[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

Hi Guys,

here is a recording made by me and Ove Nysom that found its way to youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Txm-t5lbQ

Enjoy!

Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

On 11-07-2014 20:34, Peter Larsen wrote:
Hi Guys,

here is a recording made by me and Ove Nysom that found its way to youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Txm-t5lbQ

Enjoy!

Kind regards

Peter Larsen

Also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YwQl0OVa6Y

Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[John Williamson]

On 11/07/2014 20:34, Peter Larsen wrote:
Hi Guys,

here is a recording made by me and Ove Nysom that found its way to youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Txm-t5lbQ

Enjoy!

That even sounds good on the laptop speakers.

Nice work and nice playing. Now, if you could have got rid of the
audience....


--
Tciao for Now!

John.

[Frank Stearns]

Peter Larsen writes:

Hi Guys,

here is a recording made by me and Ove Nysom that found its way to youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Txm-t5lbQ

Listening now; it's quite lovely. Tell us a bit more about what you did.

If I put on a mastering hat, my only temptations might be to try a shallow medium-Q
cut somewhere in the 800-1100 hz region; possibly add just a very wee bit somewhere
in the 125-250 range.

But it's generally nice.

Frank
Mobile Audio
--

[Les Cargill[_4_]]

Peter Larsen wrote:
Hi Guys,

here is a recording made by me and Ove Nysom that found its way to youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Txm-t5lbQ

Enjoy!

Kind regards

Peter Larsen


Very nice! The F# notes stick out a bit.
It could simply be one of the performers.

--
Les Cargill

[Luxey]

Great, I was listening and then realised in the recording they are
positioned just like in that picture. Very convincing.

[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

Hi Frank, Les, John and Luxey,

Getting rid of the audience in that room is not a good idea, they
compensate the shallow wedged /\ glass and cast iron ceiling. We have
been using a figure of 8 main pair (80030) there lately in Blumlein as
well as in AB, more "rear room" and less ceiling reflection works well.

It is critically important to keep the main pair offset some 10 to 20
inches from the "seam" in the ceiling, preferably by also having the
ensemble center line offset. Mostly musicians do that without asking.

here is a recording made by me and Ove Nysom that found its way to
youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Txm-t5lbQ

Listening now; it's quite lovely. Tell us a bit more about what you
did.

This recording is made with a pair of Schoeps CCM21 subcardioids and a
single Shure KSM 141 in cardioid mode, placed at the end of the piano
about a foot from the hind leg and aimed slightly downwards parallel
with the pianos axis. The youtube version is mixed by Ove, some eq is
probably applied to main pair as well as to support.

To newbies reading this: As always with piano mics, it is never paint by
the numbers, it is the actual piano, the actual room and the actual
player that determines what works best. You need to listen to where the
sound is in focus. Good locations for jazz near the front leg, for
concerts near the middle of the bend and for "just a part of the
ensemble" near the far end, but then there is height of mic and mic or
mics and angling, do not think that a bit of text or some image from
someone elses recording or a from a brochure tells you where to place
the mic, listen and let the mic tell you.

The piano is an unusually mellow Steinway, probably from Hamburg. It had
problems some years ago after a room restoration, my speculation then
was that it had been serviced at a workshop and "had its dull sound
fixed and gotten the real Steinway shine back" with the result that it
sounded like a glockenspiel in the marble hall, it either settled back
all by itself or has had help from the tuning guys ...

If I put on a mastering hat, my only temptations might be to try
a shallow medium-Q cut somewhere in the 800-1100 hz region

That comment is what delayed the follow-up, I had to find the files and
try mixing them, this one just went into my vault. Yees, but lowering
the piano 2 dB in the mix alters it, using a single support makes setup
& packing faster but also improves the focusing effect and tends to do
less damage to the overall panorama but it also easily gets "too
focused", the blur from a pair can be an advantage. I agree, but think
either EQ or mix-alteration regarding the piano mic could be a better
strategy, Ove mixed this one and I think he has replaced his monitors
and rotated this listening angle in this room since.

Strange things happen with the reflections from the ceiling, it is a
conical horn and that reflection very definitely has a tonality and at a
guess causes a midrange unlinearity - a double "dip peak" sequence
starting an octave lower - in that region, one of the features of that
compensation is a 2 dB dip at 800 Hz. It was however only really obvious
on one string quartet and there is such a thing as "over fixing it".

; possibly add just a very wee bit somewhere
in the 125-250 range.

Yes, there is a dip in the energy around 150 Hz. Interestingly however
the perspective widens with a gentle 2 dB dip there rather than a boost.
It could be the effect of the audience, I just never thought of
comparing energy spectra between rehearsal and concert.

In the end I settled on fixing neither, there are no response issues
with the deployed microphones in that region and there is just too much
variation depending on the exact position of the musician(s).

But it's generally nice.

Thank you all!

Frank
Mobile Audio

Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[Tom McCreadie]

Peter Larsen wrote:

It is critically important to keep the main pair offset some 10 to 20
inches from the "seam" in the ceiling, preferably by also having the
ensemble center line offset

Can you remind us of the rationale behind this, Peter. Is it just the "minimize
any peaks and nulls issues from standing waves?" (in the same sense as taking
care not to place loudspeakers or the listening-seat slap bang in the middle of
a symmetric room.)

And have you consistently encountered significant or dramatic improvements from
this small attention to detail?....in other venues also?
Thanks

[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

On 16-07-2014 08:37, Tom McCreadie wrote:

Peter Larsen wrote:

It is critically important to keep the main pair offset some 10 to 20
inches from the "seam" in the ceiling, preferably by also having the
ensemble center line offset

Can you remind us of the rationale behind this, Peter.

Stay well out of focal points.

Is it just the "minimize
any peaks and nulls issues from standing waves?" (in the same sense as taking
care not to place loudspeakers or the listening-seat slap bang in the middle of
a symmetric room.)

Whenever you have a reflection from a side wall you have a comb filter.
Put a mic pair smack dab in the middle of a center line and you have the
very same comb filter on both.

And have you consistently encountered significant or dramatic improvements from
this small attention to detail?....in other venues also?

This is also about how it sounds in the room, especially with singing
wimmen. They either screech or are smooth.

You can walk around in a room speaking softly and feel the effect of its
acoustics on your voicebox, on some locations the room helps you and on
some it combats you.

Thanks

Kind regards

Peter Larsen