The Britney Spears Live Experience

Posted by: Harris V on 10 January 2001

Last year I was lucky?! enough to attend Britney's mega concert at Wembley in London. Having been a good few years since attending a live concert (i'm getting old now) i was very keen to find out if the atmosphere would stir my loins again.

After getting over the initial shock of Britney not actually singing live and the fact that the volume had been turned down to protect small childrens ears (Anthrax was never like this) I was very disappointed with the sound.

I'm not going to describe the faults but I used to be a sound engineer for a band and I have also been to many other concerts and I know that it could have been done much better. It sounded like a CD being played through an Alba midi system

The point of this post is actually not to admit to my slightly strange obsession with Britney but to question whether we should be seeking the live sound at all. I suspect that some of my disappointment was due to my hi-fi critical listening over the past few years. I didn't like not being able to hear the words!! Could I ever hear the words at a rock concert? I'm not sure i ever could, and i know that with my band I often traded clarity for a bit of excitement in the mix.

Could it be that us rock Naimies (i'm not including live orchesteral music) are just looking for a system that does the same. Do we really just want the 'atmosphere' of a live concert (with musical flaws an' all) in return for something that takes us back to AC/DC at Monsters of Rock?

Of course there's nothing wrong with this....but we might have to conceed this point to our foes.

Posted on: 10 January 2001 by Jonathan Gorse

Harris,

My priority is to hear reproduction which is as close to the sound of a live (but not necessarily concert) sound eg if there's a bass guitar I want it to sound like a bass guitar being played in a studio through a 200W Marshall, if there's a piano I want it to sound like the piano sounded in the studio it was recorded in.

The only time I want the system to sound like a live PA is when playing a live LP/CD. I certainly don't want my studio recordings to sound like a live PA system.

Incidentally if you want to hear what's possible in the live environment I urge you to go and see Pink Floyd if (as a friend tells me is rumoured) they tour again this year. Their live sound is the greatest hi-fi system on earth!

In my experience Naim has a transparency and feeling of boundless headroom, dynamics and energy which no other amplification I have heard gets close to. It's for similar reasons that I am a fan of Michell turntables.

IMHO the most difficult thing for a hi-fi system to reproduce is the scale of live instruments - I haven't heard anything apart from Kef 109 Maidstones and Naim DBL's that can produce lifesize scale of sound. I'm increasingly coming to the view that big speakers are the answer to this and there is no alternative!

Hope this is helpful,

Jonathan

Posted on: 10 January 2001 by Phil Sparks

Harris

I agree that the sound quality at recent (well in the last 5 years) gigs I've been too seems pretty dreadful and your post made me wonder whether it's actually got worse. 2 possibilities:

i) it actually is worse - I think the most likely cause is the venues. When-I-were-a-lad I headed off to 'traditional' theatre venues e.g. U2 Boy gig at the Liverpool Empire - this is a well damped venue with lots of lumps and bumps to break up the sound. The most recent gig I went to was at the Wembley arena and the sound was appalling, hard, echoey, unintelligable - no suprise as it's like listening to your Hi-Fi in a biscuit tin.

ii) the sound is actually no worse it's just that I'm turning into a grumpy old fart, less likely to turn up to a gig smashed, less likely to sing/scream along to the words and with the radio showing a distinct liking for the Radio 2 end of the scale!!

Phil

Posted on: 10 January 2001 by Nigel Cavendish

On a recording I want to hear the music and the words clearly - sadly even some studio produced stuff cannot deliver that.

From a recording of a live concert I expect a better sound than I would get if in the audience.

I like live gigs but I would not want my CDs to sound like most of them.

cheers

Nigel

Posted on: 10 January 2001 by Andy S

Gigs "do" sound in a totally different way to a hi-fi system.

Some of the best sounding gigs I've been to have been quite recent ones (Gomez comes to mind) but I think the auditorium and WHERE you are have the biggest impact. For most rock music, if you want the best sound stand right by the mixing desk. After all, the guy is mixing the sound for that point (the analogy is where you sit for your hi-fi). If you want maximum excitement, get into the front few rows and have a good mosh (ironically, this is also a reasonable place for sound as you get mostly the instrument amps and foldback system and not the PA sound).

As to what I want from my system - it depends on the mood I'm in. Sometimes I just want to put some Slayer on and sit and relax (yes, it does soothe me :-), other times I'm up for a good bop in the room. Whatever mood I'm in, invariably I want it loud and clear. I tend to agree with Jonathon here - you need BIG speakers to do this combination with any authority and sense of scale. I also want subtlety and as much realism as I can get. Fortunately, where I am with my system gives me that nice balance (I hardly ever listen to the hi-fi now, just the music).

For Phil: you need to do ii) a little bit more - you aren't too old ;-)

Andy (I'll have had a few beers and be down the front at the Fun Lovin Criminals in March...

Posted on: 10 January 2001 by Andy S

When did you see AC/DC at MOR?

Andy

Posted on: 10 January 2001 by Harris V

Sorry if I mislead you - I was just combining a wicked band at a stomping gig. I've only been to one MOR - that was over 10 years ago at Donnington.

I've always liked US rock and Naim is the perfect way to hear it at home. However, I bought my system because it sounded most like a real band. I have admired many non Naim systems for other reasons (deep bass, sweetness, soundstage) and IMHO there is no system that can do it all (yet!). I am suggesting that Naimies like the live sound more as opposed to a technically good hi-fi sound.

Posted on: 10 January 2001 by Andy S

quote:
Sorry if I mislead you - I was just combining a wicked band at a stomping gig. I've only been to one MOR - that was over 10 years ago at Donnington.

No, I saw them in 81 (20 years ago ) at Donnington. Was too far back to really enjoy it It was the one and only open air gig I've ever been to. Now I'm much more at home in row 2 (the barriers hurt in row 1 so I let others take the strain

I thought the best bit of the day was seeing Slade do all their greatest hits...

Sweet memories of when I was 17... ahhh...

quote:
I thought AC/DC was Australian

Technically they are British... The "classic" lineup had 3 Scots (Angus/Malcolm Young & Bon Scott) one English (Cliff Williams) and only one Aussie (Phil Rudd). Even when Brian Johnson sadly replaced Bon, it was still 4 Brits and an Aussie

Andy

Posted on: 11 January 2001 by Steve Catterall

quote:
Technically they are British

What - you mean they're not aboriginies