Audible Distortions in Good Recordings?

[Cpyder]

Sometimes when I listen very closely to music I sometimes hear slight crackling sounds in voices and some instruments a few times in songs. The crackling maybe lasts 0.1 seconds, if that. At first I thought maybe it was my setup - long optical cable to receiver, but after testing on other devices I found it is indeed in the music.

I thought maybe it was just the recording studios increasing the loudness of their music and maxing out the waveform, but I hear it even in "non-loud" albums such at Michael Jackson's 1987 Bad release. It is louder in the 2001 "loud" release, as expected.

Are the distortions coming from the recording studio room such as the microphone maxing out and distorting, or is there another problem at hand?

Listen for yourself:

Michael Jackson - Bad - Just Good Friends - Track 5
Audible distortion at 1:48 when Jackson says - "First impressions, I try to hide."
The words "I" and "hide" have a raspy tone or distortion to them but I don't feel that the sound is originating from Jackson's voicebox.

I can find more examples from other music if requested for people who don't have this album.

[F1nut]

For some reason, beat it comes to mind.

[Montoya]

Tool 10,000 days has a lot of audible distortion.

For some reason, beat it comes to mind.

[TroyD]

If it is audibly jacked up, how is it a good recording? Did I misplace my secret decoder ring?

Now, notice that I didn't say it's bad music (although in this case, it is)...there are lots of phenomenal performances that weren't recorded well....especially with a lot of the older classical.

BDT

[concealer404]

Eh, i have a couple cds that are recorded pretty well, other than an annoying crackle in a few isolated places. It's frustrating as hell. I thought my tweeter was blown at first.

Incubus - Light Grenades comes to mind.

But yes... the whole "It sounds great, BUT" is pretty amusing. :p

[F1nut]

I wasn't referring to the song.

[concealer404]

I wasn't referring to the song.

Oh... FML. I get it now. I feel like a Slow Polky.

[michaeljhsda2]

Robert Cray - Some Rainy Morning CD has artifacts in the recording.

[F1nut]

Oh... FML. I get it now. I feel like a Slow Polky.

LOL.....yeah, you've got it now.

[dkg999]

It would be hard to enjoy the music if you're that focused on the nuances of imperfection in the performance, recording, mastering, and production.

[concealer404]

It would be hard to enjoy the music if you're that focused on the nuances of imperfection in the performance, recording, mastering, and production.

Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of this hobby, though? ;)

[dkg999]

We listen to music

On the Hi-Fi

[Cpyder]

So am I just awakening into the world of critical music listening and these small distortions are something I just have to deal with from now on? Because now that I'm picking up on them, I hear it everywhere and I can't stop hearing it!

Help!

Lol

[concealer404]

So am I just awakening into the world of critical music listening and these small distortions are something I just have to deal with from now on? Because now that I'm picking up on them, I hear it everywhere and I can't stop hearing it!

Help!

Lol

If it's truly in the source material, yep. Sucks. A large chunk of my library sounds like ass these days. :(

[vc69]

If it's truly in the source material, yep. Sucks. A large chunk of my library sounds like ass these days. :(

Welcome to my world. I'd say 20% of my CD collection sounds A+.
Average is actually "suck".

Effing Hi-Fi :p

For some reason, beat it comes to mind.

That is the funny.

[Cpyder]

If it's truly in the source material, yep. Sucks. A large chunk of my library sounds like ass these days. :(

Welcome to my world. I'd say 20% of my CD collection sounds A+.
Average is actually "suck".

Effing Hi-Fi :p

Well, this is just depressing now. :(

Do we have any idea where the audible distortions come from? Is it the microphones operating beyond it's limits, ADC process, or something else?