Wild anecdote on variables in a listening room / studio (from Darko)

I wish my ears were this good! It's a wonder so many recordings sound as good as they do (and why many don't).

“Everything matters.” So spoke multiple Grammy-Award winning recording engineer Leslie Ann Jones, in between sessions at Skywalker Sound. While working on the Cypress String Quartet’s final recording, things just weren’t sounding the same as they had the day prior, and it was a mystery as to why. The players and equipment were identical. Skywalker’s adjustable acoustic system – where the room itself can be tuned for more or less reverb – hadn’t been touched. The players themselves were in the same exact positions, as precisely marked with tape on the floor. Still, something was off.

Eventually, a surprising discovery was made. The chairs used by the performers had been swapped out that night, for whatever reason, and replaced with identical models from the same batch. One chair was discovered to have a different angle to it – likely being bent due to regular use – which changed the posture of that particular performer, and thus the relationship of their instrument relative to that of other players. We’re talking mere inches here, at most. And that’s all it took. The matched pair of Neumann M149 microphones used for this recording were able to clearly pick up on the tonal impact of this seemingly minor change, and the skilled ears behind the console noticed it right away. The offending chair was disposed of, recording continued, and the breathtaking result is free from any incongruity – a suitable exclamation point at the end of a long musical career for the Cypress String Quartet.

Everything matters. It’s a concept also applicable to the reproduction of music. And used wisely – no magic rocks or clocks need apply – I think it makes a whole lot of sense.