2. music
  3. 1375317476

LOUSY SOUND AT LIVE CONCERTS

I went to a concert at Bank America Pavillion in Boston last night. I saw Tedeschi and Trucks, and The Black Crows. A terrific concert; The Tedeschi and Trucks Band was especially terrific.

Unfortunately, these bands sound better in my living room than at this beautiful, outdoor venue.

Many venues have extremely poor acoustics and/or poor sound systems. The music is often terribly distorted, details and nuances of the instrumentals and voices are lost. The sound presents as a congealed distorted mess. The art of these incredibly talented musicians cannot be fully appreciated without clear sound. Listening to music in these crappy venues is like looking at masterpiece paintings in dimly lit museums with dirty glasses. The colors, details and brush strokes are indistinct. The artistic genius cannot be fully appreciated. The Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA., Fenway Park and The Boston Garden are just as bad as The Bank Of America Pavillion, if not worse.

I am frustrated with these venues that cannot provide great sound to accompany the great music. What is the sense of attending live concerts if the sound quality sucks. Does anyone else share my frustration?
matjet
czarivey
5,750 posts
 
If I shared all of your frustrations, I'd never be in any live concert.
eldonparet's avatar
eldonparet
26 posts
 
Normally natural sound inside a performance hall is the way to enjoy live music at its best. This is usually the case with classical music although chamber concerts with even small bands of any genre and no amplification are awesome too.
The problem with most outdoor venues is the amplification. It can change everything.
I agree with your frustration. Done properly outdoor concerts can be enjoyable if the sound system is "invisible" meaning it just adds volume and nothing else. Very hard to do.
Go to venues that have natural sound performances. Your city symphony orchestra being the top choice usually.
More options available at local colleges, churches, museums, etc.
Like I said you find mostly classical music but also some great jazz, vocals and pop from less known bands will allow you to enjoy music heaven.
Then come to your home system for a close to live natural sound experience and keep working on your equipment to make it as enjoyable as you can.

Luis D. Paret
Keller, TX
robsker
132 posts
 
I often marvel at how audiophiles lament that "no stereo reproduction can match a live performance in terms of sonics." Not true. At all. The vast majority of venues for live music have terrible acoustics. Most live events have a sound quality well, well below the sound quality of a fine controlled reproduction on a home audio system of distinction. It is true that a live acoustic performance of a jazz trio or other small group (for example) in a close seat where the venue is designed for excellent sound will present sonics that are tough to rival on a stereo system... perhaps impossible to match. But most live concerts --- especially of rock/pop/blues etc. --- have sonic quality that is easily below that of a good studio recording played on a good stereo. Now the energy of the overall event --- that is something different --- but good stereos using good studio recordings often sound better than most live (especially amplified)concerts.
rockadanny
1,222 posts
 
Agree OP. I normally only go to smaller venues any more for this reason. Otherwise, really is a waste of time. Even most medium-sized venues sound like crap. Combination of poor acoustics and deaf people running the sound boards. Very frustrating. Argh!
lenny_zwik
259 posts
 
I saw the Tedeschi-Trucks band last year on their Revelator tour at the Moody Theatre where Austin City Limits is also taped. This venue is arguably one of the finest in the country and I can attest, having attended numerous concerts there that the sound can, and usually is, excellent to outstanding. That said, the sound for the TT Band was the loudest, most distorted, garbled, painful live concert experience I've ever had. I almost walked out 10 minutes in. There were 11 musicians on that stage including 3 backup singers and a 3 piece horn section, although you couldn't hear any of it. The point is, that it may be either the house engineer (doubtful in this case) or the band's engineer (most likely in this case) that can also have a significant impact on the sound at a live concert regardless of the hall or the house PA.
More to discover