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General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories.

"the only way to know if a recoding is “accurate” is to be present when it is recorded." ----No, alas.

A common misconception. Even if one was present at a recording session, one is not listening at the microphone position, nor does one hear in the same way microphones do, nor do microphones have a brain to sort out direct vs. reflected, nor are we likely to hear the same kind of imaging produced by what? A coincident pair, a near-coincident pair, ORTF, two spaced omnis, three spaced omnis, spaced omnis with outrigger cardiods, multiple coincident pairs, multiple near-coincident pairs, all of the above with a few spot mics, close multimiking?

We cannot get to the event itself in a recording; we can only get to a version of the event. That's why, despite the fact that hearing real instruments in real spaces often is a useful thing, the concept of the "absolute sound" is mere flummery.

Even if we carefully replicated the recording engineer's monitoring setup, we cannot even get to the sound he heard while recording it: different room, different RFI/EMI environment, different level of AC grunge. Meanwhile, monitoring setups are chosen for reasons other than pleasing, or even accurate, sound.

No, after all this time on both sides of the microphone, I've come to the conclusion that the best we can do is strive for accuracy to the recording. The more accurate our systems are to the recordings we play, the greater the likelihood we will extract the maximum information from them, which in turn means the greater the likelihood we will increase our listening enjoyment, and perhaps even suspend disbelief once in a while.

Now, if folks want euphony from their systems--having every recording "sound good"--that doesn't bother me a bit, whatever floats your boat. But any coloration or other audio-type artifact will overlay itself on all recordings, and some will benefit while others won't.

If, say, someone wants "rich-sounding lows and mids" then he will have them, but he will be missing out. Threadbare recordings will sound about right, and he will make the bad recording sound good. But an accurate recording will sound a bit plummy, and an overly-rich recording will sound bloated and slow.

See the problem? Insert any audiophile concern into the above equation and you get the same results.

To an extent this means we have to put up with less than stellar sound from lousy recordings, but it's been my experience that the better the gear (particularly the front end) the less objectionable these recordings become. And since we buy the music rather than the recordings, we are stuck with what we have.

Luckily, audio gives us choices and folks will choose what pleases them.


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