[Audio_Empire[_2_]]

On Sunday, August 4, 2013 10:42:28 AM UTC-7, Scott wrote:
On Sunday, August 4, 2013 6:17:32 AM UTC-7, Audio_Empire wrote:
On Saturday, August 3, 2013 6:51:10 AM UTC-7, Robert Peirce wrote:
In article ,
Scott wrote:

This is such a surprisingly weird assertion. Had you not told us numerous
times that you record live classical music I would suspect that you have
never been to any sort of live classical performances at all. what exactly
does "live music" sound like? Because in my experience it sounds like a lot
of different things depending on the instruments, the musicians, the venue
and the seat I am sitting in. You seem to be treating the sound of "live
music" as this monolithic unwavering point of reference. It aint that. No
way. I shudder to think someone with a subscription to the overpriced balcony
seats at Davies Hall or Copley Hall would suffer the dire audio consequences
of thinking that their listening experience to live music in such halls from
those seats sets a standard by which playback should be measured and even
worse sets a standard by which they should actually adjust their aesthetic
values. The horror, the horror

You are both right and wrong. I stopped going to one concert series
because the house decided the music needed to be electronically
amplified and the instruments sounded wrong. They sounded wrong no
matter where I was sitting.

Ain't that the truth! I have actually walked out on concerts because they felt
the need for sound reinforcement. Usually in such cases I demand a refund
on my tickets. I get it too. My ploy is tell the manager that I go to live concert
performances to listen to LIVE unamplified music playing in a real space, not
to listen to some P.A. system. I tell them that if I wanted to listen to amplifiers
and speakers, I would have stayed home where I had MUCH better speakers and
amps than the P.A. junk in that theater! It always works.
Bottom line is I won't put up with indoor sound reinforcement of classical or jazz
performances played on acoustic instruments.

What concerts have you attended where you were unexpectedly faced
with this issue? All the classical concerts I go to are unamplified
with the exception of the Hollywood Bowl. And the Hollywood Bowl
makes it really clear that they use sound reinforcement. One would
have no excuse for being surprised by that fact. There are other
venues all over the world that also rely on sound reinforcement too
but none that I know of that are covert about it. So what venues
have surprised you with the use of sound reinforcement?

Quite a few, actually. In fact I tried to attend a local big-band jazz
concert just last weekend where sound reinforcement was evident. I
left. Same with a symphonic band concert held in a large church
several months ago. Now, I'll say this. I haven't yet attended an
indoor symphony concert where sound reinforcement was used, but I
understand that it is done. I've stopped attending outdoor concerts of
any kind for that reason. I just don't want to listen to a P.A.
system. It seems elementary purpose defeating to me. I realize that
sound reinforcement might be required at large outdoor venues, and
I'll gladly forego the "pleasure" of attending those. I was listening
to the BSO at Tanglewood on Internet radio last night and the thought
came to me that I was probably hearing a much better presentation than
were the attendees, grouped around the Koussevitzky "shed" listening
to the excellent performance by Charles Dutoit of Ravel's complete
"Daphnis et Chloe" through a P.A. System.

It is quite possible that some instruments in some halls will sound
dreadful, but you will still be able to recognize them. Some recordings
are so manipulated that you can't recognize the instruments.

True enough.

I don't consider the ability to merely recognize an instrument as
any kind of standard of excellence.

And who does? Surely, even you must realize that it's much more
complicated that just that.

I can recognize the sound of most instruments on cheap AM car radio.
The fact is you can get dreadful sound in almost any concert hall if
your seats are lousy. So bad live sound is very common.

And again, who said it wasn't?

things you can do in post-production that are impossible in real life.
If that helps, it helps, but you shouldn't think that is the sound of a
real instrument in a real space as some reviewers seem to think.

Also agreed. But experienced listeners SHOULD know the difference.

And, I might add that I don't think that I want to hear those things
"...done in post production that are impossible in real life.." Others
might and they're welcome to it, but....