One Montreal Festival's Dedication To Sound Throws The Rest In Sharp Relief
Montreal's MUTEK electronic music festival is far more dedicated than most to maintaining the highest fidelity towards both artistic intent and immersive sonics. If only it were so everywhere.
Generally speaking, music festivals are not for audiophiles, or even those seeking an experience sonically faithful to an artist's intent. At a typical festival, stages often sit so close together that there's sound bleed from the main-stage headliner onto the less-established acts on the smaller stages. Musicians have very little, to no, time to soundcheck. Uncontrollable weather dramatically affects noise levels. Then there's the logistics of keeping what amounts to a small city of revelers up and running. At the top of that hierarchy of needs is their ultimate focus: maximizing attendees' . People in the audience often
