Seats to enjoy the sound

We all listen to live music from time to time - on the streets, in pubs or restaurants, in concert halls, in stadiums...

Listening to music is far not always our main goal. Music can simply accompany us as a pleasant background or contribute to creating an appropriate atmosphere. But let's focus on those situations when we purposefully go to listen to music

Remember the last time you bought concert tickets and chose your seats?

For instance, prior to meeting the Master, I picked seats where the view was greater and the cost was reasonable. I was delighted to get a ticket, even if it was just to the very right or left of the first rows in the parterre, because I would be able to see my favorite performers up close, observing their hands and facial expressions in addition to listening to them

But when the Master and I started going to concerts together, I realized how much I was missing out on before! So I'm sharing my experience on how to choose seats in different halls to get more enjoyment from the sound of music

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There are very few halls where the sound of the music is more or less the same throughout the room, because achieving such an effect is extremely difficult

In most concert halls there are places where the sound is best, good, not bad, and terrible

Let's leave aside the fact that Ukraine lacks halls with good acoustics, and just focus on how to choose a place to get as much enjoyment from the sound of music as possible

The sound of music in each individual hall depends on a lot of factors - the specifics of the room, the features of the stage, the placement of instruments, the presence and placement of microphones, the acoustic system, etc. Therefore, there is no universal ideal recipe, but there are a number of basic criteria by which you can choose the best places to enjoy the sound of music

First of all, the choice of seats in the hall depends on what kind of concert we are going to listen to:

>> Acoustic: all musicians work without microphones, so we listen to the live sound of the instruments and voices

>> Mixed: only the vocalist(s) and possibly some instruments work with the help of microphones, amplifiers and speaker systems

>> Amplified: all vocalists and instruments work with the help of radio equipment

Acoustic concert

(all musicians work without microphones, and we listen to the live sound of the instruments and voices)

In Ukraine, organ halls, philharmonic halls, opera houses and churches, especially those built before the beginning of the 20th century, have much better acoustics than modern concert halls. So if you want to enjoy the sound of live instruments, go there

The sound at acoustic concerts consists of two components: the sound of instruments / voices from the stage and the sound from the acoustic lens of the dome

Churches / organ halls: We only hear sound from the acoustic lens of the dome, so our location is not significant

The sound here is more even than in other halls, although it also depends on the geometry, the filling of the room, and even the weather conditions. But we won't go into too many details :)

Philharmonic halls, opera houses, etc.: the best seats will be where the sound of acoustic instruments from the stage dominates. That is, the closer to the stage, the more pleasure from the sound you will get

Mixed concert

(only the vocalist(s) and possibly some instruments work with the help of microphones, amplifiers and speaker systems)

The key principle is to sit as close to the stage as possible in the middle of the row to hear the sound from both the speakers and the stage equally well

Amplified concert

(all vocalists and instruments work with the help of radio equipment)

Here we largely depend on the placement of the speaker systems, but the general principle is as follows: the best places for the listener are in the middle of the row at a distance from the stage no more than its width (see photo)

Advice №1

Never buy side seats in the hall. The closer to the middle of the center row, the better and more harmonious the sound, and, accordingly, the more enjoyment you will get

Advice №2

To determine where in the hall the music will sound best, we need to roughly measure the width of the stage (or, if the sound is coming from speakers, the width between the speakers), and form a more or less equilateral triangle facing the hall (see red triangle)

The apex of this triangle determines the point where the sound in the hall will be best (hint: this is often where the sound engineer's console is placed, although not always :))

Advice №3

The closer to the stage, the more centered the good sound. That is, in the first row of the parterre, the best sound will be at a strictly fixed point, exactly in the middle, at 1-2 of the two central places. Literally next to them, the sound will be noticeably worse

The further to the top of our triangle, the wider the zone of good sound (highlighted filled triangle)

Therefore, the best seats to get to enjoy the sound of music are right in the center in front of the sound engineer, or next to, to the right or left of the sound engineer

Advice №4

The further away from the stage you are, the more diffused and mixed the sound, and the less clearly you can hear instruments and voices. Therefore, the back rows of the parterre are not the best choice

Have a pleasant sound experience!