Live (analog) vs Digital Home Audio

Last Friday we saw Nickel Creek at the State Theater in Portland Maine. We sat just to the left of the soundboard on the floor. The band played thru a PA system with two Line arrays on either side of the stage. It was a stellar performance by four insane musicians. If you do not know Nickel Creek you have to get all Five of their records starting at the beginning. If you do not like them you do not like music.

I analyze the sound at every concert. I close my eyes and pay attention to each instrument one at a time. These are fiddle, mandolin, Acoustic guitar and double upright bass. My Daughter plays the violin so, I know that instrument best but I am also very familiar with the others. There was a touch of sibilance behind the violin but I have heard a lot worse. Violins are not sibilant in person.  As usual the concert was in mono. You could hear each instrument clearly but the fine details were missing in action, things like picks hitting strings, upper bass notes, and rosin rubbing strings. When the instruments were plucked it was frequently hard to tell which instrument it was without visual cues. The low bass thundered. He loved to hit low E and your tummy vibrated correctly. The Theater (sold out) performed very well with minimal echo and Bass interference. Overall not terrible but not great. Still, to see these musicians play and do what they do is a fantastic experience and it has been a while since I have heard a crowd as appreciative.

All my Nickel Creek albums are in high res digital files. The recordings are first class with each instrument occupying it's own space and of correct size. Every little detail missing above is present in spades. There is no sibilance behind the violin or voices which are easy to separate. The interaction between the instruments is thrilling sort of like listening to a well performed string quartet. The bass is near perfect from top to bottom, each note clearly delineated. As an audio experience I think it is pretty clear that the HiFi is superior. Hopefully they will release a concert video. 

It is hard to replicate acoustic instruments in larger venues. Instruments that are naturally amplified like electric guitar are much easier. I saw Little feat in a very similar venue and the audio experience was fantastic. I remember seeing Return to Forever also in a similar venue and I was totally blown away. Their PA was stereo! Stanley Clark's basses were playing through a single twenty foot high stack of 15" woofer cabinets. My own system was not nearly as good at the time. Acoustic instruments sound better in small venues with little or no amplification. Unfortunately, bands like Nickel Creek ( if there is one) quickly outgrow small venues where they are bound to sound better. However seeing them do what they do is an extremely worthwhile experience.