Simple Trick to Make Speakers Sound like a Live Performance PLUS a Sound-Stage Blizzard

The simple trick is to be realistic about what's actually happening. The "sounds like the musicians are really here playing" standard for listening to a recording is too high of a bar to set for something that was never meant to reach it.
That's not to say that your enjoyment of the recording can only be less than a live performance - not at all. I (for the most part) prefer listening to music in the comfort of my own home.
My point is that these two things only seem the same on the surface. They are both music, but presented in a completely different way, and as a result don't stand up to a direct comparison.
Like watching baseball on TV vs sitting in the stands at the stadium - same only on the surface. Or any other activity or event that can be experienced in radically different ways.

New music:
Exquisite Corpse - Warpaint
The Reminder - Feist
Another Eternity - Purity Ring

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[IBuildIt]

The simple trick is to be realistic about what's actually happening. The "sounds like the musicians are really here playing" standard for listening to a recording is too high of a bar to set for something that was never meant to reach it.
That's not to say that your enjoyment of the recording can only be less than a live performance - not at all. I (for the most part) prefer listening to music in the comfort of my own home.
My point is that these two things only seem the same on the surface. They are both music, but presented in a completely different way, and as a result don't stand up to a direct comparison.
Like watching baseball on TV vs sitting in the stands at the stadium - same only on the surface. Or any other activity or event that can be experienced in radically different ways.

New music:
Exquisite Corpse - Warpaint
The Reminder - Feist
Another Eternity - Purity Ring

[hubbsllc]

Several years ago a friend of mine ran a business that did home theater installations. I visited him at his office and we ran Emerson Lake and Powell's "The Score" in his demo room with theater-style seats and speakers behind wall screens. That was one of the best listening experiences I've ever had. Much of the credit goes to the recording, which was produced and engineered very much to sound like a real band in a real space and that setup in the demo room just brought it all out.

[johnconrad]

Completely agree with your take on live music vs recorded music John. Live music / sports / performance are about the atmosphere and shared experience - for sound quality I'll take the recorded (or at-home for sports etc) experience every time.

[mkshffr]

I agree about realistic expectations. I come at it from a little bit different angle as my primary focus is from a classical-folk-jazz kind of world.

For much of the late 20th to early 21st century pop music you are 100% correct. In such music there is no actual performance but a product built up of multiple layered tracks. In those situations live performances are often not as good as the studio recording.

For recordings of actual events my approach is to forget trying to replicate the performance but try to create a plausible one. This is easier for chamber music or small combos of course for which I have often experienced a very lifelike "in the room with me" vibe but with good recording techniques and especially with open baffle speaker playback a pretty good illusion of a plausible performance can be achieved.

[WOR]

As a producer for nearly 50 years as well as a loudspeaker designer, musican and audio engineer, firstly; the techniques musically while performing in the studio VS live on stage are different. When I play bass tracking in the studio, without electronic manipulation, I "play" with less dynamics than I would on stage for the same song. Among over dozens of other differences, this one alone would make the studio VS stage performances differ widely in comparison. Same with vocals. Fixed LDC mic VS handheld dynamic. It's deeper than this but relevant. I've been involved with well over 14, 000 songs in the various studios over the decades.

[davidbailey]

Your analogy of music and the photograph is some thing I never thought of. And it makes perfect sense. Thanks for the video.

[acreguy]

I agree with you 100%, John. A stage performance is completely different than a CD. The live stage has far more variables, the least of which is the ambient dB levels before the band even plays. With CDs, the recordings are edited to near perfection and listened to mainly in smaller rooms at home. The only similarity in the two media are the musical notes and song names.

[drc]

We can’t capture it, but getting those glimpses is what makes it magical.

[TheVictoire]

Very good explanation John! I really like your inexhaustible energy to grow in expertise and as a bonus share this all with us!

[paulhirst]

I did a quick search on those albums. Purity Ring is from Edmonton. Not my taste in vocals but I put their albums "on hold" and will pick them up from the library to check their other material out. I am looking forward to the track with the soundstage as I finally got my speakers set up to where they sound great again.

[TheKitchenTechnician]

I remember as a kid of twelve years old having a friends dad play Supertramps From Now On very loud in a very lively room and that was it for me. The voices and the music felt like it was being played RIGHT THERE! That was it for me. I’ve been a music and stereo equipment nut since then. Maybe I do come by it honestly. My dad at eighty six, has a collection of vinyl records that exceeds 37, 000.

[Rocinante_]

100% agreeable. No matter how good your 3D surround sound is, you not going to get the same experience of actually being there. It’s more then just sound. It’s the visual aspects and even the smell that adds to the real thing.

