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Speaker Asylum General speaker questions for audio and home theater. |
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Speaker Asylum General speaker questions for audio and home theater. |
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In Reply to: that brings up more questions??? posted by cloudwalker on August 14, 2014 at 17:13:04:
what started this was the statement "a live performance is better than a recorded one". I agree with this statement. But why? The same mics can be used. (although some may have "outdoor" & "indoor" mics.)
I think live recordings are very different than ones are created in a studio environment. And with live recordings, there are different ways they are recorded, so I don't think you can make sweeping statements about the validity or "accuracy" of live recordings in general. There are two mice recordings, two binaural, and then there are mixdowns from complex mixing arrangements of live performances, such as a rock band. You have instruments direct injected, some close mic'd and then a complex microphone set up just for the drum kit. Are all mic's in the same relative polarity? Are any digital mixers or DI (direct injection) boxes inverting? How is this "thing" being mixed? How much compression is used? Is it dynamic compression? There are so many factors which can make or break a live recording, with 1000 subjective factors in between that affect sound "quality" and sound "qualities". For me, simpler is better. I think a cello being played in proximity to a very *very* good microphone is going to be a recording with many merits. These kinds of recordings have the ability to be the most "accurate". But what if you tried to capture a rock band using this same microphone? It's not going to work.
The same speakers can be used (but not likely) I am aware that some live performances and most recorded performances use recorded music.
Sorry, you lost me here.
I remember the last outdoor concert I went to...my clothing was vibrating to the music and I was 100 feet away from the stage. I don't believe there are any indoor speakers that could do that.
There are some. Some speakers, especially high-efficiency and horn-type rigs can give you this "visceral impact" and dynamic range that other typical 2 and 3-way boxes can't. Also, some PA equipment like smaller 2 and 3-way front of house speakers can have "decent" fidelity but give you really intense impact. Sometimes larger studio monitors like ATC or PMC can give you very loud and powerful music. Depends on what you like. You can't get your "pant legs flapping" with a 6" 2-way design. Not happening.
It makes me wonder if some outdoor PA speakers are better?
They're better at producing high-spl with low distortion and excellent efficiency and have the requisite dispersion properties (if/when set up and configured properly) to give a reasonably uniform and quality listening experience to the majority of the "seats in the house". Often these speakers consist of smaller more manageable components that are built into arrays. Individually, these would probably not work well (if at all) in a home environment.
It also bring up the question... does being outdoors make speakers sound better?
A speaker sitting on the ground outside is said to be operating in half-space. A speaker hanging off of a crane 30 feet off the ground is about as close as you can get (practically) for measuring the direct radiating energy coming off a speaker with no influence from reflections. I don't like heights, so I would not want a 30 foot ladder to get up into my listening chair. Outside has merits, but for listening, you don't have the benefit that reflections and a contained space provide. A lot of the joyous imaging we audiophiles hold so dear has to do with arrival times and reverberations associated with reflections. If listening in an anechoic environment was as pleasurable as it is in theory, I think more audiophiles would do it. Most don't, because it takes up a lot of space. You either need to space of small gymnasium, or do it outdoors. I think you would need more power outdoors as well, and you'd also need a very calm day, a large field away from road-ways or industrial noise, and little or no vegetation for times when the slightest breeze would cause leaves to make noise.
The same speakers can be used (but not likely) I am aware that some live performances and most recorded performances use recorded music. I remember the last outdoor concert I went to...my clothing was vibrating to the music and I was 100 feet away from the stage. I don't believe there are any indoor speakers that could do that. It makes me wonder if some outdoor PA speakers are better? It also bring up the question... does being outdoors make speakers sound better?
That's my three cents.
Cheers,
Presto
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- RE: that brings up more questions??? - Presto 12:49:38 08/16/14 (0)
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