Classical audio engineering....?

[Derek]

I get a lot of annoying hiss sounds in some of my classical recordings when I turn them up to what I consider to be a reasonable, non ear-damaging volume.  I do not get these sounds from rock music, from my own piano recordings, or even from a piano recording of a rock musician.

Therefore I conclude classical audio engineers need to go back to school and learn how to use their equipment.

Anyone else have this problem?

[Fugue]

It may have to do with whether the recordings were transfered onto the disk. As in, my new Heiftz (again, not spelled right) CD has that problem, because the actual recording on the disk is from I think 1960. If its new, then I don't know.

[Floristan]

I hear the hiss on old recordings transferred to digital.  I think it's hiss that was inherent in recording onto reel-to-reel tapes.  The engineers do everything they can to eliminate it during transfer to digital.  They can only do so much.

What annoys me in much piano recording is this:  some engineers go for maximum stereo separation in piano recordings, so they put microphones on both sides of the piano, then the bass comes through the right channel and the treble through the left.  They record so closely that there's very little aural space between you (listener) and the piano -- so it's not like sitting in the audience, it's like sitting about a foot away from the tail of the piano.  I prefer piano engineered so it sounds like you're in a small hall, in the audience.

I get put off by hearing the bass distinctly in the right ear and the treble in the left.  If I'm using headphones, I'll usually switch sides so I'm getting bass in the left and treble in the right, as though I was playing the piece.

Just my pet peeve. 

[quantum]

A lot of rock and pop music has a narrow dynamic level.  A lot of times this is usually loud.  The his is there in older recordings, but because the music is being played loud most of the time it is not that noticible.  Classical music however requires a very large dynamic level from extreemly soft to thundering loud.  His becomes apparant when the loudness of the music drops and becomes closer to the noise floor of the recording.