In modern multi-miked recordings the soundstage is an artificial creation. A talented recording engineer can assemble the individual recorded tracks (typically between 24 and 48) into a coherent sonic image. The juggling of left versus right channel volume and phase manipulation allow the placement of specific instruments within an artificial, digitally created, ambient soundfield. Within any musical genre there are generalized rules that govern the mix with mono compatibility being the highest priority. A skillful engineer can fashion a very convincing aural experience.
does mixing kill the soundstage?
All this talk about "soundstage" gets me to thinking how in the world do we hear an accurate (or even close) soundstage on anything other than live, acoustic, performances recorded by just 2 mics with no mixing. Why would you even *hear* where a singer is if they are being recorded by a mic right in front of them that is recorded, most likely, seperately from anything else? They run all these different tracks (vocals, drums, guitar, whatever), changing the volume of each one to get the best *sound* Why would this not create a total mess? I guess I know nothing about how the recording process is done, but just off the top of my head it seems like almost everything would just be a garbled mess, which alot are, but some are not and I KNOW they are mixed somewhere down the line. Am I missing something? That being said how does one find good quality live, acoustic recordings that DO have a great soundstage? I listen to just about every type of music under the sun so I am not picky. I just want 50-75 good CDs that will send chills down my spine......