Wow, this is my first Mog post in 2 years. I've been posting most of my thoughts on my blog (samuraijohnny.blogspot.com), but I thought I write a Mog post for a change, since I'm writing about something to do with music.

I've written about hi-fi gear and how it's really not that important in the end. But I'd like to comment on car stereos because a car just went by the house pumping out annoying bass.

The title of the post briefly states my thoughts about all those people out there who are upgrading their car stereos to make them sound like an earthquake is driving by. But let me explain where I'm coming from:

I'm a bass player, so I know a thing or two about the bass frequencies. I also record my own music and have learned a lot about sound from these experiences. One of the things about music and sound in general is that when things are working correctly and when a listener is being moved by the music, things feel so natural. When a musical mix is just right, it feels as natural as seeing a good band with a good sound man at a live concert. When I'm playing bass with a band that's really tight, it feels as natural as breathing.

So what would happen if I was playing with a band and I decided to just turn up my bass all the way to overpower everybody? I'd throw people off, along with annoying them (I just saw a band where the bass player did this very thing). And what's more, the music wouldn't sound natural, it would sound artifical, being overly bass heavy. This is exactly what's happening when guys add tons of bass to their car stereos.

Think about it, it's just like a woman getting breast implants. Maybe a woman with breast implants will look more attractive to men, but their breasts have been augmented using unnatural means. And if people expect women to have those unnaturally augmented body parts, what happens? People's perceptions get distorted. I think this is exactly what's happening with those people who are striving to tweak out their car stereos. If you increase the bass and treble ad-nauseum, you're really listening to a highly distorted version of music itself. And if you continue to listen to music this way, naturally balanced music won't satisfy you.

I confess, I used to love turning up the bass on all my audio equipment. But you know what? After learning to record and mix my own music, and after playing bass for many years, I've learned to appreciate music that has the bass balanced correctly. I still prefer a little bit of a bass boost to music, but I no longer need as much as I used to, and the biggest difference is that I'm consciously aware of my bass bias. So when I hear a car with extreme bass go by, I kinda feel sorry for those people. Their perception of music is highly distorted, just like those men out there who prefer women with implants.