Well it was the 51st Grammy awards tonight.  I happen to have cable with Hi Def channels on it.  Along with that I have a modestly sized (I can’t believe I said that) 37″ LCD.  One of the best I found… great sharp pictures, bright brights and dark darks.. great TV.  I have a pretty modest sound system too.  It’s a Sony Amp with JVC speakers and a Sony center channel.

Now that you know what my set up is, let me add that I also have an old 19″ tv, tube with one speaker in it.

My wife and I were watching the Grammys in full and glorious Hi Def… oh man, I felt like we were just gazing through a window onto the stage.  It opened up with U2… and then I just got really ticked off.

Why were you ticked off Chris?  Well, thanks for asking   You see the audio just SUCKED.  It sounded like we were getting an audio feed from some microphones in the audience.  Upon checking my 19″tv it seems that the sound was bearable, as it normally would be for a network show.  However the HiDef version was thin, poorly mixed and sounded like they put someone on the audio board who may have just been picked because they knew what an iPod was.

Why pay ALL that money for fantastic visuals if the audio doesn’t have the same bite.  I mean really!  It sounded like crap, looked really great and really… the audio was totally distracting!  When radio head came on, the lead singer was just underwater from the beginning and the lead guitar was SO FAR OUT FRONT in the audio mix it even drowned out the percussion as well as the lead singer.

Yes, I am a Voice Actor.  Yes, I have over 20 years in the industry.  Yes, I have worked at radio stations.  I was taught that each element in a mix needs to have it’s space… Don’t set everything to 11, don’t take the things that are supposed to support the lead singer (say for example the guitar) and make it the headlining element in the mix!  Give us audio that is as exciting and vibrant as the Hi Def picture!

I know, it was live, but damn so are hundreds of well mixed shows at Stadiums and outdoor arenas that sound clear and fabulous!  The audio folk there at the Grammys were working in a known environment… the mix for the standard broadcast was ok.. the one for HD SHOULD have been amazing, but it just sucked.  Sorry, I’m the consumer… gotta say it like it is.  I would want someone to tell me if my mixing sucked!  And you know what, they have… and I’ve learned and have been apreciative of the honesty.

My wife commented that a couple of years ago the audio on the Hi Def broadcast of the Grammys was excellent… so I wasn’t the only one having fits about this year.