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Recording an Ensemble Col. Lowell E. Graham, USAF (ret.) Conn-Selmer Institute, June 2016 Assumptions Recording sessions are the most valuable real-world experiences for the growth and development of ensembles. However, if you cannot play it, you cannot record it. Ensembles are acoustic. Reproductions/recordings should be representative of the best of live performance. Know the industry standard and your biases? Benchmark off of the best in the commercial industry. Each group has a distinct voice that must be captured on disc. All ensembles have a voice. All engineers have a voice (sound). Define it. Identify and decide on the perspective and options before you begin. There are a variety of ways to record; each will have advantages and disadvantages. Three basic categories: minimal mike – two tracks; multi-mikes – two tracks; multimikes – multi-tracks. One size does NOT fit all (one category of recording does not fit all mediums). Make the proper choice to meet the needs of the medium. Our goal is to capture not only the voice (timbre) of the ensemble, but also the emotional content of the performance. Recordings must provide enough sonic clues to draw in the listener to the message and emotional content of the music, e.g. a cardboard cutouts vs. real. Nothing should draw to the listener’s attention away from the music message (room noises, page turns, mistakes, bad attacks, poor ensemble etc.). Be prepared. Do not record it if you cannot play it. Critical Listener Evaluating source by ear is critical Evaluating equipment by ear is critical. Music is a three dimensional experience. Knowing what sounds good or bad is easy, but why a recording is not musically satisfying or not, and the ability to recognize and describe the subtle differences in sound quality is a learned skill. Sonic Values Good sound is only a means to the end of musical satisfaction; it is not the end in itself. A fundamental musical value holds that sins of commission (adding something to the music) are far worse than sins of omission (removing something for the music). If parts of the music are missing, the ear/brain system subconsciously fills in what isn’t there; you can still enjoy the music. If a system adds an artificial character to the sound, you are constantly reminded that you’re hearing a reproduction rather that the real thing. Another musical value of a recording is that even small differences in the quality of the musical presentation are important. Basic music matters! Sonic Descriptions and their Meanings The biggest problem in critical listening is finding the words to express our perceptions and experiences. Each listener hears a little differently. Some value timbre, others soundstage. Some listeners are more attuned to phase information (infinite patterns of sounds with slight delays) or timing. Broad terms that describe the audio frequency band. 16 – 40 40 – 100 100 – 250 250 – 500 500 – 1000 1000 – 2000 2000 – 3500 3500 – 6000 6000 – 10,000 10,000 – 20,000 Deep Bass Midbass Upper Bass Lower Midrange Middle Midrange Upper Midrange Lower Treble Middle Treble Upper Treble Top Octave Tonal Balance First listen for tonal balance. Are the bass, midrange and treble balanced? Too little treble is dull or rolled-off. Too much bass is heavy or weighty. Too little bass is thin, lightweight, untitled or lean. Perspective Forward or pushed back. Terms for a forward presentation -- immediate, incisive, vivid, aggressive and present. Terms for a laid back presentation – lush, easygoing, and gentle. Treble Characteristics we want to avoid and their associated terms – bright, tizzy, forward, aggressive, hard, brittle, edgy, dry, white, bleached, wiry, metallic, sterile, analytical, screechy, and grainy. Examples are overemphasized cymbals, excessive sibilance in vocals, violins that are thin. A recording with too much treble is bright. Primary region is 3K to 6K. Tizzy is too much upper treble, 6K to 10K. Causes a whitening of sound. Tizzy cymbals have too much emphasis in upper harmonics – the sizzle and air that rides on a main cymbal. Examples are a sssss and a ssshhhh sound. Hard, brittle and metallic are a unique harmonic structure that reminds on of metal being struck. White and bleached are similar to bright. A thinness in the treble with lack of energy in the upper midrange. No supporting harmonic structure beneath it. Graininess is a coarseness overlaying of treble textures, i.e., massed violins, flute, and female voice. Good treble performance – smooth, soft, silky, gentle, liquid, and lush. If a treble is overly smooth it is rolled-off or syrupy. Suggests a colored sound. Midrange If the midrange is not right, nothing else matters!!!!! Most musical energy is in midrange and the ear is most sensitive to midrange, 800Hz to 3K. Midrange colorations are common problems. A speaking voice