Why does the lawn sound better?
 

Hey everyone,

Does anyone know why lawn seats sound better than even being the first couple rows of the pavillion. I saw Lolapalozaa a week ago. Sat 10 rows back. It was loud as all get-up and since I knew the words I was set. During Rooney's set, I walked up to the lawn. While on the lawn I noticed that the sound was much better than the pavillion. Yes, it wasn't as loud but it was MUCH clearer. I also noticed this at Dave Matthews Band last year. First night I had lawn and second night I had back of the pavillion. Back of the pavillion was of course louder but not clearer.

How is this possible? Anybody know? Thanks a lot.

I don't know much about the fizz-icks of sound, but I image it's because the noise has more room to disperse and separate the farther you are from the overdriven pavilion loudspeakers.

It doesn't sound better. It's just your ego messing with you. Lawn "must" sound better or else you're a loser for not getting better seats.

lol. No. The instruments were remarkably clearer. Try it at a show sometime.

Two main reasons why the lawn may sound better:

If you are close to the stage, you're could actually hearing a lot of the sounds coming directly off the stage amps (guitars, etc) and the stage monitors (for the band to hear themselves). So you're not hearing a proper "mix", you're hearing too much of some instruments and probably not enough of the vocals.

The other reason is that sound bounces around off hard, reflective surfaces. So those concrete floors, wood/plastic seats, and metal ceiling all send echoes everywhere, making things less clear in a lot of venues. These are not issues on the lawn.

BTW, technology is getting better at both of these problems. In-ear monitors (IEM) make stage volumes a lot lower than they used to be, making it easier to get an even mix in the house.

And line array speakers (you've probably seen them, they're a single vertical stack of speakers hung on either side of the stage) allow sound to be dispersed in a much tighter pattern, so there's less reflection off surfaces you don't want to hit.

Alan
(Full-Time Sound Guy)

^ what he said :)

Nope, you're all wrong. It's because the tickets are cheaper, therefore you can spend more money on drinks. You're drunk, chilling, and it sounds better.

IEMs should be mandatory, especially in small club venues where there's no where else to be BUT right up by the stage. The sound in those shows invariably sounds of crap.

Not at all...even though I do not like lawn seats 'sheds' are notorious for awful sound inside of the pavillion. They are purely built as a stage without any consideration to sound. That's why I hate the summer tour schedule as they always put concerts in these awful sounding places (not all but most).

Lawn sucks (yes I have heard it)

Being right next to the stage is how I prefer it. Having the bass from the drums just pound right at your chest & kick you in the ass!! oh yeah! :up:

Try getting some foam earplugs, as well. They filter out most of the noise you get from an unproper mix (eg - being close to the stage) and don't hinder the sound of the music at all.

When I first clicked on this, I thought it might be a Joni Mitchell thread. (Hissing of Summer Lawns for the uninformed) :p

I agree with the others.. the lawn sucks. :p but it's good if you want to start fire pits and just cause general mayham.