Farview
Well-known member
Look into a binaural head and some nice headphones.FALKEN said:
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FALKEN
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well that doesn't work so well in the car or over the radio though right?
D
danny.guitar
Guest
I have binaural mics that I use. When listening back on headphones it sounds just like what you heard.
When played back on speakers it loses that though, on most things. But it still sounds much more like the original than a normal mic setup, ie: 2 omni mics in a stereo configuration.
The HRTF (Head Related Transfer Functions?) is what really makes it sound binaural.
I got mine for a pretty decent price at: http://www.microphonemadness.com/
When played back on speakers it loses that though, on most things. But it still sounds much more like the original than a normal mic setup, ie: 2 omni mics in a stereo configuration.
The HRTF (Head Related Transfer Functions?) is what really makes it sound binaural.
I got mine for a pretty decent price at: http://www.microphonemadness.com/
Farview
Well-known member
In that case, your car stereo is the problem. The radio is a joke, you can't even get a CD to sound like the CD over the air anymore.FALKEN said:
D
danny.guitar
Guest
FALKEN said:
It can still sound very 3D even over speakers.
mshilarious
Banned
FALKEN said:
The binaural solution works, but you have to listen on headphones. Why? Because otherwise the interaction of the listening room (or car) enters the equation, and it is no longer possible to precisely recreate what you have heard.
However, there are still mics and techniques that lend themselves better to capturing reality than others. Very few people recording rock music want to hear reality though. Suspension of disbelief is much more popular
D
danny.guitar
Guest
Binaural recording is fun. If I could only find a dummy head to use. 
Instead of my own head. It'd make it a lot easier to record stuff.
If you can get the placement just right or have someone willing to stand there and wear the mics in their ears, you can record a 'live performance' pretty well. Won't sound nearly as good as using standard methods and mics, but if you're going for a 'realistic' live sound and you do it right then it will sound great.
Even on speakers it will still have the 3D sound but it might sound kind of thin/crappy. When you put on headphones though it's like really being there.
Instead of my own head. It'd make it a lot easier to record stuff.If you can get the placement just right or have someone willing to stand there and wear the mics in their ears, you can record a 'live performance' pretty well. Won't sound nearly as good as using standard methods and mics, but if you're going for a 'realistic' live sound and you do it right then it will sound great.
Even on speakers it will still have the 3D sound but it might sound kind of thin/crappy. When you put on headphones though it's like really being there.
Farview
Well-known member
Here's the thing, most of the time when people say they want it to sound real (like it did in the room when they were playing), they are really looking to capture the sound and the feeling they had when playing the part.
When a musician plays his instrument, what he hears is a combination of the sound in the room, the feel of the instrument and the headspace of the musician. The recording equipment only captures what the mic is feeding it, at best the sound of the instrument, not the feel or the mood of the musician.
Anyway, who wants there recordings to sound like a combo amp being played in their bedroom?
When a musician plays his instrument, what he hears is a combination of the sound in the room, the feel of the instrument and the headspace of the musician. The recording equipment only captures what the mic is feeding it, at best the sound of the instrument, not the feel or the mood of the musician.
Anyway, who wants there recordings to sound like a combo amp being played in their bedroom?
FALKEN
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Farview said:
exactly the point i was trying to make.
Farview
Well-known member
Now you lost me. I have no idea what your point is/was.FALKEN said:
FALKEN
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that music recordings are not measurements.
lbanks
Banned
I've a 3 ft. Tara Labs speaker cable I'll let go for a mere $400, plus shipping! 
Farview
Well-known member
It sounded like you were looking for a signal chain that would accuratley reproduce exactly what you hear. I didn't pick up on the sarcasm.FALKEN said:
At the risk of going around in circles: Music can't be measured, sound can. Music is abstract, it's up for interpretation. Sound is not, it's all physics.
What you think or feel about the sound is what determines if it is music (to you), the electrical impulses and sound waves are oblivious to that.
The sound and electrical impulses in your recording chain can be easily measured, the affect of the sound on your mood cannot.
It's two separate things.
Ethan Winer
Acoustics Expert
Agreed, but that's not the subject!FALKEN said:
Au contrare, the science of measuring audio equipment - and wire is a type of equipment - has been understood fully for nearly a century.
This is the real issue. Of course you're correct that there's no way to "measure" the sound of a Strat through a Marshall stack. But in this case the quality of a piece of wire, or any device that passes audio, is easy to measure and quantify.
--Ethan
FALKEN
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Ethan Winer said:
I agree, that the cable should be able to be measured. I was just saying that music today, with sample replacement, overdubs, pitch correction, "colored" preamps and compressors, is not a "measurement"..........
Farview
Well-known member
No, but you can certainly measure the differences between any two things. If two things sound different, you can certainly quantify why by doing some simple measurements.FALKEN said:
Even though, I'm pretty sure we are arguing two different points.
The original point about recording being measurment is correct.
A mic measures the fluctuations of air pressure at the capsule and turns that into an electrical representation of those fluctuations.
A DA converter measures the electrical fluctuations and turns it into a digital representation of those fluctuations.
A tape machine measures the electrical fluctuations and turns that into magnetic fluctuations.
Etc.........
How accurately any of this is done is a completely different issue.
Ethan Winer
Acoustics Expert
FALKEN said:
Right, and that's the whole point. Often the snake oil vendors claim their products are better than others, but the improvements cannot be measured. You can appreciate the improved sound only by listening. That's the BS part. It's also really arrogant. Related side story:
A few months ago I put together my Acoustics Fraud Report to highlight snake oil and other unethical vendors. One of the companies took exception to my portraying their Cathedral Panels as snake oil, and my claim that their "performance data" proves either incompetence or dishonesty.
As a result they are now sending me four of their panels to test. I told them my tests will prove my point even more, and I'll add it as further evidence to my Fraud Report. I guess they really are too stupid to know their panels don't work because they're sending them anyway, counting on my tests to exonerate them. Man, are they in for a rude surprise in a week or two!
--Ethan