How much “suspension of disbelief do you need?”


We (or most of us) believe that it’s very difficult if not impossible to hear an exact representation of the the sound of a live performance on a recording.
The question is how much do you have to delude yourself into thinking it’s the real thing your listening to, to satisfy yourself.
To some it has to to be as close as possible. But others can make allowances for defects in the sound in order to enjoy the presentation.

‘How much do you need?

 

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‘How much do you need?

As much as I can ferret out of my system.

All the best,
Nonoise

 

Movies are are sketchy example. Most writers lean away from real world in favor of sensational. Count me as one who don’t care.

I disagree. I think the parallels work.

Just like music tracks span the gamut of "acoustic sources recorded naturalistically" to "completely artificial, including electronic music," movies span the gamut of "fantastical" like the superhero movies to movies that seek "realism" (e.g.Cinéma vérité ).

 

And between those there is plenty of effort that go in to making a movie "believable."

 

If you have an average drama with a doctor in a hospital, for instance, in general the film makers will seek to mimic some semblance of the real world "would a doctor really say that?" "Does this really look like the inside of an operating room?" "What type of furniture, medical machinery would be present?" etc. I do that when selecting which sounds I'm going to put in to the scene.  All that is due to the way people will naturally be referencing what they know of reality. I work in Film and TV, and there is a hell of a lot of effort put in to scripts, acting, sets, sound design, etc to make things more believable.

 

I just finished doing the sound design for a series that took place in the old west. There’s a reason I didn’t put in the sound of jets flying past, or modern cars.

 

So people go to movies knowing it won’t be real life, but film makers understand that if they get certain things more accurate to real life on the screen - if that’s what they are seeking - it helps the believability the suspension of disbelief, for the audience.

 

As I said, same with audio. No need to approach it expecting reproduction indistinguishable from real, but many of us find that if certain aspects of how things really sound are there, it can be satisfying and give something of an illusion of hearing the real thing.

 

(I’ve played my system for numerous non-audiophile guests, and the most common comment is "wow, it sounds real. Like I’m hearing the musicians play right there in the studio.")

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Really depends on the venue. Some music venues have outstanding sound, others not so much.  Also depends on where your seats are.  I've been in the 3rd row and the sound is so-so.  Next night a few rows back and the stereo and definition of the instruments was much better.  I always have good sound at home, assuming the recording is a good one.

I find if you have "It" you will likely have problems with the less than perfect and bad recordings. Realism or transparency (or whatever you call it) can be a double edge sword.

Pick a play or show that is also a movie.  Go and watch both.  You can like one or the other or both, however they are not nearly the same.