What "****" is in audio engineering and producing

[DogpitStudios]

I've never quite understood the definition of **** in the recording world. Running a search on one of the larger recording boards I'm a member of, I found that there were over 500 articles on **** in their archives. I do think sound can be described with slightly vague adjectives, but those descriptions can only lead to vague understandings. Maybe I'm not in on what **** is, but it didn't seem to me that this adjective could ever describe sound. So I took the time to look the definition of the word up online.

****
adj. ****?er, ****?est

1. Somewhat hotter than temperate; having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat; moderately hot: a **** climate.
2. Having the natural heat of living beings: a **** body.
3. Preserving or imparting heat: a **** overcoat.
4. Having or causing a sensation of unusually high body heat, as from exercise or hard work; overheated.
5. Marked by enthusiasm; ardent: **** support.
6. Characterized by liveliness, excitement, or disagreement; heated: a **** debate.
7. Marked by or revealing friendliness or sincerity; cordial: **** greetings.
8. Loving; passionate: a **** embrace.
9. Excitable, impetuous, or quick to be aroused: a **** temper.
10. Predominantly red or yellow in tone: a **** sunset.
11. Recently made; fresh: a **** trail.
12. Close to discovering, guessing, or finding something, as in certain games.
13. Informal. Uncomfortable because of danger or annoyance: Things are **** for the bookies.

Out of those definitions, I can't quite find anything that could describe some aspect of my recordings. If someone could kindly point out my ignorance with these 13 definitions or could give me there definition for the word in terms of sound and recording sound, please do to clear up this open debate for this recording board.

Thank you,

Ben

[Superdude]

lol

[TimRP]

Here is bright:

1.
1. Emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts; shining.
2. Comparatively high on the scale of brightness.
3. Full of light or illumination: a bright sunny day; a stage bright with spotlights.
2. Characterizing a dyestuff that produces a highly saturated color; brilliant.
3. Glorious; splendid: one of the bright stars of stage and screen; a bright moment in history.
4. Full of promise and hope; auspicious: had a bright future in publishing.
5. Happy; cheerful: bright faces.
6. Animatedly clever; intelligent.
7. High and clear: the bright sound of the trumpet section.

Here is dark:

1.
1. Lacking or having very little light: a dark corner.
2. Lacking brightness: a dark day.
2. Reflecting only a small fraction of incident light.
3. Of a shade tending toward black in comparison with other shades. Used of a color.
4. Having a complexion that is not fair; swarthy.
5. Served without milk or cream: dark coffee.
6. Characterized by gloom; dismal: took a dark view of the consequences.
7. Sullen or threatening: a dark scowl.
8. Difficult to understand; obscure: stories that are large in scope and dark in substance.
9. Concealed or secret; mysterious: ?the dark mysteries of Africa and the fabled wonders of the East? (W. Bruce Lincoln).
10. Lacking enlightenment, knowledge, or culture: a dark age in the history of education.
11. Exhibiting or stemming from evil characteristics or forces; sinister: ?churned up dark undercurrents of ethnic and religious hostility? (Peter Maas).
12. Being or characterized by morbid or grimly satiric humor.
13. Having richness or depth: a dark, melancholy vocal tone.
14. Not giving performances; closed: The movie theater is dark on Mondays.
15. Linguistics. Pronounced with the back of the tongue raised toward the velum. Used of the sound (l) in words like full.


Both have audio refferences to them, **** on the other hand well geee thats a whole different ball of wax. Could ****, if you had to much of it; be pleasing or painful, could it be less bright and more dark, or more bright and less dark, etc. Ok most often people who believe in **** will often bring up the fact that something has to have tubes to be ****, where solid state is cold. Maybe **** is just the odd or is it even order harmonics that tubes put out are more pleaseing and thus **** to someone like a **** embrace. Cause we all know from electronics/physics class, even and odd harmonics sound different. Its why most guitar amps that are good are tube driven, when the tubes are driven hard the harmonic distortion sounds pleasing to most people. So if we call up websters dictionary company and added a sound related definition for **** it would have to be this: The pleasing effect of even/odd (I keep for getting if its odd or even) harmonic distortion that tube circuits create when driven hard, ah but you say solid state circuits still provide ****th if they have the same sonic character as tube gear if designed to impart the ever so important even/odd harmonic distortion, which can be done. I may describe an 80 degree day as **** and un pleasent but somebody in the tropics would say wow what a cool and refreshing day. So **** may never have one definition to it when it comes to sound, but atleast you have to acknowledge that its all just a matter of perspective.

[Superdude]

It was only an expression!! Sorry, but i think this new spin off is a bit sad. I am probably wrong, as i am wrong about many 'sayings' and 'phrases' to do with music production. Maybe it would be nice to actually get any preamp advice as apposed to some crazy sidestep. How would experienced engineers here describe valves? (i am a newbie still, after all) --->Give me a break, the ball was in!!

[Superdude]

Damn it!!! You relearn something each day. Are valves the same thing as tubes?? Stupid question, isnt it>?

[Superdude]

My bag...Ill 'only' use the queens english to describe gear. Im probably wrong, so what?

[TimRP]

valves=tube

[Superdude]

check out Voxengos' '****ifier' Vst plug.

[DogpitStudios]

Dude,
This thread wasn't started to bash you. Not everything in this world is all about you. It just happened that I see the word **** a lot in the recording world and being new myself, I don't understand what it means in a recording sense. THIS IS FOR MY OWN KNOWLEDGE. Don't take offense to everything I say. When I refer to it as a debate it has nothing to do with the thread on this board. Some of the other guys on here should know that there is a never ending debate on the word **** in the recording world, and it was never cleared up to me what people meant by the word, so the unknowing me asked.

Thank you,
Ben

[brandondrury]

I 100% agree with Dogpit. In fact, I started a very similar thread like 3 days ago.

Superdude, no one is calling you out. This is a problem that's been around for a long time.

Every microphone sounds ****.

Every preamp sounds ****.

Everyone wants a **** sound. I'm of the opinion that we can just change "****" to "good". If you say this is a "****" microphone, I get confused and don't say much. If you say it is a "good microphone", I'll ask for "For what?" or "What does it sound like?". I think this whole "****" thing is just a ploy to keep people from thinking.

Just a thought.
Brandon