Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

1454.0. "Ghosts on the tracks?" by ELWOOD::KAPLANL (Larry Kaplan DTN 291-9886) Thu Dec 29 1988 18:29

    I was recently listening to a CD (Paul Simon: Graceland) on my new
    portable Sony D-15 with the volume cranked way up.  In certain quiet
    places, notably in the lull between songs, I could hear (albeit very
    faintly) a song from a different part of the disc.  Needless to
    say, this was extremely annoying, especially given CD's reputation
    for cleanliness.
    
    I have experienced a similar phenomenon with cassettes, where a
    plausible explanation seemed to be that the "ghost" song was
    bleed-through from another track.   But this should be (theoretically)
    impossible with a CD.
    
    I can only conclude that the fault actually exists on the CD itself
    - an embarrassing byproduct of low quality production processes.
    
    Is this a reasonable assumption ?

    Unfortunately, I have not been able to bring myself to listen to
    the CD since.  A tragedy considering the music...
    
    L.
    

    If you hear this on a CD, it is almost certainly "print-through" that
    exists on the master tape.  "Graceland" is an analog mastered disc,
    so that is most likely the problem.  The CD can't hide defects in the
    master tape.
    
    			Steve