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How architecture helped music evolve - Ted talk

Happy new year everyone!

I have recently watch the TED talk entitled How architecture helped music evolve. (Click on the underlined text above to watch it.)

Beside providing a nice and interesting view on the development and characteristics of various music styles, David Byrne also conveys in his talk two important points that while very relevant are often neglected by audiophiles:

1) Different types of music require different reverberation times. That is, the ideal amount of reflections (or absorption) in a room depends on the type of music played in the respective room.

David Byrne provides a very simple and intuitive illustration of this fact by showing pictures of venues in which different types of music are played. I find this most effective. Almost anyone (i.e. not just audio aficionados) will have a decent idea on how those room sound by simply looking at those pictures, plus, very many people will naturally associate the respective room with a specific type of music/sound.

Clearly this is the reason why no speaker-room combo can reproduce realistically any type of music.

2) Recorded music and live music can be two very different things.

Many audiophile argue that their reference is live music. However, as explained by David Byrne, live music may not always be the best reference. It all depends on the type of music one listens.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this subject.

Paul
nvp
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,179 posts
 
Live music is the best and only truly relevant reference, but one has to take acoustics associated with the "architecture" of the venue into account and realize that each venue, including ones room at home is unique and hence not all kinds of music can be reproduced accurately in any single venue.

So I agree with that realistic limitation but also realize that all music playback is always a simulation, some better than others and it all has to fit into your room at home one way or another. If done right though, the end result in terms of listening pleasure can be equally as rewarding and in some cases even better.
unsound
7,329 posts
 
Perhaps in the near future an engineer would be able to flag a recording in such a manner that could provide venue eq instructions to a previously DSP neutralized eq'd room to adjust DSP accordingly?
last_lemming
638 posts
 
I am an architect and I'm generally familiar with the concepts in the lecture. However I gave up on "trying to reproduce the live event" with my stereo equipment in my house.

I determined years ago that my wallet would not allow the equipment or the dedicated sound room I could design but never afford.

I have taken the tack that the recoded event I'm listening to is the event in and unto itself. I found that taking that mindset with recorded music allows me to enjoy my audio event without allways comparing and loosing to my minds perfect image of what it should sound like.
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