Soundstage - Recording technology matters?

polkatese

On some of my Redbook collections, the soundstage is very well defined, instruments placement, vocal dispersion, are deep. For instance, this recording, has a very deep and clean presentation: http://www.google.com/musicl?lid=608QGzzrd_O&aid=8opwOJJt2fL

but not on this:
http://www.google.com/musicl?lid=ccUTrrq02cB&aid=8opwOJJt2fL

both were live recordings. So, this is my questions: what gives? microphones' locations, brand, technology, recording engineers' artistry, or pure art (timing, combination of all of the above, voodoo)?

Anyone?

ps: On SF Cremona, when soundstage is right on, boy, what a music!

Refefer

All of the above. Everything matters when you're mastering a CD. The quality of the recording can be affected by a whole variety of different things, such as microphone type, distance, crowd noise, natural phenomena(reverb in the form of echos around a stadium, feedback, etc.), and of course quality of the microphone.

From there, it's up to the engineer to determine how hot they want the recording to be. In mastering, they will often choose to record it "hot" and compressed to make it sound better on lesser gear. It's critical that they know their audience if they want it to sell.

As such, the best recorded genre's tend to be Jazz and Classical, with singer songwriters pulling in second. Those venues aren't plagued with crowd noise normally and have the luxury of professionals who know their genre very well and their target audience.

It's a pain to find good recordings sometimes, but when you do... well, you know the rest

heiney9

This is the most frustrating and at the same most rewarding part of this hobby. The quest for that fabulous recording that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Recording and mastering is a true art form that just isn't taught or paid attention to enough anymore

polkatese

hear hear...that is very true. thanks, guys!