When Eyes and Ears Don't Agree

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ahoustondj

DJ Extraordinaire
Aug 13, 2007
20,235
3,464
Texas
A very interesting article. How many times I hear DJ say that "everything sounded good and my Clients loved it!". How about getting it to sound better. Proper Gain setting, Proper EQing, Proper Placement, The right complement of Components can all contribute to the Optimum sound that can be derived from a given system.

http://www.prosoundweb.com/article//when_eyes_and_ears_dont_agree/
 
Those should be the basics of a setup and sounding a room but really at the end of the day who are we pleasing? How good you sound is dependent on what they have heard before you and what they are used to. In some cases they develop what I call a sound Stockholm Syndrome. No matter how good your sound is or how properly structured it is it will sound wrong to someone who listens to bad sound every day
 
Oh! Discriminating Clients know the difference when they hear it. You can also coach them in what to expect. Not all Chocolate Cakes taste the same, but you can teach someone how to tell the difference. The objective is not to be mediocre no matter to whom or where you are performing!
 
You can't coach what to listen to or for, since there is no frame of reference.

In the end, I have to go with my ears .. if they tell me it sounds good, then I'm comfortable with the odds that it sounds at least OK to most.

And yes, gain structure, mic technique, eq, physical alignment, etc. are all important.
 
Oh! Discriminating Clients know the difference when they hear it. You can also coach them in what to expect. Not all Chocolate Cakes taste the same, but you can teach someone how to tell the difference. The objective is not to be mediocre no matter to whom or where you are performing!

I agree Canute but take in to consideration you play alot of really high end art shows and other events like that Most of us play weddings with a 28 year old bride who has been exposed to MP3 most of her life. When you have heard good sound you expect good sound when you haven't you take what you get

That being said I create good sound but more often than not I have to dumb it down before the night is over
 
I'm one of the sound culprits .. as well as being a good sound advocate.

Just picked up a SPL Vitalizer to give the sound a little polish at the end .. time will tell if the coloration is GOOD or BAD coloration.
 
Jeff I like to tear down Barriers. I hate being a follower and I take special delight in giving my Clients a little education. It pays off. A Client can tell the difference between a tinny DJ sound vs a full bodied sound if one is smart enough to point it out to them. I like to use real life instances. I have been doing a Karaoke Show at a Restaurant since the beginning of January. The place is divided into two separate sections. One side holds about 70 people seated and the other side holds about the same. We have to use one side or the other.
The KJs before me were getting paid $75.00 - $100.00. In January, I made a Proposal for $300.00 for a 7.00- 10.00pm timeline. The owner was astounded. He wanted to know why my price was three times the amount. I asked him if all the KJs before sounded basically the same. His answer was "Yes!". I then told him that apart from the MC Skills of Entertaining the crowd that my sound would lend to a different experience for the Singers, his customers. He told me that he would try me just once.....I have been there since January and he and the Patrons are well pleased. I play DJ music for about 30 secs to 1 minute between sets to activate the crowd. The Singers can't believe that they are singing with $400.00 wireless Mics, even the Children are allowed to use them. I am not possessive of gear like some DJs. It can be replaced.
Ohh, BTW I do not show up with 2 QSC K 10s or Beringer 12" two ways without subs. I run my full system with a single 18" Sub for Full Bodied Live Sound. To those who say Gear does not make a difference or get you more money, I say to them "BS". Follow the rest and you will get what they get. Be different and you will be noticed. Its easy then to justify a higher price. Doesn't a Limo ride cost more than a cab ride?
This restaurant does not sell Mixed alcoholic beverages, only Margaritas and a few Beers.

My point being is that DJs need to stop being complacent and if enough groom the Clients, sooner or later, word will get around and the Game will get better. One can't change what they don't fix.
 
Interesting article. Yes, measurement tools have their place. In the end though, if "eyes and ears don't agree," we _must_ go with _ears_, in my humble estimation. Calibration is extremely important, BUT... It is all very subjective, because after all, we don't really listen to test tones, white noise, pink noise, or stereo glits, do we? We listen to music (and occasionally other program audio), and music listening is subjective (as is the "TV color perception" in the author's example). As the chosen sound/music professional, it is my job to _be_ the "arbitrary subjective measurement system." If my ears do not account for the lion's share of the gig/my being on the gig, than I might as well rent them a system and an iPod and let them have a go at it themselves. But if I'm hired as the DJ, sound engineer, or installation tech, it's _my_ ears that count (that's the whole point). I have seen faaarrr too many sound men that "mix by the numbers," and I haven't heard one that sounded good yet. If you only look at the meters and never listen to what you're doing or look up to engage the artist or the crowd, you may as well go home.

GJ