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In the Forum: Playback Listening
In the Thread: 2+3 surround sound??
Post Subject: Sonic Accommodation and Distance Delegation.. in audio!Posted by Romy the Cat on: 7/20/2021
With is my kids we frequently play a game "what does it mean". It is a situation when they exposed to something new and they try to name it, justified new in a context to what they already know. If we apply the same principle to sound, I experienced in Bill’d room, then I would like to have a few words to say. That is not a sound review in any way, but it is some food for thoughts for the people who did not experience what Bill did. The “what does it mean" game identifies a single verbal element which describes a concept. I was keep thinking “what does it mean" in context of Bill's room sound. And the answer is “Sonic Accommodation”. Let me to step back a little and explain what it means. It is possible that this thing's already exist and have some kind of scientific and well research definition. I care less about it and I perfectly comfortable to propose it as my discovery, particularly because I'm talking about it for over 25 years.
When we use our vision, we have an ability to do optical accommodations which is well known phenomena. For instance, if you look at some events which take place let's say 300 ft away then our perception can tune out from all the rest of the world and focus on the events 300 ft away. In terms of hearing, it acts very similar. You can seat a very last row of Carnegie Hall and see the stage half kilometer away, almost from Moon, but your hearing perfectly in combination with your eyesight can filter out external irritation and focus of performance essence of the orchestra in the stage. Yes, sound is not perfect in this scenario, but our brain somehow can remove focus from listening discomfort and perfectly compensate for it by making you feel that you are among musicians, in this case brains does what I call Distance Delegation. Well, it is happening in real life in most of the cases, but it's NEVER happens in audio. Well, never say never but in situation of what Bill demonstrated I recognized that it is possible in audio. I do not know if it was in a combination with video that Bill showed but I do not think so. He played a very known to me video of Gunter van conducted Bruckner 4 and I was able to make it to sound spectacular in my own room. From sonic perspective it sounded horrible in Bill system but in the same time, despite of unpleasant sound it did demonstrated that nice acoustic accommodation. I focus my playback to get listener by “impressive” sound. Bill system demonstrated that unique Sonic Accommodation while presenting less impressive sound in my view but the overall experience is identically interesting. That opens in Pandora box from very different thinking what kind expressive means I play back might employ.
If you remember years back, I wrote about hierarchical approach to Sonic Assessment. At the level 2 of listening perception we deal with harmonic, rhythmic, dynamic, chromic sensations etc… and from where I stay the Bills system did not particularly overwhelm me in there. The theory that I pushed that only indelible success at the level 2 assures a listening perception move to level 3, the aesthetic level. That is a principle upon which I was building my playback. What Bill demonstrated is that the success at the level 2 is desirable but not mandatory and it does not block any listening advance to the level 3 and 4 (ethical level). So somehow, I feel that Bill's play back was able to bypass aesthetical level, without compromising following levels. Interesting isn’t it? I'm not saying the Bills sound had low aesthetic payload. In my view it was aesthetically challenged but in the same time it did not create a listening deficiency which made me to worry or pay attention to this deficiency. It is like falling in love, it does not provide any answers, but it's eliminates the sharpness of the questions. I do feel that longer reverberation time in Bill room unleashed all of those effects and I would like to experiment with it more.
Anyhow, it was what in my head and it is possible that Bill, accidentally or not, discover something that did not know enough: it is possible to get Sonic Accommodation in Audio is to get the things done properly in time and RT60 domains.
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