Brits and Grammies and engineers

I know there's been threads on these galas within a couple of weeks but the search didn't find any of them.

Well, I just want to wonder and vent. I just watched both galas from HDD and couldn't help wondering how and why the recordings made in USA (occasions like Grammy and Oscar galas and the world wide concert projects like Live8) are so often several classes below the ones from other countries.

Like now...U2 and Coldplay performed the same songs..the recording from Birits gala could go almost straight to a published CD, but Grammy gala sounded like C-cassette.
in the beginning.The whole stage sound was like recorded with a few mics in the middle of the hall (well...I do exaggerate a little). It did get better towards the end.

A couple of years ago I watched every performance (of the international signal) of the Live8 concert. There were so many technically good or excellent ones from different parts of the world. The worst ones I remember came from Italy and USA.

And the music guests, even really famous ones, in talk shows are often recorded really poorly.

How come the art of live recording is in such a feeble state in the states as it looks from the outside?

It's no wonder UK is on the very top, because the heritage of BBC is so huge. Do remember, that in the sixties' UK the performers had to separately record every song for BBC broadcasts. The studio records were not played on the radio. Think of the amount of experience for generations of engineers. Also they had the "Whizzle test" live shows and everything. Not to ention the all time greatest music show "Later with Jools Holland". Some of the recordings in that show are better than on the expensively made live DVD's of the same performers.

I didn't mean those are recorded or broadcast by BBC, I mean that the way things were, there's an incredible amount of experience and ambition that is passed on.

but , more than probable the cd's were made before the live thing.. most of the bands on their also have their own sound crews also.

I don't know what you mean by this. I mean that the sound quality on Brit awards gala and Jools Holland show can be good enough for a commercial release as they are, and on Jools Holland the recordings are sometimes better than the artists' own DVD productions. In Grammy gala the acoustic numbers were OK, but none of the loud ones were good.

It's true that the times have changed, and you seldom hear 100% live stuff on shows like these, but some engineers have what it takes to make it sound better. I don't believe it's a matter of technical resources. The spectators can get fooled, I admit.

One of the major rock festivals in Finland is recorded for TV every year. It's mostly done on the fly with no multitrack editing afterwards, and I just can't stop wondering the excellent quality of the sound from speedmetal to acoustic numbers.

ORIGINAL: mike_mccue


They are mixing for mono, stereo, surround, as well as the reality that the speakers are every where but the correct place in most settings:

http://www.prosoundnews.com/article/20192

Then they send it out world wide via Satellite, Cable, traditional analog Broadcast, digital Broadcast and web streaming.

Who know what you actually heard on your HDD???

:-)

A good question. I can only compare the results from different countries without knowing what the engineers, stage crew and artists exactly have done to get the result. And comparing what I hear I can say that repeatedly (not always, Grammy gala 2006, for example, was great) the results from USA have left more place for improvement than the ones from, say, UK, Germany or Finland.

Of course I've heard poor recordings from lots of places, but something like the Grammy or Oscar gala lifts the expectations a bit higher than those for the Mud and Sausage Rock Festival.

Sincere question: Is there an equivalent to the Staples Center... a big nasty sounding multiplex arena in Brittan or Finland to stage as large an event as the Grammys?

size of the Grammys:

http://www.grammy.com/grammy_Awards/51st_show/list.aspx

fun things to do at the Staples Center:

http://www.staplescenter.com/wide.php?page=events

:-)

Somehow I imagine you having smaller, dedicated, musical venues.

best regards,
mike

all the gigs have moved to the other side of London now aggh! hehe

50 dates = needs money for lifestyle .. will he be any good, who knows. you'd hope so.

I didn't even know the real value of the tickets for it... (not the touts rip off price)
even if he doesn't.. the money is sitting in a bank.. getting nice interest... so a handy profit to be made if he does a refund..

he must have a few days off maybe? 50 nights is a bit too much..

heck he might do a cameo in east enders..Edward Woodward is in it at the moment.

is it jacko's last tour..hhhmmmm maybe until the money runs out..

Les it's not THAT much of a difference.. I mean it's to do with the scan lines / refresh rate.. (pal has more scan lines but is 50hz instead of 60hz) BUT that doesn't have that much of an impact now..as over here it's digital...

60 hz NTSC films / video games etc play fine here without conversion