coloration might emphasize aaww, a bit lower in the register might emphasis ooohhh, while a higher pitch might emphasize eeee or hooty. Terms to describe poor performance in the midrange are peaky, colored, chesty, boxy, nasal, congested, honky, and thick. Too much midrange can make the presentation seem forward and “in your face. A midrange with a dip in the response will give the impression of greater distance between you and the presentation. Grainy can also apply to the midrange and can be more objectionable that treble grain – coarseness of instrumental and vocal textures. Midrange textures can also sound hard and brittle. Hard textures are usually apparent on massed voices. A chorus can sound glassy, shiny or synthetic. This problem gets worse as the chorus’s volume increases. A piano can reveal hard midrange textures with the upper notes as brittle. When the midrange lacks those artifacts, the texture is liquid, smooth, sweet, velvety and lush. Stridency is also a problem in the midrange. Think of stridency as a combination of thinness (lack of warmth), hardness, and forwardness all in the midrange. Many of the midrange and treble issues can be grouped together under the term harshness. Bass Low frequencies constitute music’s tonal foundation and the rhythmic anchor. Most often misunderstood. It is the age old saying, it is not the quantity, but the quality. Not enough to hear a thud, but we want to hear subtlety and nuance also. Biggest problem is lack of pitch definition or articulation. These terms describe the ability to hear bass as individual notes with attack, decay and specific pitch. When you hear recordings without pitch definition and articulation, you do not hear precise notes, but a blur of sound. The bass line also plays an important rhythmic role. Be careful of the relationships between the bass guitar and the kick drum in mediums that have those instruments. Make sure they do not overpower making the recording muddy, thick, boomy, bloated, tubby, soft, fat, congested, loose, and slow. Terms that describe fine bass production include taut, quick, clean, articulate, agile, tight, and precise. Too little bass is thin, lean, threadbare, or over damped. Overly lean presentation robs music of vitality, drive, depth and majesty. It will have no warmth and body. Midrange terms and colorations that also apply to upper bass are chesty, thick, and congested. Bass lines should have impact, punch, and slam. As aspect of the bass is speed relating to the attack. Other negative bass qualities are overhang – the energy in a note that continues past the normal decay of a note. This normally is with a kick drum sounding bloated or slow. Soundstage Width, depth and imagining. This is created in the brain by the time and amplitude differences. Poor soundstage is narrow, constricted, flat and shallow. Terms for soundstaging – focused, tight, delineated, and sharp. Poor soundstage is homogenized, blurred, confused, congested, thick and lacking focus. Bloom is the impression of or the halo of air around instruments. Transparent or see-through has a life like quality. One can see the details. The opposite is thick, murky and opaque. Veiling is often used to describe a lack of transparency. Dynamics Macro dynamics applies to the presentation’s overall sense of slam, impact and power. Micro dynamics applies to the presentation’s smaller view. Those sounds need dynamic structure that is not loud, i.e., a triangle. These characteristics are associated with transient response – the ability to respond quickly. Detail The ability to hear timbre, dynamics, transient signals and harmonic structure. Pace, Rhythm, and Timing. This applies to a recording/system’s ability to involve the listener in the music’s forward flow and drive. Coherence A description that the music is integrated into a satisfying whole, not merely a collection of bass, midrange and treble. A feeling or rightness and musical naturalness. Musicality Is not any one aspect of all the above. It is the gestalt – everything. It is involvement in the music. Anything that detracts or draws to it your attention, removes that recording from the MUSICAL. It is like looking at a flower, you can identify all the parts, but if they do not fit together, you cannot look at the flower for its inherent beauty. RECORDING Develop your philosophy Select and engineer and producer that match your desired goals. What is your sound? Multi-microphone to multi-track Minimal-microphone to two track Multi-microphone The more microphones, the smaller the sound stage. Soundstage is usually manufactured after the fact. Time intensive – especially in the editing process The musical responsibility for balance, dynamics etc. shifts more to the producer (the mixer) than the conductor and the ensemble! Minimal-microphone Fewer microphones, the larger the soundstage Establishing the perfect relationship