True to life recording? - We are fooling ourselves!

[Ralf11]

add more channels for more realism

[Ralf11]

Both.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

at different levels of SPL and reflective objects in the listening env.

[Ralf11]

1 hour ago, Blackmorec said:

OK, we’re not talking about binaural recordings so kindly explain how the complex shape of a violin changes how we hear it (not what we hear obviously). 

 

Let me offer a few tidbits.  The complex waveform is distorted as it bounces off the pinna, and then experiences more distortion as it propagates thru the ear canal.  It then hits the eardrum which further distorts it due to the sluggish response of the physical membrane, and the inertia of the 3 small bones attached. 

 

The bones provide a 3x amplification but smear the transient response even further.  They also have a particular resonance frequency that can gum things up.  The mangled result is delivered to the oval window which is sluggish too, like the outer ear drum.

 

More distortions follow and eventually the sound waves cause vibrations in the Organ of Corti (which has NOT been tuned by any organ-meister, I assure you!).  But as it spreads along the deeply buried tapered wedge that is for some screwball reason wrapped into a spiral, parts of it resonate from different frequencies so it is kinda "tuned" - and I mean kinda!

 

Hair cells (if any remain after your life of live concerts, jack-hammers going outside your apt. window, and bus horns) are stimulated by this mechanical energy and emit neuro-chemicals, which then have to cross a FREAKIN' synapse to trigger another damn nerve and its impulse.  My grandmother could design a better system and she is dead.

 

You can nit-pick but that's the gist of it.  It is a messed up system, full of distortions, transduction of one type of energy to another, losses everywhere, filtering,  and a parade of horribles.

 

And we didn't even get into the psycho-acoustic or cross-sensory problems.

[Ralf11]

Thanks - I was able to channel the ghosts of matriculated grad. students in my post...

[Ralf11]

that's why it is magik

[Ralf11]

Oxytocin is very powerful