We all hear differences between live performances and recorded material whether it be in terms of playing (instrumental solos, variations to structure and individual instruments), the quality of what we hear (mixed and unmixed) or a thousand other personal reasons.
Most would agree, live music in the right atmosphere/environment could be perfect for improvisation. Taking a song and ad-libbing (improvising) over a set melody or part (regardless of instrument). Again, most would agree that changes in dynamics (volume) play a major part in live performances as they are greatly increased compared to the recorded version.
Dynamics are not the only facets that add to a live performance. Experimentation in structure along with instrumental bridges (between individual tracks) and medleys (playing multiple songs in one complete piece) are a great addition to live performances.
Recorded music by definition is compressed to reduce dynamic variation nowadays so there is little dynamic change throughout an entire song. Recorded material will be strict in terms of groove and each part (vocal or instrumental) compared to live performances. Experimentation is kept to a minimum, as the song is more important than the individual.
Not all recorded material is strict, just listen to Rod Stewart’s – Maggie May. The bass line throughout is mostly improvised, as it doesn’t follow a repetitive pattern against the repeating chords.
Recorded material has to be near perfect with lush sounds, tight structures and triple compression (compressed as it hits the DAW or desk, compressed with plug-ins and compressed at the master channel). Live performances on the other hand, have none of these things. When the mood takes a band, what you hear can be raw improvisation, altered parts or an approximation of the recorded part (approximated due to lack of equipment, effects, members or other factors, band could be using backing tracks etc…).
I know technology isn’t limited anymore (thanks to VST, backing tracks, and vast effects/programs/plug-ins), but in live situations they could be due to the front of house (FOH) desk size, lack of XLR connections, etc.…
Depending on the style of music, you will find that the common preference will change. Most Rock and Metal bands will play the recorded material perfectly live and this is a great thing to watch due to it being a complete representation of the albums we buy.
The difference between Recording and Performing