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In the Forum: Didital Things
In the Thread: The High Resolution PCM files business, where?

Post Subject: Getting my mind rightPosted by steverino on: 5/23/2014

Paul,

I think we mean different things by transients. By my definition, there is no correlation with dynamics or volume. There are transients in the softest sounds as well as the loudest. A transient is merely the onset or initiation of a musical note or sound. If one analyzes a note produced by an instrument, it has many brief noise and harmonic components fluctuating together at onset before it settles down in its sustained segment (however extended or briefly it is sustained). Listen carefully to solo or small ensembles and chart how the initiation of a note on CD is either somewhat vague or is distorted, sounding more like a synthesizer than the instrument. Once the note stabilizes however the sound becomes more typical of the instrument and has fairly good fidelity to it. Organ music is best suited to CD because of the high proportion of time devoted to sustained notes vs transients. The rapidity of the changes going on in the onset portion of the sound are too rapid for CD PCM to handle them accurately. I think on the evidence of a few SACDs I've encountered that some kind of improved DSD format along the lines of what Romy heard years ago should have sufficiently fast sampling to capture the transients very accurately.

I should add that psychoacoustical studies have shown that the character of the onset or formant segment is what gives instruments much of their characteristic sound and individuality. It also helps the ear pick out multiple instruments playing ensemble.

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