- "Lo-fi" redirects here. For the music genre, see Lo-fi music
- Lo-fidelity redirects here. Lo-fi is an aesthetic in music production which uses Low fidelity recording practices For the record label, see Lo-Fidelity Records
Low fidelity or lo-fi describes a sound recording which contains technical flaws such as distortion, hum, or background noise, or limited frequency response. Lo-Fidelity Records is a Record label founded in 2002 by Jeffrey K A distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic of an object image sound waveform or other form of information or representation Frequency is a measure of the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit Time. The term "low-fidelity" is used in contrast to the audiophile term high fidelity or "hi-fi", which refers to stereo equipment that very accurately reproduces music without harmonic distortion or unwanted frequency emphasis or resonance. High fidelity or hi-fi reproduction is a term used by home stereo listeners and home audio enthusiasts ( Audiophiles to refer to high-quality reproduction
In digital audio, the term "lo-fi" usually refers to an audio file with a lower bit rate or sampling rate, and thus a lower sound quality. Digital audio uses Digital signals for Sound reproduction. This includes analog-to-digital conversion, digital-to-analog conversion, storage In Telecommunications and Computing, bitrate (sometimes written bit rate, data rate or as a Variable R or f b Sampling theorem The Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem states that perfect reconstruction Such audio files may be offered on the internet because of their smaller file sizes and hence shorter download times. The term "lo-fi" has come to be used figuratively in other contexts, by analogy with lo-fi audio, usually to mean "low-tech," since the audio concept of fidelity is not applicable. The term low-technology is a description of those Crafts and Tools whose inception (typically predates the Industrial Revolution. Fidelity is a notion that at its most abstract level implies a truthful connection to a source or sources
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Lo-fi audio
In general, "lo-fi" audio is any process that fails to achieve the accuracy and "transparency" that is the goal of hi-fi audio. High fidelity or hi-fi reproduction is a term used by home stereo listeners and home audio enthusiasts ( Audiophiles to refer to high-quality reproduction The meaning of the term "lo-fi" has changed over time; in the 1970s, vacuum tube equipment was considered the lower fidelity alternative to the new semiconductor solid state equipment, although some still consider valves the only "pure" way of listening to music. Low fidelity is often associated with cassette tape, although in reality many people simply do not notice the difference between this and CD quality, particularly with the advent of low quality (possibly lower than cassette) mp3 files. The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a Magnetic tape sound A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a Digital audio encoding format using a form of Lossy data compression
Some lower-budget recordings from the 1970s and 1980s have a "lo-fi" sound despite the best efforts of the musicians and the producers, due to the limitations of the analog recording and processing techniques, which introduced unwanted artifacts such as distortion and phase problems. In some recordings, high fidelity recording is avoided, or the artifacts are deliberately retained or added to all or part of the recording for artistic reasons. This decision is usually made by the record producer, but in some cases, band members are advocates of the "lo-fi" sound. In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing
Some unique aural qualities are available only with "low-tech" recording methods, such as recording on tape decks, or using analog sound processors (e. g. , analog compressors or reverb units). Some producers argue that the sound of an overdriven, high gain analog signal has a more pleasing sound than with a high gain digital signal. As well, even though digital effects such as digital reverb may be a more accurate recreation of the reverb that occurs in a cathedral or large space, analog reverb has a distinctive sound that is associated with 1970s and 1980s recordings.
Examples of deliberately lo-fi-type sounds in pop music can be traced to at least the late 1960s, when a portion of the Beatles' song "Honey Pie" was intended to mimic a 78 rpm record. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 " Honey Pie " is a song by The Beatles, from their 1968 album ''The Beatles'' (the "White Album" More recent examples include vinyl crackles on compact discs, as on Portishead's album Dummy, and telephonic vocals on Craig David's track "Fill Me In" (though these two are not regarded as "lo-fi" bands). A gramophone A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio Portishead (pɔːtɪsˈhɛd IS an English musical group from Bristol. Dummy, released in 1994 is the debut album of the Bristol -based group Portishead. Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is an English R&B Singer-songwriter. Several prominent Hip-Hop producers, such as DJ Premier, also favour retaining the Lo-Fidelity characteristics of the records they sample in order to achieve a hard, unpolished and "uncut" sound in their own music. Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966) better known as DJ Premier is an American Record producer and DJ, and The lo-fi aesthetic has even contributed to musical subgenres, such as the "lo-fi" subgenre of indie rock and punky styles such as digital hardcore. Lo-fi is an aesthetic in music production which uses Low fidelity recording practices Digital hardcore is a Music genre fusing elements of Hardcore punk and Electronic music.
