Music discussion

[Triangle]

I remember when I discovered music. I remember how it would send emotions along my nerves, lifting the hair on the back of my neck, along my arms.

I remember falling in love with msuic before I had even kissed a girl.

Music is a mysterious thing. Sometimes it makes people remember things that they do not expect. Many thoughts, feelings, memories, things almost forgotten. Regardless of whether the listener desires to remember them or not.

Everyonce in a while, I find a song or two, that I add to a playlist in my iTunes that I play when I'm sad, or feeling low.

Pick one or more songs that raises the hair on your skin, and post it here.

I'll try and keep my list diverse.

Kalmah - The Third, the Magical

Killswitch Engage - My Curse

King Crimson - Neal, Jack, And me

Earth, Wind, and Fire - September

Michael McDonald - What a fool Believes

Sarah Brightman - Eden

Enya - Caribbean Blue

The Slip - Even Rats

I could go on and on with this list.

I highly reccomend any of the above.

[Steelrat]

Honestly, I didn't expect to see Enya or Sarah Brightman there. I love their stuff. I just listened to Brightman's "Ave Maria" this morning. And King Crimson is just awesome. I too am a HUGE fan of music.

Here is my contribution:

Aphex Twin - Alberto Balsam

Mychael Danna - Sky 8

Orbital - Halcyon

Genesis - The Brazilian

Vangelis - Heaven and Hell

Enya - The Longships

Rush - The Pass

Sarah McLaughlin - Into the fire

10,000 Maniacs - Verdi Cries

Bjork Pagan Poetry

Death In Vegas - Zugaga

Giles Reaves - Evolution/Twilight

Kate Bush - The Morning Fog

Mannheim Steamroller Veni Veni

Michael Hedges - Aerial Boundaries (or frankly anything by him)

Tangerine Dream - Crystal Curfew


And the list could go on and on and on...

[Triangle]

Honestly, I didn't expect to see Enya or Sarah Brightman there. I love their stuff. I just listened to Brightman's "Ave Maria" this morning. And King Crimson is just awesome. I too am a HUGE fan of music.

Here is my contribution:

Aphex Twin - Alberto Balsam

Vangelis - Heaven and Hell

You've got to send me any Aphex Twin you've got Ryan. I got a TON of it from Zak a LONG time ago. When my laptop blew up, I didn't have any backups, and finding their stuff is enxt to impossible.

Also: Vangelis = Yes. Can you say BladeRunner?

[Triangle]

Also: Word on the street says you're something of an Audiophile.
I've got a pair of BOSE headphone my buddy's dad gave me. Things had a $300 price tag on them, but I didn't save anything that came with them.
These things cancel out sound, and the cable that connections them to the 1/8th input jack has a switch on the jack that amplifies the sound.
I know absolutely nothing about headphones, but these by far are the best pair I've ever used, and until something happens to them, I don't plan on getting anything else. I feel like a space man wearing them.

[Steelrat]

Also: Word on the street says you're something of an Audiophile.
I've got a pair of BOSE headphone my buddy's dad gave me. Things had a $300 price tag on them, but I didn't save anything that came with them.
These things cancel out sound, and the cable that connections them to the 1/8th input jack has a switch on the jack that amplifies the sound.
I know absolutely nothing about headphones, but these by far are the best pair I've ever used, and until something happens to them, I don't plan on getting anything else. I feel like a space man wearing them.

I don't have a high opinion of BOSE. I was given a set of the vaunted acoustimass sub/sats, and it sucked so bad I sold it on Ebay the next day and bought some wonderful PSB speakers on Audiogon. For headphones I use a set of Sennheisers, which are awesome.

BUT, the key to all things audio is that if you like something, then go with it. If the bose work for you, then rock on! But if you have any questions about audio matters, just drop me a line. I offer advice to friends all the time.

As for Vangelis, I have listened to him since I was 8 years old. I remember hearing his stuff on the old Cosmos TV show with Carl Sagan, and I have listened ever since. Bladerunner is one of his best works, and End Titles is considered one of the first techno songs ever.

I'll make a disc of his stuff and the Aphex Twin I have for you.

EDIT:

Here is my current listening setup:

Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home speakers
REL Storm III subwoofer
Arcam CD-73 CD player
Rotel RSP 10-68 preamp/processor
Rotel RMB-1095 Amplifier
Sumiko Project 1.2 turntable
Sumiko Blue Point Special cartridge
Harmonic Technology interconnects and speaker cable

Very warm and natural sound, though a tad lacking in the ultimate dynamics I would like. Dynamics (GOOD dynamics) don't come cheap though. I'm very happy with this setup, though I want to acquire some Avante Garde Duo horm speakers ASAP, as I heard them at a relative's house and fell in love with them.

[Triangle]

I don't have a high opinion of BOSE. I was given a set of the vaunted acoustimass sub/sats, and it sucked so bad I sold it on Ebay the next day and bought some wonderful PSB speakers on Audiogon. For headphones I use a set of Sennheisers, which are awesome.

BUT, the key to all things audio is that if you like something, then go with it. If the bose work for you, then rock on! But if you have any questions about audio matters, just drop me a line. I offer advice to friends all the time.

As for Vangelis, I have listened to him since I was 8 years old. I remember hearing his stuff on the old Cosmos TV show with Carl Sagan, and I have listened ever since. Bladerunner is one of his best works, and End Titles is considered one of the first techno songs ever.