[johndough]

According to what Ive read... Acoustic Research used to take their AR-3a speakers around to various venues, and they also had a live band with them. They would have people try to guess which was playing... either the speakers, or the band. Supposedly, people could not distinguish between the two. How accurate this is, I couldnt tell you. However, for them to even TRY such a thing, shows a LOT of Confidence in their product...

Excellent Audiophile grade Speakers CAN in fact, make it sound very close to a live experience. The drivers have to be extremely low distortion, and the speakers have to be the kind that "Vanish" into the room. Meaning, if someone blindfolded you... walked you into the room, and spun you around a few times... then asked you to walk to where you thought the Speakers were.. you wouldnt be able to do it.

You also need a very high dynamic range recording... and sadly, most all recordings made after the 80s, have been highly compressed... which ruins the intended 3D sound Image.

Of course, since most speakers are Low Fidelity / High Distortion Garbage... The only other way to potentially simulate a Live band, would be to use several speakers, with each speaker dedicated to a single Instrument.

That said... you can potentially reduce distortion levels by some Bose level trickery. But using a lot more drivers... and splitting the workload up between them: Either by reducing each of their frequency ranges.. using a much more advanced crossover setup (each driver getting only a fraction of the normal frequency range). And or by rotating the sound source from one driver to the next, every Nth of a second (like the first Surround Sound amp method, that pumped sound to the rear speakers... every Nth of a second). Both of these methods greatly reduce the amount of work required of the drivers.. which vastly reduces distortion levels. And if the distortion levels are near non existent.. then you might be able to experience that Holographic level of 3D Imaging.

Of course, when a lot of people speak about Live sound... they are often referring to experience the sounds of the actual Audience, along with the band. Some of that can be achieved with a mere surround sound system, and potentially a little reverb / echo effect, added into the mix (to simulate a much wider open concert space.. instead of a smaller listening room).

Some Live recordings, have been recorded in Surround sound.. and is part of the DVD / Bluray experience.

But if there was no surround sound recording.. and you still wanted the Live Audience experience at home.. one could create an Application, that simulates crowd sounds (likely easiest, using recordings of people, and the system randomly assembles all of the various recorded sounds, randomly).. This would be best Ran on its own separate AMP and speakers (separate from the amp playing the music). In fact, the easiest way would probably be to use an existing audience recording from other Live Show Recordings... and duplicate it for other music.

All of this said, I personally prefer the original CD recordings. Live music almost always is disappointing, compared to the Flawless Studio Master works. And I definitely do not miss dripping buckets of sweat, due to being squished like a Sardine, standing between all of those other people.

[gordonhall]

I Agree. Your Honesty is refreshing.. Using your Photograph analogy, it would be fair to say, with a little colouration the picture can look better.

[OnePotMeals]

Good point. Nor do you know the acoustics of a performance venue.

I’ve been to amphitheater events and small clubs with good equipment and the performances were different

[jayhitek]

I still followed the example of the thumbnail and put a quarter on my speaker and you were right, it didn't work. but I did feel like I was listening in my basement. Which I was.

[baconsoda]

For years I have been listening to your 'Build-It' videos 'live' by letting an angle grinder run in a empty steel bin beside me... but that's beside the point. I enjoy your CD reviews because I can nip over to Spotty-phi and check the music out. As you mentioned, I have also discovered some wonderful music that's being used as backgtound or credit music in YouTube videos. I hate when someone asks me 'What's your favourite music?" Maybe some people stop looking when they leave school?
Best Wishes, B.

[fazoole]

live music is different from recorded music, gee what a revelation !!!!

[lohikarhu]

john! how dare you suggest "enjoyment" as the best result...what would happen to "the sound stage was expansive", "the clarity in the miss brought new resonance to the saxophone", or, you know, my ears are more golden than yours, or "the new cables lent a breathtaking ..."
"Enjoyment"?
you da man!

[martinlindberg]

You´re take on Hi-Fi is the best - learn by doing! I have a different way of seeing live performance in your home. First, there are a big difference in a live vs a studio recording. In a live rec you get sound from the actual acoustical environment. Studio dito is dry. You could have a live-ish experience in your room with a well recorded live recording if your setup is good enough. So, when somebody say it sounds live there are rigs that has better performance trying to do this. It comes down to be able to create REALISM, i.e phase correct and low distortion speakers placed out in the room, you sitting in a good spot (exactly between the speakers) in an acoustical treated environment. Sadly, most people doesn´t know what I am talking about...