Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site dsd.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!umcp-cs!gymble!lll-crg!dual!amdcad!fortune!dsd!riner From: riner@dsd.UUCP (john riner) Newsgroups: net.audio,net.music.classical Subject: Re: Live vs. Home Audio Sound Message-ID: <418@dsd.UUCP> Date: Tue, 5-Mar-85 14:35:07 EST Article-I.D.: dsd.418 Posted: Tue Mar 5 14:35:07 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 9-Mar-85 19:24:57 EST References: <813@oliven.UUCP> Organization: AMPEX DSD, Redwood City, CA. Lines: 32 Xref: linus net.audio:3577 net.music.classical:603 > I think that, to a degree, they're kidding themselves, or, rather, > being tricked by their own senses. It would be interesting to > ask a blind person what their opinion is about the same recordings > and equipment, because I feel that the visual element in a live > performance situation radically alters one's perceptions and > memory of what was actually heard. It is as though some human > (subconscious) mechanism strives to provide a sense of coherence > between the varying inputs of eye and ear. > - Greg Paley I heartily agree. The visual/aural connection is very important in the imaging process. At a live performance you are probably in the reverberant sound field (where sound is coming from more than just the source) and this causes your eyes to help "locate" the sound. If you have ever been at an overamplified performance the sound comes from the speakers because your eyes see the movement but your ears say it isn't coming from there and your brain is confused so the performance seems lousy. In listening at home, you don't have the visual stimulation and you are sitting in the direct sound field (unless you have a verrrry large room). The recording engineer must attempt to create the image with only aural stimulus and this inevitably means the recording is different than the live performance per se. It doesn't mean that it is good or bad though, I'll leave that to the critics. Personally, I am my own critic but this leaves me with no one to blame. -- John Riner UUCP: !fortune!dsd!riner AMPEX Corp Redwood City, CA. Nobody knows what I am talking about, so these must be my opinions and not theirs.