Are we hitting a wall in audio capabilities?

[AntonioPetrole]

I ask this question because I was watching a video on the progression of visual production and enhancements and I feel like in the audio world there isn't much room left. I feel like in the next few years we will hit a complete brick wall as far as new capabilities and algorithms and from there on out production quality will stay the same.

Any input?

 

[John_C]

I ask this question because I was watching a video on the progression of visual production and enhancements and I feel like in the audio world there isn't much room left. I feel like in the next few years we will hit a complete brick wall as far as new capabilities and algorithms and from there on out production quality will stay the same.

Any input?

maybe then people will get less excited about perfect reproduction and remember that music is art and should be presented as creatively as it is composed and played.

 

[AntonioPetrole]

I agree with that wholeheartedly, you could say the same thing about movies and shows too. I'm just talking about the physical limitations of audio

 

[xFkx]

if by audio capabilities you mean sucking the "music" out of music, then hopefully yes.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Agreed. I think this wall will push studio engineers and mixers to bring their innovation to live venues. When people can figure out how to make live metal shows sound as polished as studio recordings then the whole industry will surge back. Live shows are where the money will be in 5 years. Someone is going to step in and certify each venue a la THX in theaters.

Metal musicians are getting really good, and some bands are writing some truly amazing shit. Once it starts to translate well live I think shows and touring will really be where it's at.

In response, studio engineers will strive to make records sound like live shows.

 

[DanLights]

Agreed. I think this wall will push studio engineers and mixers to bring their innovation to live venues. When people can figure out how to make live metal shows sound as polished as studio recordings then the whole industry will surge back. Live shows are where the money will be in 5 years. Someone is going to step in and certify each venue a la THX in theaters.

Metal musicians are getting really good, and some bands are writing some truly amazing shit. Once it starts to translate well live I think shows and touring will really be where it's at.

In response, studio engineers will strive to make records sound like live shows.

This actually sounds completely logical and although I'd never thought about it before, I can agree. Besides, venues should be fucking certified for metal shows, I'm sick of crappy venues ruining sound

 

[Mutant]

Think outside the fucking box.

I see first true AI in 2025, i see it designing new unimaginably fast hardware and developing software emulations so perfect that human coders will be put out of work, i see cybernetic audio connections circumventing limitations of our imperfect ears and delivering very high signal to noise ratio audio at frequencies even bats and elephants can't hear...

Was it far enough from the box ???

 

[TesticleMilkshake]

Agreed. I think this wall will push studio engineers and mixers to bring their innovation to live venues. When people can figure out how to make live metal shows sound as polished as studio recordings then the whole industry will surge back. Live shows are where the money will be in 5 years. Someone is going to step in and certify each venue a la THX in theaters.

Metal musicians are getting really good, and some bands are writing some truly amazing shit. Once it starts to translate well live I think shows and touring will really be where it's at.

In response, studio engineers will strive to make records sound like live shows.

This. Jam bands like the Grateful Dead (with the Wall of Sound) were forerunners of this like 20, 30 years ago but metal has gone onto largely dominate the evolution of audio equipment. The majority of the Studio Production majors, MFAs I attended college with frequently referenced advancements made in the audio world through working with metal-inspired artists and bands. While the studio may have hit a technological plateau, there's still an incredible amount to be done with integrating certain aspects of studio recordings into live performances. While metal is very similar to classical performance, where musical perfection and but mimicking organic sound seems to be key, such is almost a total contrast to the philosophy of earthy bands (each performance should be a unique experience with regards to set-up and improv.) Idk though, this is really outside of my field and my be totally off-base perceptions. Thoughts?

 

[AntonioPetrole]

For the record I am referring to the physical, PHYSICAL capabilities of sound and audio. Not new devices or implementations, I'm referring to the physics of sound and capturing and manipulating that sound. Like capturing audio at a higher quality and playing it back doesn't have much room for advancement.

I'm not trying to deter the ideas so far, its just that wutzington was basically calling me ignorant to new ideas in the wrong context

 

[greyskull]

I think the problem stems from the consumer; and the product they want being lowest common denominator (mp3)
Until THEY start wanting quality like they do with the latest TV's in a way we're dead in the water.

This could all stem from the fact that the brain is in a way hard wired to trust the eyes more than the ears (that's why turning the screen off is so much better and the reason that bypassed plug-in you just adjusted made your mix sound so much better)

 

[Star Ark]

Amp sims, drum sample packs, ochestral vst's are all improving quickly, slate and the vcc is getting great results, so maybe we are nearing the brick wall

 

[Trevor Marks]

I'm almost positive most audio engineers, entrepreneurs and even artists considered something similar, say .. in the 80's, when gated toms and new synth developments were the end all.
Maybe there really is some kind of technological limit that we're hearing nowadays, but my belief is that it's impossible to guess all the output decades ahead of ours. The rock/pop musical style, social trends and taste, are kind of a sociological shift that tends to happen too slow before we can notice any impressionable changes..stuff that help us categorize a 70's album from a 90's one.
If only we could send Butch Vig in a time machine to let us know, that could help some, hehe

 

[B36arin]

The loudspeaker is an ancient and imperfect design. Room acoustics also play a huge part in the reproduction of sound, and it's a relatively new field with scope for improvement. Hard drive storage spaces and internet speeds grow larger and larger by the day, so audio quality will hopefully follow in the not-so-distant future. There is definitely a scope for improvement on several stages.

My point is that as our perception of sound gets more and more enhanced (by technological means) the ceiling for what is possible with audio production will rise and rise.

Definitely!