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What exactly is colored sound?

I guess the definition would be a deviation from what what was originally intended but how do we really know what was originally intended anyway?  I mean solid state mostly sounds like solid state.  I guess that would be a coloration, push pull amps and set have their own colorations.  It seems we try to denote certain definitions to either promote or dis certain sounds I guess.  We could have a supposedly neutral amp but their just is not enough bass so we turn up the subwoofer or the bass, a coloration per se.  I guess one could say that colored sound would be a good thing.  after all, each instrument has its own sound (color).  A mullard, a telefunken, I mean who knows what tubes were in the recording studios at the time of the recording.  Syrupy, sweet, rich, NEUTRAL, forward, backward I mean really...  I guess its all about certain preferences for each person.  even in the studio.  who knows, maybe a recording may be meant to sound syrupy or sweet and then we try to make it as neutral as possible.  Maybe thats a coloration in itself.  I guess what I am asking is why do reviewers use the word colored in reviews anyway?
tzh21y
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,931 posts
 
In all the studios I’ve been recorded in, the engineers have mics they have come to prefer for specific applications. A lot of them like the Shure SM57, for instance---a PA vocal mic, for snare drum. The mic has a presence peak deliberately engineered into the mic’s frequency response, to make vocals coming through a PA more audible. Used as a recording mic, it adds the same presence region boost to snare drums, making them "pop" and "cut" in a mix better than does a mic with a flatter frequency response. Those engineers are not in the least concerned with capturing the inherent, true timbre of the drum, but rather to get a "good" snare sound, one that will suit the sound he is after in the entire mix.
I hear you loud and clear on that one- I've run into the same thing myself. With such recordings the idea of reproducing it in an uncolored way gets pretty weak...
inna
7,304 posts
 
Yeah. If you want to really enjoy your music played at home, never go to live concerts. Unamplified music. Amplified - that’s different.
Recording engineers have their own f...... ideas, we have ours.
In any event, as I advocated before, the reproduction system should try and correct the recording without making things worse. That’s not coloring the sound, it’s an effort to uncolor it.
inna
7,304 posts
 
The source should be able to extract as much as possible from the recording without interventions on its part, interventions, whatever they might be, should happen down the chain. Happen exactly where? We can discuss it. I would say probably mostly at the end of the chain, that's speakers/room . Playback head and cartridge amps appear to be exteremely important too.
tzh21y OP
1,654 posts
 
Interesting.  I think I read somewhere in the forums that solid state equipment is generally more "neutral" sounding.  I do not find it suprising that tubes sound more like the real thing.  I would definitely agree with that.
willemj
1,036 posts
 
Isn't the definition of neutral that it does not add to or subtract from the real thing?
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