The missing chapters of audio science
Tonestack.net was launched by Csaba Horváth sometime around 2016. After the first few years and many initial attempts, the concept slowly took shape.
I wasn't satisfied with the typical answers, arguments, test methods I found in audio discussions, no matter which side they came from. Subjectivist arguments are deeply flawed and, with a few exceptions, dealing with them is a waste of time. Subjective side is a complete disaster. On the other hand, the core problem with the objective side is that deep understanding of audio (science) requires more than mastering measurements or being familiar with the ABX test methodology.
I'm not opposed to blind tests, but I'm opposed to the idea that sighted tests are the source of all problems and blind tests are the way out of subjective craziness. I believe that any problem must be understood in such depth that ABX testing (the "weakest link") can be omitted. Also, the way the data is organized is more important than any data analysis framework.
Fun with YouTube (Rethinking YouTube)
"Fast as YouTube". Not a frequently used phrase, and there's a reason for that... The following custom web player with an embedded YouTube playlist runs at breakneck speed on all devices. The video player is very easy to use: recommended videos are randomly picked until a video is selected.
Click on the image to load the playlist
New from the workbench
Summarizing complex and broad topics is always a challenge. "Sound reproduction, audio measurements & fidelity: the 10 basic rules" covers the science and logic behind sound reproduction and audio measurements with only a few words.
Lossy audio compression is an exciting, yet neglected and misunderstood field of audio technology. Unfortunately, it's really hard to find a source that explains the logic behind MP3, AAC, or Opus in an easy-to-read style - if such a source exists at all. One can read Wikipedia or tech articles (pdfs) all day long without understanding anything about the technology. (more in: Lossy audio compression: principles, methods, misconceptions)
Csaba Horváth
Only music