of distance of microphones to ensemble to capture BOTH the hall and the ensemble. Once recorded, levels within the ensemble cannot be altered. Placed the musical responsibility (balance, dynamics, etc.) on the conductor and the ensemble! Roles and Responsibilities of an Engineer Capture the acoustical product – timbre, soundstage, macro and micro dynamics, monitor levels and ensure that the equipment is functioning perfectly. Roles and Responsibilities of a Producer The producer is the gate-keeper of the session. Ensures that all takes cover the musical material. Works with the conductor to capture the desired musical product without the distractions of musical and external issues. Location Green Room for engineer and producer with appropriate electoral support. Hall Concerns Record in a concert hall for a natural acoustic. Hall needs a minimum of 1.5 seconds of reverb. Check for these issues before renting the hall Flutter (slap-back) HVAC (Air Conditioning and Heating) External noise Lights – hum Temperature and Humidity control General Concerns and Matters Start the session at a reasonable time. Allow for the first hour of the session to be used for balances and levels Scheduling: Two three hour sessions with a two hour lunch break – no more. Breaks – every hour break for 15 min. Water Comfortable clothes Soft sole shoes Towels for mutes Silence following release – at least seven seconds (recorded silence is used by the engineer) Begin each intercut a few bars before and to past the desired repair. Editing An imperative step in the creative process. Edits should be invisible and seamless. Work on apparent levels between songs or cuts. Edited sections should all have the same room characteristics (room acoustic, timbre, tempi, etc.). Mastering This is the last step in the process before production. Last chance to repair timbre, balance, reverberation, and level issues. Care in the Mastering process is imperative. Not all mastering engineers hear the same. You have the final approval. Make value judgments with best resources available. Not all equipment sounds the same, which will affect the timbre and balance of the recording. (e.g. Szell and Cleveland) RECORDING COSTS TITLE: RECORDING DATE: SUBMISSION DATE: HALL: Rental Security Ancillary costs (union hall, shell, risers, harp, piano, piano tuning, stagehands, lighting engineer, sound engineer, administration charges, meal or catering charges) ______________ ______________ ______________ TOTAL HALL EXPENSES: LOCATION RECORDING: Engineer's daily recording and editing fee Number of days recording and editing Total LP mastering CD preparation Engineer's travel expenses Plane fare Car rental Miscellaneous expenses Engineer's total travel expenses Equipment shipping and insuring Tape cost Analog Digital Additional equipment TOTAL LOCATION RECORDING: _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ STUDIO RECORDING: Studio rental per hour Number of studio hours Total studio rental Additional studio expenses (mixing console, recorders, processors, effects, monitor systems, instruments, microphones, 24 or 32 tracks, digital or analog) ______________ ______________ ______________ Additional engineers LP mastering CD preparation Tape cost Analog Digital TOTAL STUDIO COST: EXPENSES FOR MUSICIANS: Number of personnel Daily pay Number of days Total daily pay Expenses (transportation, meals, equipment) ______________ ______________ ______________ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ TOTAL EXPENSES FOR MUSICIANS EXPENSES FOR RECORDING TEAM Plane fare Car rental Hotel Miscellaneous expenses TOTAL COST: _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ DESIGN: Layout Typesetting Artwork Shipping expenses TOTAL DESIGN: PRINTING AND FABRICATION: Coloring __2 color separation __3 color separation __4 color separation __5 color separation Camera readying LP Jackets LP sleeves CD booklets (__ pages) CD inlay cards CD cases and assembly Shrink wrapping TOTAL PRINTING AND FABRICATION: PRESSING: LP CD _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ TOTAL PRESSING: _______ DELIVERY: _______ TOTAL: _______ SUMMARY HALL: LOCATION RECORDING: STUDIO RECORDING: _______ _______ _______ EXPENSES FOR ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS: TRAVEL COSTS TO EDIT MASTER TAPE: DESIGN: PRINTING AND FABRICATION: PRESSING: DELIVERY: TOTAL: _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ ________________________________________________________________ LENGTH (minutes): _______ COST PER MINUTE: _______ (Recording Costs divided by Length of Recording) UNITS: Number of LPs _______ Number of CDs _______ COST PER UNIT: LPs _______ CDs _______ OVERALL COST PER UNIT: _______ (Production and Recording Costs divided by Number of Units) Make sure to have fun. You are making a recording, you are not curing cancer! Make great art, and if you cannot do that, make a CD.