[wywires]

The difference in the live vs playback was that Napua was singing into the recording mic so what we heard during the live part was her un-amplified voice which was soft relative to the sax, piano, etc. The playback was of course different since her voice was level matched to the other musicians, if that makes sense.

[Housteau]

The difference in the live vs playback was that Napua was singing into the recording mic so what we heard during the live part was her un-amplified voice which was soft relative to the sax, piano, etc. The playback was of course different since her voice was level matched to the other musicians, if that makes sense.

Yes it does.  The playback was with this correction.  The mix was done on the fly as opposed to a post production.  In the past we were doing purest recording techniques.  So, we needed to place the musicians and vocalist in relationships with each other to create that balance.

Was Napua facing the audience, or was she sitting sideways with the piano? 

[wywires]

Yes, the mix was done on the fly with Napua's inputs and she was at the piano facing the side of the room 70 deg. off axis to the audience. Levels of piano, sax, percussion, bass and audience noise were very close, however. We had to do several repositioning exercises to get it close since the first several takes the bass was too boomy and the sax and guitar too distant. The other issue was that the guitar amp was turned down and miked close so that it was soft in the live and louder in the playback, as it should be.

[mjosef]

If Napua had requested a certain volume for playback, then this really wasn't a true live vs recorded event and it should have sounded somewhat different.

Totally agree. It certainly sounded very different.
I thought the piano, voice and some of the guitar cords were a little too prominent in the playback.
I commented to John that on playback the "presence peak" of the mid panels sounded like it was very present (not padded).
The next morning (sunday) I stopped by to hear cd playback on the system...and to be honest, I was somewhat underwhelmed, maybe my expectations were too high   
Something was off in the overall balance of the sound...just can't pin point what was missing, and I didn't spend enough time in the room to zero in on what that factor was...suffice it to say I heard a more balanced (IMHO) sound presentations in other rooms.



But it was a hoot to see Brian enjoying himself like a kid with that big cymbal 



Dave, you were missed this year. 

[StylinLP]

My buddy and I went to THE Show and CES for two days. The only thing I can really comment on is that the audio portion of CES was 10x larger than THE Show. Thought that was kinda odd and a little upset there most the high end manufacturers had rooms at CES and not THe SHOW.
Some that did have rooms at both conventions did split the gear into ultra high-end for CES and afforrdable audio for THE Show.

[jhm731]

TAS Coverage:
http://www.avguide.com/blog/loudspeakers-25k-and-above-ces-2011
http://www.avguide.com/blog/steven-stones-best-ces-2011
http://www.avguide.com/blog/most-significant-product-introduction-ces

Sashas with D’Agostino:


New Wilson Mezzo- low profile Sasha:




$667K Lamm/Wilson system:

[wywires]

My buddy and I went to THE Show and CES for two days. The only thing I can really comment on is that the audio portion of CES was 10x larger than THE Show. Thought that was kinda odd and a little upset there most the high end manufacturers had rooms at CES and not THe SHOW.
Some that did have rooms at both conventions did split the gear into ultra high-end for CES and afforrdable audio for THE Show.

All the manufacturers I spoke with much prefer the more relaxed and cooperative atmosphere of THE Show over CES. Most complained that the CES organizers are very favorable to mainstream electronics and computer companies and could care less about high end audio. Some reported blatant hostility by the CES folks and vow never to exhibit at CES again. I think in coming years, we'll see high end audio at CES shrink and exhibits at THE Show increase in number. The cost of a CES room is almost 3X the cost of the similar room at THE Show.

[Brian Cheney]

Our singer insisted on spot mics for voice, piano, and guitar.  An MS pair covered the rest of the band.  The singer sat sideways to the audience and was quite low in level relative to the rest of the band. The engineer did an on the fly mix.

We were trying to make a good recording, rather than faithfully reproduce the live sound.  Last year, a single MS or XY pair of mics covered everything and everyone, and the singer faced the audience 10 to 15 ft out in front of the instruments.  This year was different.

Playback levels are critical, as noted.  I relied on audience feedback to set them, and it depended on where you sat.  When I listened from the audience, with levels set to match my listening position, the sound was extremely realistic on both the live music and CD playback.