Joined
·
7,779 Posts
Just thinking out loud...
If:
In stereo music, we're always talking about speaker "imaging" and "soundstage", which is the audial illusion of various instruments coming from distinct places in space from only two speakers,
And:
In home theater we're always talking about placing multiple speakers in specific places to create "surround sound", including a center speaker so we don't have to rely on L/R imaging,
And:
5.1 surround music does exist in limited quantity, but only gets us part way toward recreating a music performance,
Then:
Wouldn't the ideal arrangement be to have a speaker for each performer, placed according to their actual location on the stage in front of you? Surrounds can play audience/background noise if desired, via a toggle.
Of course, there will always be compromises. You can't feasibly place a speaker for each member of an orchestra in your living room. But for say a conventional rock band, you could recreate a 4 or 5 member band. Singer up front, guitar and bass to the sides, drummer in the rear. Maybe a keyboardist or other instrument, too.
It seems to me that the home theater industry recognized this and evolved, but the music industry never did. Sure, they toyed with things like surround DVD-A but it remains a niche idea.
Of course, the mixing would have to be done specifically for this. And how much would we gain for our efforts? One major stumbling block - you can't do this for mp3 players or iPod docks in the bed/bathroom. This is main system only stuff, and very niche stuff at that. But it's interesting for an audio nerd to think about.
If:
In stereo music, we're always talking about speaker "imaging" and "soundstage", which is the audial illusion of various instruments coming from distinct places in space from only two speakers,
And:
In home theater we're always talking about placing multiple speakers in specific places to create "surround sound", including a center speaker so we don't have to rely on L/R imaging,
And:
5.1 surround music does exist in limited quantity, but only gets us part way toward recreating a music performance,
Then:
Wouldn't the ideal arrangement be to have a speaker for each performer, placed according to their actual location on the stage in front of you? Surrounds can play audience/background noise if desired, via a toggle.
Of course, there will always be compromises. You can't feasibly place a speaker for each member of an orchestra in your living room. But for say a conventional rock band, you could recreate a 4 or 5 member band. Singer up front, guitar and bass to the sides, drummer in the rear. Maybe a keyboardist or other instrument, too.
It seems to me that the home theater industry recognized this and evolved, but the music industry never did. Sure, they toyed with things like surround DVD-A but it remains a niche idea.
Of course, the mixing would have to be done specifically for this. And how much would we gain for our efforts? One major stumbling block - you can't do this for mp3 players or iPod docks in the bed/bathroom. This is main system only stuff, and very niche stuff at that. But it's interesting for an audio nerd to think about.