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Placing Instrument Separation of Large Ensembles in Recordings

I have noticed that my stereo presents solo piano recordings with more realism and impact than any others. And that’s great but I can’t just listen to piano all of the time. I will say that I have mostly zero objections to other chamber music ensemble recordings, regardless of their instrumentation. But when it comes to orchestral recordings, it seems to be all over the place. Some recordings sound like the orchestra has been divided into blocks and fitted together. So that might entail a block consisting of double basses, tympani and bassoons fitted with a block consisting of cellos, French horns and percussion, etc… In this scenario, it’s hard to differentiate instrument separation within those blocks. Some recordings sound like sections of the orchestra are divided from the center and then segmented outwards. Other recordings sound as though microphone placement is done according to their respective sections, first violins, second violins, violas, cellos, double basses, etc… And to me, this makes the most sense however it’s still sometimes difficult to make out what’s what. So is it my equipment, or is it the quality of the microphones and their placement? I will say that I find some orchestral recordings to be very good in this regard, i.e. mostly 128 cycle DSD downloads. While others make me think of sitting on the DC Beltway during rush hour. (No I don’t live in the District of Columbia). To a large degree, my thought is that this is normal and that different recording techniques will render different results. It’s simple to realize that newer recordings will have a technical advantage over older recordings. Though I have heard early stereo recordings (i.e. RCA Living Stereo) that were remastered and they sounded remarkable. Anyway, I’d appreciate input from others on this matter. Thanks!

128x128goofyfoot
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
5,130 posts
 

@goofyfoot you’re posing a question in your post 

So is it my equipment, or is it the quality of the microphones and their placement?

As you haven’t listed your components, without knowing your system it’s difficult to answer this question.

I haven’t run into the issues you’re describing in my system. One thing worth mentioning is that when you’re listening to a symphony orchestra live you don’t exactly experience tremendous instrument separation. You won’t hear every violin and cello in the string section as separate entities. It’s possible you’re used to the sound of your system so much that you started analyzing the sounds instead of listening to music and you’re nitpicking. One other thing that can play a part in how the recordings are presented is your room acoustics. And yes the recording quality is equally important. 
Any albums you can list as an example? Also, are you using the Manic Moose or Roon? What streaming services are you using?

goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,380 posts
 

@audphile1 Most of my files are from an SSD, local rather than streaming. I prefer Manic Moose to Roon where sound is concerned. Actually my point of comparison comes from live venues. Hearing music in a good sounding concert hall. This is where I can zone in to hear each instrument or take in everything as a whole.

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
5,130 posts
 

@goofyfoot sounds like you have all your bases covered!

onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,229 posts
 

You have a well setup, high quality system and you are a discerning listener.  What you are hearing is the effect of different microphone recording techniques. 

For a number of legitimate reasons the engineers/producers may utilize 2 microphones, 3 microphones, 5 microphones, 11 microphones or even 20+ microphones when recording.  There's also a mixing stage in the process where the sound can be modified and even reverb is sometimes added.  Do an internet search on orchestral recording techniques and also give some thought to the logistics involved with recording a full orchestra.

rick_n's avatar
rick_n
215 posts
 

The recordings and mixing are all different and thus will always deliver a different presentation.  This can even be heard on the same record.  Keep in mind that a small trio is relatively easy to mix vs. a full orchestra with so many more things making sound in a relatively small space.  Also, the soundstage for a full orchestra is much larger than your listening space which must "shrink" the stage to fit in your room.  Looking forward to hear what others have to say.  Cheers

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