Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Computer Audio › Why do some artists create pops, crackles, and other artefacts in their music?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Why do some artists create pops, crackles, and other artefacts in their music?

post #1 of 10
10/2/11 at 2:35am
Thread Starter 

I've noticed listening to electronic artists that there seems to be a fair bit of noise as you would hear on a vinyl album - tiny cracks, pops, distortion, artefacts. 

 

For example, listening to Four Tet's album (There is Love in You) and Bonobo (Noctuary - Dial M for Monkey) there seems artefacts around the beats and sounds. 

 

My guess is that the samples used are causing it but I want to make sure it isn't anything else. I never noticed these sounds before till using headphones. 

 

Audinst HUD-MX1 - DAC & Headphone Amp

Audio Technica AD900

FLAC and ALAC

Reply
post #2 of 10
10/2/11 at 2:59am
glitch is actually a music style: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glitch_(music)
Reply
post #3 of 10
10/2/11 at 3:18am
Not sure about the Four Tets, but Bonobo isn't a Glitch artist. I'm currently listening to my copy of Noctuary in FLAC and I'm noticing a bit of subtle distortion (at around 1:58).

If it's very bad, it could just be your copies of the songs? I've got some vinyl rips of some Zero 7 EP's and the whole things are filled with pops and crackles. It's really annoying >_>. The song Teardrop by Massive Attack does come to mind when thinking of those pops and crackles too, though.

Maybe it's just something to do with Trip Hop in general?
Reply
post #4 of 10
10/2/11 at 7:03am
I don't know but maybe the artist just wanted those particular noises and distortions to achieve a certain sound...
Reply
post #5 of 10
10/2/11 at 2:55pm
I'm guessing most of the time, its intentional. There are also guys like How To Dress Well which while sounding amazing, the quality of sound makes my ears hurt without the pop/crackle:
Reply
post #6 of 10
10/2/11 at 4:45pm

Maybe they want it to sound like a vinyl?

Reply
post #7 of 10
10/2/11 at 7:15pm

have you heard of alva noto? :)

 

Reply
post #8 of 10
10/2/11 at 9:50pm
>>I've noticed listening to electronic artists that there seems to be a fair bit of noise as you would hear on a vinyl album

I often listen to shoutcast streams. Electronica is ok but sometimes there are these harsh sounds which I assume are failed attempts to synthesize drum cymbals.
Reply
post #9 of 10
10/3/11 at 3:17am
Try headfi Music forum
Reply
post #10 of 10
10/3/11 at 10:09am

 Radiohead and Muse seem to do things like that. I like it. :)

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Computer Audio
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Computer Audio › Why do some artists create pops, crackles, and other artefacts in their music?