Thanks for chiming in, Bob! I have quoted this example a few times 
without finding out your point of view. It's good that you remember it, 
and good to know it was our client who had the sharpest ears, or the 
most picky aesthetic preferences. I never meant to imply that a tenth 
dB is a routine adjustment! And with hardware processing it is common 
to have more difference than that between channels of a single unit...

However, since that day I am using much smaller increments when trying 
things in mixing and mastering my own projects, for example changing EQ 
one dB at a time rather than wildly turning things up or down. As a 
result I find myself getting to the ideal much faster than 
previously...

Hope you don't mind me saying that your fine examples have been among 
the most powerful lessons for me in audio, mentoring me to become a 
much better engineer... even if this entire topic is not really about 
archiving!

Thanks,

Lou

On Mar 25, 2006, at 11:44 AM, Bob Olhsson wrote:

> Richard L. Hess" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> While not disagreeing with your premise, I have seen 1970s mastering
>> notes shoved into the tape box that had 0.1 dB step attenuator
>> settings on mastering equalizers. I suspect in those days they were
>> made with Daven step-attenuator (or similar) controls.
>
> I should step up and say that I was the mastering engineer involved in 
> Lou's project. Lots more was undoubtedly changing than simply a tenth 
> of a dB.
>
> There are very few devices or software routines that only change the 
> parameters on the front dial while leaving every other aspect alone. 
> In fact it's rare for the frequencies and gain settings to be all that 
> exact including variations from unit to unit with hardware devices.
>
> In this case, I heard a tiny change of the sort where I generally 
> avoid introducing a signal processor. This was why we did a quick 
> informal blind test. When I couldn't fool any of us in five or six 
> tries, I accepted that she was hearing something we probably ought to 
> go with.
>
> -- 
> Bob Olhsson Audio Mastery, Nashville TN
> Mastering, Audio for Picture, Mix Evaluation and Quality Control
> Over 40 years making people sound better than they ever imagined!
> 615.385.8051    http://www.hyperback.com