Lo-fi techniques are espoused by some genres outside the indie rock world, particularly by black metal artists, where the very low-quality of the recording has become a desirable quality, said by fans to convey a rawness and depth of feeling otherwise unattainable. Indie rock is genre of Alternative rock that primarily exists in the independent Underground music scene Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It often employs fast tempos shrieked vocals highly distorted guitars played with Tremolo picking, Some fans deliberately seek out extremely lo-fi concert bootlegs, such as the infamous Dawn Of The Black Hearts which are of such low quality as to defy normal conceptions of music. Dawn of the Black Hearts is a bootleg Live album by the Norwegian Black metal band Mayhem.
DIY Punk is also well noted for its trend toward lo-fi sound, produced for the most part on inexpensive four-track machines such as the Tascam, and copied from tape to tape on home recording equipment, degrading the quality still further. The DIY ethic ( Do it yourself ethic refers to the ethic of being self-reliant by completing tasks oneself as opposed to having others who are likely more experienced complete In DIY Punk lo-fi is prized mainly because it indicates a rejection of the values of commercialism.
Lo-fi website / webpage / forum
A "lo-fi" website can also be a website with very simple architecture or a website designed for users with low bandwidth connections. In general, it is a copy of the main website and often designed for people who have an old computer with/or a slower Internet connection (notably 56K connections). Users can often access the main website from a link at the bottom of the page.
Usually advanced features and background images (eg. Flash, ActiveX Objects, Images, Videos) are turned off or are replaced with textual representation. Adobe Flash (previously called Shockwave Flash and Macromedia Flash) is a set of Multimedia software created by Macromedia and currently ActiveX is a Component object model (COM developed by Microsoft for Windows. This allows the page to be loaded faster with less connection made to the server to load additional items on the page.
Lo-fi wireless connectivity
A "Lo-fi" wireless connection also refers to the process by which unprotected Ethernet wireless (802.11) access point (AP's) are mapped and labeled for unrestricted use by anyone. Wireless communication is the transfer of information over a distance without the use of electrical conductors or " Wires quot IEEE 80211 is a set of standards for wireless local area network (WLAN computer communication developed by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee ( IEEE 802 In Computer networking, a wireless access point ( WAP or AP) is a device that allows wireless communication devices to connect to a Wireless network A "lo-fi" site is first logged, then labeled or mapped so that another person with a (laptop) computer and a wireless network adapter can get onto the internet to retrieve websites, email, or otherwise use the provided internet connection without advance or prior authorization, and without any trace or fees. Wireless network refers to any type of Computer network that is Wireless, and is commonly associated with a Telecommunications network whose interconnections In general, access point wireless Ethernet hardware come configured with "default" settings, and therefore are not protected against unauthorized use.
Many people install their new access points or wireless routers to their internet service provider modem, without changing these default security settings, making it possible for anyone with a properly configured system to connect to and use the provider's internet connectivity, with or without prior authorization. The name "Lo-Fi" is symbolic as an independent and "Low cost" (free except for the price of equipment) version of the "Wi-Fi" system, which was promulgated by the Wi-Fi Alliance [1], a non-profit organization with the goal of driving the adoption of a single worldwide-accepted standard for high-speed wireless local area networking. The Wi-Fi Alliance is a Trade group that owns the Trademark to Wi-Fi.
See also
Wardriving is the act of searching for Wi-Fi Wireless networks by a person in a moving vehicle using a portable computer or PDA. High fidelity or hi-fi reproduction is a term used by home stereo listeners and home audio enthusiasts ( Audiophiles to refer to high-quality reproduction No-Fi is a term used to describe Music or media created outside conventional technical standardsDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic