are played on
a phonograph, an optical disk or reel of film, or a computer disk on which
sound or images are recorded.
- Recordings—(1) the plural of record; physical media like
disks or tapes on which sound, images, or other information are stored; or
(2) the sound, images, data, performances, information, or stimuli that
are stored on records.
- Recording—the act or practice of a person or thing that
records.
- Playback—the act or practice of a person or thing that plays
back or reproduces a record.
about playback
Recording is useless without playback. What is playback?
- Playback is the
act of reproducing a recording for any purpose, including the checking of a
newly made recording.
- The apparatus used in producing playbacks.
- A recording that is heard or seen.
Recording and playing back is a four-step process. The process is the
same regardless of what is recorded and played back. The steps are:
- Capturing raw or processed information from a source, such as a musical performance, a
dance, a picture, words, radio, TV or DVD, modem, or computer.
- Copying the captured information by converting its format and carrier and
then "writing" it to a storage agency or medium such as paper, film, tape,
DVD, CD-ROM, or CD.
- Retrieval of the stored information by retrieving and converting it
from the medium on which it is stored.
- Reproduction of the retrieved information by "writing" it to the
device on which it is displayed or rendering it, and then displaying it.
In this connection, the record is the storage agency;
recording is the process that takes place in the first two steps; and
playback is what takes place in last two steps.
more About recording, recordings, and playback
Recordings are a matter of aesthetics
the production or consumption of art is primarily an aesthetic
experience. Artists create the performances found on records; art lovers
and consumers play their recordings to hear or see what's recorded on
them. Playing a recording is an emotional experience.
When people play a recording, they usually want to focus on the
content—the performance—and
enjoy it, not
to understand how it was acquired or recorded.
Recordings are also a matter of commerce
the production and consumption of art is also a matter of commerce.
Artists know that producing art can be an expensive undertaking; art
consumers know that records can be critical factors in the art experience.
Good recordings are records contain aesthetically good performances that
are faithfully recorded; they are long lasting and easy and inexpensive to
store and play. Good records can be hard to find. Gaining access to or
acquiring good recordings are important.
recording and playback are largely a matter of science and engineering
Advances in recording and playback are primarily driven by physics and
life sciences. The relevant scientific and engineering disciplines are
electricity and magnetism, electronics, acoustics, mathematics,
psychology, physiology, and the like. These disciplines produce advances
in the technology of storing, retrieving, and displaying information on
and from records. They lead to better recordings. In turn, better
recordings enhance the arts because they improve fidelity, lower cost,
facilitate distribution, and increase availability. The current practice
of downloading music over the Internet is a case in point; it's producing
a revolution.
these venues and constituencies meet and overlap
For artists and art consumers, technology is a means to an end. Artists
want to understand how to exploit technology to improve or diversify their
performances or to create new or different art. Connoisseurs and art
lovers want to understand how and why technology produces and impacts
their aesthetic enjoyment; they want to get more from recordings, absorb
more from the artistic experience. Everyone wants to exploit technology to
maintain or restore art, explore art history, or uncover art
secrets. Everyone wants to improve record quality and reduce cost.
In these pages, Electricka and her muses explore the nexus of these
venues as they apply to the arts.
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