I could add that placing your ears at the sweet spot where some recording engineers would place the stereo couple is a great experience. And, depending on the instrument, you can really have the sensation of notes panned (obviously not from extreme right to left), which gives a great balanced sound.
Note that the sweet spot is never where the audience is (too close from the piano, and it would limit the audience to one person).
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Recreating the spatial impression (mostly panning, but also depth impression) of a soundstage is critical for classical music recordings, but in no way is it “realistic”. Surely not Kind of Blue with it’s very close micing, but neither the “Living Presence” recording. They actually represent the concept I tried to convey the best: they use 3 Microphones (although we only have 2 ears), hang them over the conductor (where nobody sits), it’s been played back mostly with 2 loudspeakers (each of which has usually 1-4 sound sources – it really is the weirdest form of sound reproduction, if you know your psychoacoustics a bit) and still everyone is in awe about the “realism”.
It’s because they knew their craft and the medium they were trying to serve very well.
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Just a note to say a big thank you to all the knowledgeable contributors to this thread. It has been an unexpected pleasure! And gives me even more confidence in both Dorico and Note Performer.
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