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Learning To Listen

I’m frequently astonished when I hear the description of a soundstage by someone who really knows what he’s talking about. The Stereophile crew, Steve Gutenberg, and countless others hear—or claim to hear— when one violinist’s chair is out of line from the others and when the percussion players were forced into the bathroom because the studio was full. Issues like where the mices were placed, who stood where, and where the coffee pot was located are child’s play for these guys. 


Is it “mices” or “mikes?”


This seems to be a skill, like juggling, which one could learn with a little knowledge and a little practice. Some of the super listeners have said as much. But search though I might, I can’t find the key to the kingdom, the door to the fortress, the . . . all right, I’ll stop beating that particular horse.


But if someone could point me to the Cat In The Hat, The Horton Hears Who, the McGillogoty’s Pond of the subject you would have my eternal gratitude.




paul6001

Showing 4 responses by bluemoodriver

bluemoodriver
193 posts
 
I did this course and it was fantastic. Really interesting, and the exercises are challenging.
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/critical-listening-for-studio-production

Really helps you spot the snake oil salesmen.  
bluemoodriver
193 posts
 
The OP asked for the key to the door of the fortress. Science and education is usually a good start.
Just to puff that Critical Listening for Studio Engineers course I posted, I too have listened intently to music for 40 years or so, but I  found the course invaluable. Not so much the theory - it was the listening tests. Each week we were sent sound files which explored the theory taught that week. (Eg here is a string quartet. Here they are again. What filter, set at what frequency, was applied in the second sample?). I thought it would be easy - maybe lots of us would. But it was really, really hard.   But with teaching and learning and then practice it became easier as the weeks went by. I would never have got those skills without that input.  It’s like playing tennis with your mates for hours and hours - you won’t get much better without a coach. 

If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.
bluemoodriver
193 posts
 
All the above - MC’s oddness especially - is why taking a course like the one I posted, designed and run by sound engineers in academia (where rigour and science and peer review matter) is such a good idea. 
bluemoodriver
193 posts
 
Dadork - great!  I hope you enjoy it when it comes around. As I say, you probably know much of the basic theory they take you through at the start, but bear with it. I skipped some of it. Then those listening materials and tests came along and I kept failing...  so I swallowed my pride, went back to lesson 1, paid attention this time, and eventually was able to get the tests right.  Good luck!
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