Folks, maybe most or all of us would agree some, (not all but too many), recordings sound overly bright, especially on the top highs. Why is this? And what can be done about it?
As for why, one explanation often offered is "close micing", i.e. microphones place very close to the performer. Is that a big factor? Seem plausible as a factor to me. If the microphone is too close to the performer, (a) more high frequency harmonics might be captured that are typically hear from an audience member position, and (b) echos are presumably not captured that would typically be heard in the audience.
I don't know if "close micing" is all or part of the problem, but if it is, one wonders why recording engineers persist in the practice. A few years back a professional recording engineer on another forum told us that recording engineers prefer close micing because it is easier and quicker than minimal microphoning. The latter requires 'way too much attention to the recording venue acoustics and placement of the performers.
As for the remedies for brightness or "harshness", that seems to me to a long and complicated history. (But before I start, I'm going to link to discussion of Steve Guttenberg's recent video ... https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...n-your-audio-system-be-too-transparent.15425/ ).
I seem to recall 'way back in the days when LP's where the only medium for recording other than tape, that I and others agreed that some recordings simply sounded better than others regardless of equipment. True that some recordings might induce sibilance due to cartridge mistracking but others were just too bright. Tone controls or HF filters were commonly used to roll off highs.
When CDs came along, very many people insisted that digital was per se "harsh" and reverted to vinyl -- there are plenty of those folks still around, (though maybe fewer than there used to be). About the same time tube equipment became came popular again. The principal reason for the continued favor of vinyl and tubes seems to be to counter brightness and harshness.
Another, let's say more modern, approach is to roll off highs is digital equalization. It seems almost universal that folks sculpt their equalization curves to lower HF below flat response.
Anyway, it would be nice if all recordings sounded nice, not bright or harsh. Many sound great, why can't they all?
As for why, one explanation often offered is "close micing", i.e. microphones place very close to the performer. Is that a big factor? Seem plausible as a factor to me. If the microphone is too close to the performer, (a) more high frequency harmonics might be captured that are typically hear from an audience member position, and (b) echos are presumably not captured that would typically be heard in the audience.
I don't know if "close micing" is all or part of the problem, but if it is, one wonders why recording engineers persist in the practice. A few years back a professional recording engineer on another forum told us that recording engineers prefer close micing because it is easier and quicker than minimal microphoning. The latter requires 'way too much attention to the recording venue acoustics and placement of the performers.
As for the remedies for brightness or "harshness", that seems to me to a long and complicated history. (But before I start, I'm going to link to discussion of Steve Guttenberg's recent video ... https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...n-your-audio-system-be-too-transparent.15425/ ).
I seem to recall 'way back in the days when LP's where the only medium for recording other than tape, that I and others agreed that some recordings simply sounded better than others regardless of equipment. True that some recordings might induce sibilance due to cartridge mistracking but others were just too bright. Tone controls or HF filters were commonly used to roll off highs.
When CDs came along, very many people insisted that digital was per se "harsh" and reverted to vinyl -- there are plenty of those folks still around, (though maybe fewer than there used to be). About the same time tube equipment became came popular again. The principal reason for the continued favor of vinyl and tubes seems to be to counter brightness and harshness.
Another, let's say more modern, approach is to roll off highs is digital equalization. It seems almost universal that folks sculpt their equalization curves to lower HF below flat response.
Anyway, it would be nice if all recordings sounded nice, not bright or harsh. Many sound great, why can't they all?