I've seen everything from 2 to 36 mics on symphonic recording sessions. I've done them in concert halls, ballrooms, small and large studios. The most realistic sound as to what was going on came from the engineers/producers who used less mics. As to idiots, the music business is full of them at every level. Speaking of business and idiots, how 'bout the current news? KB Jeremy responds:
Just a short note from the iPhone... If an engineer places 15 - 20 mics for a traditional orchestra, he's a bona fide idiot. For something like Beethoven 7 or Brahms 1, 4-6 mics should be all that is required in a good hall. This is diiferent if it's an outdoor concert and they need amplification. However, minimal mic'ing is typically what the 'audiophiles' are after. Sadly, many people 'claim' to be recording engineers that really aren't. There's a LOT of science and art that go into recording and it's something that must be practiced and studied. Cheers- Jeremy On Mar 3, 2009, at 11:19 PM, kendallbe...@aol.com wrote: > > Jeremy wrote: > > In Kendall's example, he was doing it for a jingle. I suppose the > recording > engineer could be spared his life for the travesty of auto-tuning a > horn > player, but only this once. > Actually, he auto-tuned everybody that day. Even the trombones > were in > tune! I still wonder if woodwinds had been around if that would > have stopped him > cold, though. > > Most of the commercial recording engineers, writers, producers, etc. I > worked for over 40 years, have been spared their lives many times. > In fact, they > do very well, thank you very much, when it comes to making a living. > > Some of the "classical" ones, engineers and producers, alike, are > the ones > who should not be spared. Amazing how a great orchestra in a great > hall > playing the way it's supposed to play with tons of talent and years > of experience > can come out on disk sounding like a DCI group with 15 mics on the > percussion, 12 on the trumpets and none on everyone else. I once > confronted a grammy > award winning "genius" why that was so, and he told me "That's what > audiophiles want." So much for what "musicians" want in their work. > > One producer even edited out a six bar bassoon solo. I don't know > why but > perhaps his score reading skills were sub-par. I know for a fact > that the > conductor never listened to the final edit as he was already fed up > with that > crew's inability to make the orchestra sound realistic in the > hall. That > recording was nominated and won a grammy that year for "Best > Engineering." > > The Prof's new gizmo works great. He's added the Auto- > Transposition Foot > Pedal and the Virtual Psycho-Acoustic Practice Simulator, which is > designed to > lessen guilt by non-association. He's now working on the > Hand-Stopped-Stop-Mute-Fibre-Board-Carbon-Fibre-Stone-Lined-Wooden- > Echo-Tone-Omni-Mute > Differentiationator. I keep telling him that no one will know the > difference, but he > insists on being true to the score. It also will take the > guesswork out of > being confused. He's hoping to get it on the market before > football season so > that many "serious" horn students will stay home doing French Horn > Hero > instead of playing mellophone and ruing what little chops they have > in the first > place. He just got a heck of a marketing deal from Circuit City, > to boot! > > KB **************Need a job? Find employment help in your area. (http://yellowpages.aol.com/search?query=employment_agencies&ncid=emlcntusyelp00000005) _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
