What Does 'Warm' Mean?

Jimmy Dale · Post by **Jimmy Dale** » 5 Feb 2003 8:42 pm

I had some one come up to me a few years ago and told me that I had a really "mellow" tone. I thanked him politely then thought about it all the way home. The more I thought about it , the more I wondered exactly what he meant, so, I looked it up in the dictionary. It said: mellow, mel'low,adj,Almost rotten. Jim Miller I'D RATHER BE STEELIN'

Tom Olson · Post by **Tom Olson** » 5 Feb 2003 9:53 pm

Heh! When I looked up "mellow" in my dictionary, I found one of the definitions to be, "moist and loamy: said of soil" Now that sorta reminds me of Jody Carver's post above

Rich Weiss · Post by **Rich Weiss** » 5 Feb 2003 10:05 pm

It seems fruitless to try to describe sound with words, and yet this is how recording engineers talk to each other. Whenever I read a music review it becomes evident to me that words can never come close to conveying what's going on with the music. But I remember once, a ten year old kid, describing a certain singer's voice. He said it sounded like the color 'brown.' And I knew exactly what he was talking about. [This message was edited by Rich Weiss on 05 February 2003 at 10:06 PM.]

Tom Olson · Post by **Tom Olson** » 5 Feb 2003 11:04 pm

I agree that sometimes colors can be used to describe sound. I once read John Hartman describing one of the first times he heard Earl Scruggs on a certain Flatt and Scruggs tune when Hartman was a kid. Hartman described the banjo as sounding "like bright orange lightning."

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 6 Feb 2003 2:54 am

if it sounds like somebody special murmuring quietly into your ear, in soft and cosy surroundings , it's warm!

This may have been written in jest, but I think it comes closest to defining the term.

My Guild Ashbory bass has a particularly warm intimate sound. Totally different from a regular bass and even from the new De Armand Ashborys.

Dave Boothroyd · Post by **Dave Boothroyd** » 6 Feb 2003 4:46 am

It was a joke Mike, but it was a serious joke!
I could go on for hours about harmonic distortion in valve and solid state amplifiers, and the effects of tape saturation on harmonic content,(that's what they pay me for!)but "warm" is an emotional thing and you can only describe emotions by reference to other emotions and the circumstances that give rise to them.
I'm such a sound addict that I swear I fell in love with my wife Wendy on the basis of her voice on the phone, before I even met her- so you'll guess that I have lots of opportunity to hear warm sounds!
Cheers
Dave

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 6 Feb 2003 8:41 am

I wonder where my underwear went?

Tony Harris · Post by **Tony Harris** » 6 Feb 2003 9:17 am

Here are some of my tonal descriptions, in ascending order of frequencies - from 50Hz upwards:
Rumble, Woomf, Boom, Thud, Warm, Plummy, Honky, Wooden, Hard, Thwack, Sharp, Scratchy, Edgy, Bright, Sizzly, and right on top (16KHz?)Tinsel!

Tony H.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 6 Feb 2003 10:29 am

I think that color names can describe equalization pretty well. Brown vs. orange, blue vs. yellow are pretty easy tones to conjure up.

I was wondering if "warm" maybe includes something about the attack envelope. Isn't the soft knee of an optical compressor a component of "warm" sound? Just a thought...

------------------
<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (C6add9), Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6), Roland Handsonic, Line6 Variax (coming soon)

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 6 Feb 2003 11:46 am

I wonder where my underwear went?

You may want to put on a robe before you go looking....

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 6 Feb 2003 5:33 pm

Hi Chas

erik · Post by **erik** » 6 Feb 2003 7:02 pm

How about some junk science?

There are more, and imperfect graduations of sound particles(are they particles?) existing on recorded analog tape than exist in a finite chain of digital data - which is why quality older analog recordings sound like dripping honey and newer digital recordings sound like neatly shaped and alligned honey ice cubes.

You heard it here, FIRST!

Tom Olson · Post by **Tom Olson** » 7 Feb 2003 9:14 am

Hmmmm, I've never actually comparatively listened to a CD and a vinyl or analog tape of a given recording, but of course, I've heard the same thing before -- that digital source music is "colder" than analog source music. Like I said, I've never actually compared them, but I think my CD's all sound pretty good.

Movie films are basically analog pictures (although they could be thought of as digital in a way because there are only a finite number of frames per second), and of course, DVD's are digital. However, I don't think I could tell the difference between a film version and a DVD version of the same movie. But, maybe I could and maybe I'm comparing apples to oranges.[This message was edited by Tom Olson on 07 February 2003 at 10:04 AM.]

Eric Myers · Post by **Eric Myers** » 7 Feb 2003 10:01 am

Example of one recording that lost all its lustre when transferred to CD:

EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE/Neil Young

The guitar tones just leap out of the album version and sound WARM and huge and textured

The CD somehow manages to make all the tones 1 dimensional and tiny (sterile)

Tom Olson · Post by **Tom Olson** » 7 Feb 2003 10:06 am

Good point -- I know at least some recordings are remixed when they are released as CD's. Could it be that in some cases the difference in sound could be attributed to the remix?

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 7 Feb 2003 10:09 am

I've read all of the above, and I think the first answer to Bobby's question at the beginning of this thread is the right answer. I vote for Roy Ayres' answer.

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 8 Feb 2003 11:10 am

I don't think you can anylize it, or describe it. It just a feeling.

I think of warm as Soft, cozy, Mellow and just a good feeling. I think of Shrill, loud as cold. Just the Opposite. I like warm better than cold, especially this winter in Michigan.....al

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 8 Feb 2003 11:22 am

I live in an apartment in the old ExLax building. I think I know brown sound when I hear it.

As to the playwright and his 'yellow' sound---I remember reading last year about a study that finds that certain people actual hear colors--or rather, see color when hearing music. As difficultly subjective as this notion is, the study seemed convinced that two people hearing the same music were seeing the same associated colors. They were regarding it as a curious brain mutation. But as something very real. So this drama dude could well have had something very concrete in mind with his request---just couldn't imagine that nobody else would have a clue what he was seeing/hearing.

Frank Estes · Post by **Frank Estes** » 8 Feb 2003 12:09 pm

To me, "warm" means "darker" than "bright" without being too "muddy." I think when people use it to refer to tube amps, they are meaning it is less "sterile" sounding than poor quality solid state. These days you can really get close to the tube liveliness with today's technology.

To me, those Fender DSP amps (Fender Stage 100, Princeton 65, etc) sound as good as those old tube amps. I realize the sentimental value of the old equipment taints the opinion some of you older guys.

[This message was edited by Frank Estes on 08 February 2003 at 12:10 PM.]

R. L. Jones · Post by **R. L. Jones** » 8 Feb 2003 8:57 pm

This is funny, should be in the Humor column.

Seriously I can only speak about Dobro, or accoustic sounds. I play the old fashioned style, not J D . Or Mike . your style , your strings , your accoustic box has a lot to do with sounds.

I always use 80-20 Bronze strings, you cant get bright , or sharp sounds with these
You get more mellow , or warm sounds.

And I didnt sit in it either Jody , now there

R. L.

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 9 Feb 2003 4:30 am

....quote... I vote for Roy Ayres' answer.....

Me too!

....also the others who said essentially the same thing![This message was edited by Gene Jones on 09 February 2003 at 04:32 AM.]