When I listen to my system.......
As I have stated many times, I listen to the musicianship and the composition. As I listen to SRV, just as an example, there are three musicians working together to create a "performance". How is it that anyone can put tone, sound staging, or anything else with the "sound" before the performance. There is much information on our recordings, and generally, many of these recordings are just so so with the fidelity. In fact, why do many listeners only listen to top notch recordings of higher fidelity, of the "sound", rather than appreciate those qualities I look and listen for. Is it because I was a singer / vocalist in my youth? Is it because I was around musicians who shared the joy of "music"? Is it because at a very early age, I was introduced to big band music and eclectic performances by so many, via my dad (he would have been 100 today; happy birthday dad). Yes, I consider myself an audiophile, because I spend money on gear and am careful with my dedicated room....my system allows me to hear more of the performance. But, it is the "music", the "performance", that matters most to me. I suppose I am feeling a bit nostalgic today, because of my pops. I am bringing this up again, because I do not understand the mentality of folks who listen differently than I. I know this subject might be ad nauseum to many, but some of the folks I used to design systems for, became less interested in the music, and more about the sound, placing the music and performance secondary, or not at all. I am just venting. If you would like to add to this post, I welcome all thoughts. No judgement from me. I wish everyone well. Enjoy! MrD.
@ jastralfu My statement clarifies that recordings are sonic derivatives of music, and NOT music. The key is that recordings are influenced by the recording/playback process. Real (i.e. live) music does not suffer from these issues. Consequently, ALL of us care about the efficacy of our systems, not just the "musicianship and the composition" that the OP favors. I was not not implying that recordings are unemotional, those are your thoughts alone... |
@immatthewj ....! A food means of describing 'the audio experience'......
...comparisons with various menu marvels....(*sigh* ....I know, I know.... Happens every issue these days. "This prototype preamp functioned like a stale tuna sandwich....." ;) @inagroove ...Precisely, much like when film was a series of single images with the sound track added. One's mind accepted these as smooth moving imagery. Cut to Now: In our shared reality, the digital means to 'do' most anything is basically Here. AV is just one block in a very big and growing; one could conceive of an environment that could simulate an actual situation down to the smell of the space and what it felt like to be 'there'.... ....comes down to the same old question... "What's that worth to you?" *S* ;)
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@inagroove there is no requirement on the definition of music that it applies only to live music. It’s music whether it’s live or recorded. I do agree that there are differences between the two. Among them being that the sound of recorded music, that a loudspeaker creates, is a facsimile of the sound created by the actual instrument and is subject to both of the influences you mention and certainly more. |
Agreed "music" does not have to be live to be music. But even a live performance performed though any sort of public address system is subject to many of the same "flaws" as a recorded track. What of the music that is performed simultaneously with background recordings? Is that "live?" What of a performer who "loops" a sound byte? How about the guitar player using an Echoplex where the echo is created through the use of a tape loop? |
@ toddalin Your comments are missing the point. Once music is recorded/reproduced you leave the world of music and enter the world of music reproduction, which is why we gather in this forum to discuss gear, not performers/performances (unless it is to clarify a point regarding gear).
If you are still scratching your head, perhaps an explicit analogy will help - Claiming a recording IS real music is analogous to saying a photograph of my dog IS my dog (without the fur :-). Really not the same thing at all. Once this is concept is clear, 'music vs gear' comments (which started this thread) in this forum are inappropriate. There are more appropriate forums in which to discuss music. And yes, Loops are processed, not live music. I thought that was obvious. No further comments needed.
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