If you can't hear this then you're not an audiophile [See description for link to followup video]

DAVID MELLOR'S MUSIC
Available on all good streaming services

CREDITS
Woodland video - Matthias Groeneveld

EQUIPMENT USED TO MAKE AUDIO MASTERCLASS VIDEOS

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[Pete]

I am not an audiophile, just a music enthusiast. I didn't hear anything wrong and just enjoyed the music.

[vwrjeep]

I once heard it described this way:
Normal ppl use audio equipment to listen to music. The audiophile uses music to listen to audio equipment.

[KingOthius]

As a solo clarinetist, I heard the panning and thought it was quite a good representation of how one bobs and bounces from left to right and animates themselves as they play. That's definitely not a "problem in the recording" at all, and I'm not sure why it would ever be perceived as such. What bothered me on my studio headphones is that the microphone had a touch too much gain, and very often the recording of the clarinet was clipping pretty bad.

[YouveYeedYourLastHaw]

Not liking audiophiles while acting exactly like the annoying ones and not realizing it is crazy

[robinbreugelmans]

Hi! i was the assistant engineer on this recording. Not all of the mics were used, the orchestra for example is purely our A/B and ORTF main mics combined with the room mics and some spots for the woodwinds and Double basses. For Roeland we used only the stereo mics but not hard-panned, more something like 20%. Personally i like the slight movement. Oh and to comment about the Bricasti, it didn't do all that much, just enhances the natural acoustics of the hall. Lastly, the speakers are Dynaudio BM6a's, OK speakers for on the move and to give a general impression. Our main monitoring is usually a Grace M900 paired with some headphones we know well. The speakers are just there in case a lot of people want to come and listen and to make the recording session less of a headphone-only session. The room we were in (one of the changing rooms) was certainly not ideal for speaker-based monitoring. Thank you for the interesting video and feel free to ask me any questions regarding the recording, i'll do my best to answer!

[ajrockets]

I'm not an audiophile, and I did hear the variation you pointed out but, I would never have thought it to be "something wrong."

[steveharlos]

I consider myself an audiophile, but I do not have expensive interconnects, or even expensive speakers for that matter. I listened to this on a pair of Tannoy Reveals using a Music Hall DAC25.2 into an NAD 7020. The movement of the clarinet within the sound stage enhances the realism of the recording IMHO. I didn't hear a problem, only a wonderful live performance, which is the goal of most recordings.

[brainfreeze]

I did have a chuckle being encouraged to listen to high quality audio streaming from YT to "okay quality" computer speakers. However, wWhat I must say is how clear your voice is in the audio . . . top 1% for Youtubers. You obviously practice what your preach. Well done and thanks.

[captainzeppos]

- How can you tell someone is an audiophile?
- He'll tell you himself.

[shanedk]

Classically-trained musician here. I heard it, but didn't realize that's what you were talking about. IMO, not only is there nothing wrong with it, but that's the best way to capture this performance: get all of the individual idiosyncrasies that the musician brings to it. That's what makes it a performance, not just the sterile perfection of running sheet music through MIDI. What that recordist captured is unique in the universe. Even with the same orchestra and solost, there will never, ever be another performance just like it.

[olivierlabrosse]

To me, being an audiophile doesn't mean I can hear details others can't. It just means the sound quality is as important to me as the music itself. Case in point, every time I've upgraded my headphones I've grown more and more "addicted" to listening to music that would (personally) sound better and better. For a year now I've been using Focal headphones, and rarely is there a day I'm not using them, quite possibly an average of 4 to 6 hours per day. I'm even enjoying songs that I clearly wouldn't have enjoyed nearly as much if it weren't for the sound quality that still amazes me a year later. I have friends who tried them on and couldn't have cared less despite agreeing with the fact that the music sounded "great"; they are not audiophiles. And then I have one colleague that is truly interested in trying my headphones, and truly appreciates the improvements they bring to the experience; what is that if not an audiophile?

[ravebourg]

What's that weird clicking in the audio clip? It's low in volume and squashed by other frequencies but the attack should be clearly noticeable

[Dr-Curious]

As a producer who has worked for majors, "Audiophile" beliefs and their gear are one of the top comedy topics we engage in.

[plastbestikk]

This «problem» you described, is what makes the recording unique and give it life i think. Perfection is sometimes rigid and boring.

[deusexaethera]

I heard the solo clarinet wandering in the stereo image? How was I supposed to know that wasn't a compositional decision by the recording engineer? That's not the sort of thing any kind of playback equipment could "fix".

[deusexaethera]

It's certainly possible that a lot of audiophile upgrades could have a noticeable improvement in sound quality, but the question must be asked: What the hell is wrong with the rest of their house that replacing a cable or moving it away from the walls and the floor makes such a difference? Do they have the worst-grounded electrical wires ever seen in a house that hasn't burned down yet? Do they have a severely worn-out transformer providing power to their house? Do they have a major appliance with a severely worn-out motor that's backfeeding tons of static into their house's electrical wiring? Does their circuit breaker box have a major ground fault? I know my speakers started sounding better when I replaced all the outlets and switches in my house with new ones that had the wires properly screwed into place instead of stuffed into little holes in the back, but then, everything else in my house also started working better because of that.

[zaneedmonds]

I loved the stereo wandering of the clarinet. It adds a new dynamic that really pulls the melody out of the rest of the harmony without being "in your face" about it. Subtle and beautiful. By not recognising what was going on, it doesn't mean you didn't experience and appreciate it - the beauty of this piece lies in the subtlety of the effect. Great stuff.

[LilyBlossom]

I actually love the panning, cause I could feel him dancing with the melody right in my ears. Definitely a taste difference!

[escheidl]

Perfection is the perfect portrayal of reality. Therefore the recording is "perfect." No adjustments are necessary.

[VBC_Records]

i love that this exists, i was just trying to explain that when you spend enough time mixing music or frankensteining together surround sounds, you ruin your ears and regular listening, i actually hear three issues, phasing, some sort of clicking possibly of the instrument or chair of the musician, and some mic clipping