Most Realistic Recordings


I was recently listening to my daughter practice the piano and I was enjoying quite a full-body sonic experience. I later went to my system and picked out a few piano recordings that I suspected were recorded well, but as I listened, I just didn't have anything close to the same experience. The piano just didn't sound right, nor nearly as full as I had just experienced while listening to my daughter. I know what pianos sound and feel like. I grew up playing many different types and understand their differences. I've done some research on recording pianos and have learned they are particularly difficult to record well.

As I've delved deeper into this audio hobby/interest and acquired more respectable gear, the more general question that keeps coming to my mind is this: How did this music sound at the time it was recorded? (presuming it was a person playing an instrument, not something "mixed" or electronic). Meaning, if I had been in the room, would I have heard or felt the same? Or is there something about the recording setup/micing/mixing/etc. that has failed to capture the moment? Or has the audio engineer intentionally filtered some of that out?

Now, being an audiophile (i.e., a music lover) has many paths and many goals. For me, I love lots of different kinds of music and am not too caught up in the ever changing landscape of audio gear and the need to try something new. I hope to get to the point where a well-captured recording sounds realistic in my room on my system. I like full-spectrum sound (i.e., if the note/sound is in the track, I want to hear it). I know that accurate, realistic reproduction through any system is depends a great deal on the equipment and the room it's being played back in. I don't expect my system to give me that jaw-dropping "I'm there" experience (yet), but some day I hope to get there.

So, to my question above, I would very much love to hear if anyone feels they have heard an album, a track, a recording of some kind that could be used to test out the "realism" of one's system. What would you say is a recording that more accurately captured the sonic hologram of the moment it was performed. Any genre is ok. And if you think a particular studio/company does this well, I'd love to hear about it!

And, please, I don't want the conversation to about gear or room treatment. This is about the recording itself, the source material, and how accurately the entire moment is captured and preserved. I respect everyone's personal experiences with your system, whatever it's comprised of. So, please don't argue with each other about whether a recording didn't sound realistic to you when it sounded realistic to someone else. Let's be civil and kind, for how can you deny what someone else's ears have heard? Thank you! I'm excited to learn from you all!

tisimst

For sure Patricia Barber, "Companion".  Also, Blue Coast DSD recordings.

While I love the Rock & Pop genre, there’s not many recordings that really just sound like a band in a room. The few that come to mind from the early 80’s are:

Joe Jackson - Big World (live to 2-track... this is a high-end recording)

Talking Heads - The Name of this band is Talking Heads (live)

B-52’s - first record... sounds like the band right there in your room.

 

Very grateful to everyone for the many new recommendations!

And, yes, it does seem to lend to the idea that if the recording is not directly of instruments or voices (i.e., no singing/playing into microphones that are then reproduced through a PA, which is then captured by a recording mic; no digital synthesizer; etc.), then it would be difficult to produce a "live" sound. Maybe I'm over-constraining the opportunity.

It also seems likely that a direct-to-disc recording would have the least amount of processing involved as well, which could possibly capture the most untainted signal. However, I sincerely appreciate that there are many recommendations here that have made it to the digital form (i.e., CD) and yet still have some of that magic preserved. I'm admittedly a newbie when it comes to vinyl though I've heard the many wonderful characteristics. I've also only started getting into the DSD variety.

Finally, I really am capturing all these recommendations into a spreadsheet that I plan to share with everyone. Given some of the missing pieces of data, it may seem sparse in some places, but hopefully I've captured everyone's recommendations so far clearly enough for one to do find the album/track/label.

Speaking of Joe Jackson; Body and Soul. Joe went out looking for the perfect venue in New York to make the recording. He found an all wood stage… or whatever and specifically tried to make the best recording possible. It is drop dead gorgeous… two notes in it is instantly obvious. It comes in all formats including a 45 rpm heavy vinyl. I will order it now. Been one of my favorite recording since it came out… both sound quality and content.

Just about anything recorded/produced by Günther Pauler at Stockfisch Records in Germany.  My favorites include:

- Chris Jones - Roadhouses and Automobiles; Moonstruck; Moving Air; etc.

- Allan Taylor - Colour to the Moon; Behind the Mix; Hotels & Dreamers; etc.

- Sara K - Water Falls; Nautilus Tour; Hell or High Water (all with Chris Jones)

Also mentioned previously - Jazz at the Pawn Shop

Archie Shepp - True Ballads

Educational Thread!   Thanks!