I’m just now looking into streaming. Haven’t done anything yet. But I keep reading about gap vs. gapless playback and I don’t see where it’s that big of a deal if there is a few seconds of pause between tracks.
When listening to a symphony there is almost always a pause between movements. I’ve been to live concerts where the pause is even longer than a few seconds. Sometimes five to ten seconds. Depends on what the conductor wants. And it’s a good thing.
So why is such a big deal being made out of this for home playback? I don’t get it.
When listening to a symphony there is almost always a pause between movements. I’ve been to live concerts where the pause is even longer than a few seconds. Sometimes five to ten seconds. Depends on what the conductor wants. And it’s a good thing.
So why is such a big deal being made out of this for home playback? I don’t get it.
Many people can't handle silence as they need constant distraction and/or stimulation, without it they start to think for themselves or go to sleep and that can be dangerous.
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It's rather more noticeable with music genres where you never hear complete silence between parts, for example because the time between one song and the next is filled by applause.
I don't know what you mean by "sections", but if you are referring to what are usually called scenes in an opera, then the answer is no. They not only aren't annoying, they are expected and desirable as an intentional break between subjects.
So it seems to me that a short gap of silence is a good thing. It helps each part stand alone instead of being all run together.
Not really a problem. Just watch the conductor and don't applaud until he completely lowers his baton. Otherwise you might find several hundred sets of eyes looking angerly at you.
I've always thought that a good spit valve clearing during a pause can add a bit of authenticity to the performance.🙂
I quite like the BBC proms, it's almost become the norm to applaud between movements, I don't know if it's traditional because it's the proms, as in peasants (who know no better) standing? BBC Radio 3 - BBC Proms - What is Promming?
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The only streaming I've done so far is with Internet Radio. And I haven't heard any gaps in music with it.
But perhaps I don't understand this gap vs gapless phenomenon, yet.
I have the impression that the issue only occurs between tracks of a recording. Are you saying that a gap could occur within a track. There could actually be a short period of silence in the music itself?
What about gaps in the medley on side 2 of the Qobuz stream of the re-mastered Abbey Road album instead of a seamless flow between the songs?
WTF! Why Don’t All Streams Have Gapless Playback? | Sound & Vision
It seems that gapless playback is not supported on all streaming platforms.
For example, I believe Qobuz gapless is supported in AirPlay, but not in Chromecast.
WTF! Why Don’t All Streams Have Gapless Playback? | Sound & Vision
It seems that gapless playback is not supported on all streaming platforms.
For example, I believe Qobuz gapless is supported in AirPlay, but not in Chromecast.
A live symphony will have a few seconds of relative quiet between movements but there will still be some sound there to be heard (ambient noise, people fidgeting, etc.), in contrast, non-gapless playback will have moments of absolute dead silence. Some find the abrupt transition from quiet to absolute silence and back distracting. Maybe the difference is in listening to the music vs. listening to the sound?
I find the gaps annoying because, as Galu mentions, there is often ambient sound that carries over from track to track. And on many Jazz, Pop and Rock albums there is a flow between tracks and even crossfades, that a gap destroys.
And then there are countless live Jazz recordings where the into to a song is on the track of the previous song.
I understand why it's done on CD, but if you are mixing up tracks it pretty awkward.
And then there are countless live Jazz recordings where the into to a song is on the track of the previous song.
I understand why it's done on CD, but if you are mixing up tracks it pretty awkward.
Yes - take for example the transition between 3rd and 4th movements of Beethoven's 5th symphony. There isn't actually a gap there. Same with a couple of the movements of Elgar's Enigma Variations - between variations 8 and 9 (Nimrod) there's a sustained pianissimo 'pivot' note that renders a sublime modulation that always sends shivers down my spine. Without gapless playback that effect would be completely destroyed I reckon.
I could probably think of other examples where 'tracks' aren't between movements, rather between sections (Verdi's Requiem comes to mind) but perhaps you get the picture by now.
Play Pink Floyd, "The Wall", "Wish You Were Here", or "Dark Side of the Moon" with gaps and without gaps and see what you like best. 😉
Tom
Tom