After attending the Thievery Corporation show, and discussing the audio quality of various performances there, the old myth that the Pavilion suffers from inferior acoustics was brought up again. This rumor has been floating around since the building was constructed, and the C-Ville covered this question back in 2005, also noting the proposed correction, namely installation of the fabric baffles hanging under the outer shell, which prevent reverberation.
Additionally, a study earlier this year showed the decline in audio fidelity discernible by incoming first years at Stanford, indicating that the inherent quality issues within MP3s has actually become the standard by which those in their late teens are judging all audio sources by. So even if the quality was there, many could conceivable misjudge the details due to a lack of audio knowledge.
So, can we collectively call this issue dead, or are there a few audiophiles out there who would still consider it a sub-optimal listening stage?
Related posts:
- Timelapse Video of the Charlottesville Pavilion Being Built
- Charlottesville Myths – More Restaurants Than DC? (Per Capita)
- Why No Politics?
Sound at the Pavilion has to be considered in terms of the provider and not just the acoustics of the actual structure, though that’s of course an important component. There are a few different providers at the Pavilion and the Fridays After Five system isn’t the same system as the system that was used for Thievery Corporation. You also have to take into account where in the Pavilion you’re listening from, which is true of every venue.
All in all, I think the Pavilion folks have done a great job with the structure itself and with the right rig in there, the sound is excellent.
also worth noting
- if the sound is being graded during the event, one must wonder if the grader is consuming alcoholic beverages or standing in the optimal location for great sound…..
i have to say that the sound is great when the venue is full and the equipment is properly managed. when the venue opens up a bit, the sound engineer is forced to change the settings, as there arent enough people to absorb the higher decibels we all have come to love.
mp3 – i hope one isnt using mp3s to rate anything. that is missing huge frequencies and only suitable for internet streaming and ipods – certainly not worth using as a metric for how a venue truely sounds.
also worth noting
- the amount of ear hair and or waxy buildup in the sound man / listener’s ear. one must wonder how one cannot miss the huge frequencies when there is some giant yellow waterproof hair cable braided into a navajo ceremonial lock jutting out of the ear canal area.
Place sounds horrible. Needs to be turned up to eleven so it can be heard on the grass.
I’ve found that the optimal sound quality can be found right outside of The Nook / Tea Bazaar. Anyone else notice this?