WJAAS - Shigemi Takajo-san and insects and birds singing

Abrazemi, kutuwamushi and kohrogi (insects) and uguisu (bird) singing on a CD for audio tuning and demonstration?!?

Devils of Japanese, would say... Shigemi Takajo-san, a famous Japanese audio and music critic and reviewer insists since a long time about the following statement: "A recorded sound should be perceived, when played back on proper audio equipment, as identical to the original sound".

Not an easy task would way, having many detractors and also a logical limit - i.e. let's try to record a waterfall or a Stealth or a rifle shot... the 120+ db SPL. maybe captured by a condenser Schoeps' or Neumann's mike, will SURE be excessive, almost dangerous, for most of the audio systems.

Distorsion, compression, reduction in size, impact and trueness - to name a few of the possible issues ...

.... BUT, the wise Japanese critic, Takajo-san suggested "lesser", more friendly noises: natural sounds.

Mountain streams, insects, birds... in THIS very case, yes... it's possible to hear a "reproduced sound identical to the original sound".

I have a CD-R given to me by Shinichi Tanaka-san which included the above summer insects singing in the quiet Japanese countryside (it exists!) and these recordings are quite impressive: you're able to differentiate near to the mike and more far away insects and you can hear - like in an orchestra - when "members" of the "orchestra" remain still, while others continue.

The sound of these exotic insects (similar to Westerner crickets, cicadas and grasshoppers) is very complex and various, not simply a noise, but a true sound composed of wings, legs, maybe grass-chewing, ALL resonating together.

When I played this weird disk in Gotorama for friends... well, you'll not believe, I had shivers, and the definite, strong sensation was like someone opened a window on a living lawn in a quiet evening... at 12.000 km... as crow flies.

Known and - at same time - unknown sounds of Nature.

An interesting experience.