I'll make a disc of his stuff and the Aphex Twin I have for you.

That would be awesome.
These things are pretty comfy, although if I wear them for extended periods on time (read: hours) my ears get itchy and irritated, and I gotta take them off for a while I guess it's just because of prolonged used, but everything in mdoeration I guess.

I also noticed that if I press onto the headphones from the sides, they HOWL into my ears like a frickin' banshee. Why?

[Steelrat]

I also noticed that if I press onto the headphones from the sides, they HOWL into my ears like a frickin' banshee. Why?

I don't have a set in front of me, but I'd guess that when you put pressure on them, you are applying pressure to the driver, and it's messing with the sound. It might also have something to do with the electronics, though I avoid noise-cancelling headphones, so I can't say for sure. I prefer sealed in-ear headphones, like Shure and Entymonic, to keep sound out.

[Triangle]

I don't have a set in front of me, but I'd guess that when you put pressure on them, you are applying pressure to the driver, and it's messing with the sound. It might also have something to do with the electronics, though I avoid noise-cancelling headphones, so I can't say for sure. I prefer sealed in-ear headphones, like Shure and Entymonic, to keep sound out.

Gotcha.

Why don't you like the noise cancelling variety?

And what do you feel are the pro's and cons of in-ear headphones?


Prepare for me to pick your brain.

[Remington]

I have a pair of the Bose headphones as well and while it sounds Steelrat already gave you an excellent answer for the "banshee" noise, my .02 cents is that you might be pressing on the microphones that pick up the ambient noise and then "cancel" it; i.e. you might be overloading the microphones. Like I said though, Steelrat's answer is probably the right one.

Also, for anyone that's really interested in why music affects people the way it does, pick up a copy of This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin, it's a very informative book, and a great read for music lovers (myself being a music education major)!

[Steelrat]

Gotcha.

Why don't you like the noise cancelling variety?

And what do you feel are the pro's and cons of in-ear headphones?


Prepare for me to pick your brain.

Because you are adding another layer of processing, and they're cheap processors at that. Any time you introduce any sort of processing to a signal, you degrade it. I can hear the difference, and it irks me.

The pros of in-ear headphones are that they do a good job of keeping other noises out, and they have good bass response if you have them sealed correctly.

Here is a good summary regarding in-ear headphones http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-he...-monitor-type/

That website is run by the guys who made the headroom headphone amplifiers. Which brings me to a downside of good headphones. A set of good headphones deserves good amplification. Now, the amp secion in your typical ipod, cd player, computer, or home stereo sucks the big one. Headroom (and other companies) make headphone amplifiers that really allow your headphones to sing. A good comparison would be like hooking up your expensive after-market car speakers and subs to a stock kia head unit. You really need a good amp to let the speakers sing. Same with headphones.

Now, I prefer my Sennheisers at home, because I like their open sound. But for travel I used a nice pair of Shure in-ears.

[Steelrat]

I have a pair of the Bose headphones as well and while it sounds Steelrat already gave you an excellent answer for the "banshee" noise, my .02 cents is that you might be pressing on the microphones that pick up the ambient noise and then "cancel" it; i.e. you might be overloading the microphones. Like I said though, Steelrat's answer is probably the right one.

Also, for anyone that's really interested in why music affects people the way it does, pick up a copy of This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin, it's a very informative book, and a great read for music lovers (myself being a music education major)!

Ah, that could be it too. I wasn't aware that the mic is right on the outside of the driver enclosure. I don't have a pair to look at, so your description sounds like another real possibility.

I loved the music courses I took in college. I could talk about music for days and days. I really need to get satellite radio so I can start finding new stuff to listen to. I enjoy the hardware aspect of the hobby, but in the end, it's about the music.

[gimp]

My roommate has a pair of the Sennheiser headphones. They are really nice.

And on the original topic, Angel's Son by Sevendust on the Strait up CD gets to me. It's not a song I hear often at all, but they played it at my best friends wake in 2001. It really is weird how a song can almost take you back in time, like your there again.

[warbeak2099]

Europe - The Final Countdown

Seriously, it still makes me think of leaving highschool saying goodbye to everyone.

Anything classic rock speaks to me. I find nothing artistic or poetic in newer music. Unless of course we're talking about Wolfmother. And they're the reincarnation of the classic rock trio so I don't consider their music "new style". Can't wait for their next album, hope it comes.

[cyrus-the-virus]

"Through the fire and flames" - Dragonforce

Scatman - scatman

I just love anything that sounds cool or has a badass guitar solo. I'm not a huge fan of the "emo" music.

mostly the guitar solo's are what I lookforward too.

[Remington]

Ah, that could be it too. I wasn't aware that the mic is right on the outside of the driver enclosure. I don't have a pair to look at, so your description sounds like another real possibility.

I loved the music courses I took in college. I could talk about music for days and days. I really need to get satellite radio so I can start finding new stuff to listen to. I enjoy the hardware aspect of the hobby, but in the end, it's about the music.

A good option for something like satellite radio (although limited to your computer) would be Pandora.com. It's an online "radio" service that allows you to input songs or musicians that you already like and it presents you with suggestions of other songs or musicians based on what you put in. It's suggested several groups that I've never even heard of but I now really enjoy listening to them!