P31
‘Golden ears’ are a myth. No one is born being able to
pick out what makes one speaker better than another, to
know when one component doesn’t work with another or
to identify that obscure oboe passage that’s just about
audible under the strings. It takes practice and attention.
But, above all, it takes confidence. And the good news is,
if you have that confidence you’re already well on the way
to being able to listen like the professionals.
6 Ways To Listen Like The Professionals
… and the end
The tail of a note is just as important as
its attack. Take the ride cymbal: how
does it decay after the drummer hits
it? Does it sound like a physical, metal,
vibrating piece of drumkit? Or does it
sound flat and listless? Does it ‘fit’ the
music, or does it tail off too quickly? Try
to listen for these longer parts; become
aware of how individual instruments
sound. It can be tricky at first to identify
an individual part in the middle of a song,
but persevere and you’ll become adept.
Take your time
Don’t play one track and judge the kit
on a five-minute listen. First impressions
do count, of course, but second ones
matter more. And third ones. Immerse
yourself in the music – just as you would
at home. Close your eyes. Recline. Relax
and just listen…
Go with your gut
Trust your instincts. If you think you can
hear something, you probably can. This
isn’t a magic trick – and it doesn’t need
to be a stressful exercise in ‘critical’
listening. It’s about suddenly hearing
details in your favourite music that you’d
never picked out before – hearing it
again, as if for the first time. And
that
is
where the magic happens.
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Owner’s Manual Special Forty
P30
Want to know how pro
engineers put loudspeakers
through their paces in listening
rooms?
You can do it, too
Pick music you know
Get rid of any preconceived notions
about what you ‘should’ listen to on
these speakers and play something you
love. It doesn’t matter what – as long as
you know it really well. These are your
companions; so if you’re into cheesy
80s pop, forget trying to listen to demo
CD-style jazz, just because that’s what
they played in the shop.
It’s all in the detail
Try to identify key moments in the music
you’re listening to. That might be a
particular guitar intro, the way the bass
interacts with the drums in a certain
section, the ambience of the concert hall
just before the orchestra strikes up, or a
wash of effects over a vocal part. Listen
to them over and over until you know
exactly how they sound. Then compare
them on different pieces of equipment
– you might be surprised by how many
differences you can hear.
Listen to the start of notes…
The crack of a snare drum. The ‘ting’ of
a ride cymbal. The attack of a pick on a
guitar string. That initial puff of a trumpet
note. The start of a word in the vocal
part. Can you hear them distinctly or do
they seem to lag behind a little? Are they
crisp and clear, or woolly and ill-defined?
If you’re listening to a piece of soft
classical that sounds harsh and brittle on
the new components, for example, or a
well-produced rock song that no longer
sounds as driving as you remember, it’s
probably down to the equipment’s timing
(how different frequencies interact with
each other).
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Содержание Special Forty
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