John Atkinson[_2_]
January 26th 09, 01:22 PM
On Jan 25, 11:56 pm, "Soundhaspriority" > wrote:
> John, I've just been listening to your recording, "Rendevous", recorded
> Salina, Kansas. Willing or not, you've been my recording mentor, and this
> particular one answered a question burning in my mind:
>
><snip>
>
> I put the CD on without reading the liner notes first, and my first
> impression was of a marvelously discrete, yet coherent soundstage,
> and I wondered, as I usually do, where you got the acoustics.
Thank you Bob. Yes the soundstage is artificial, but it does
reflect what you would have heard at the sessions.
> 1. For the final image, you chose to put the vibes on the left, the sax in
> the center, and the drums as a rather diffuse background that might be
> panned slightly right. Was this choice motivated by the traditions of jazz
> combos, by emulation of an expected recorded sound, or other factors?
This was the physical layout of the musicians in the hall. By
panning the close-miked signals to the same place in the stereo
mix, the inevitable leakage would help create the illusion of
a soundstage rather than fight it. I also used stereo miking for
the vibes and drums, and much of what you hear as the
hall acoustic is the contribution of the overhead stereo pair
on the drums.
> 2. Were there constraints caused by bleed?
As with my Merkin Hall jazz recording, the bleed limited the
range of adjustments I could make to the balance.
> 3. You used quite a variety of mikes. Were the specific assignments
> very strongly determined, or more a matter of habit and hunch? The
> 4006es were assigned to sax/trombone; was this to allow closer
> placement to these lower volume instruments?
Only partly. It was also because I needed to use my
directional mikes on the drums and vibes.
> I will be recording my first fully rehearsed/in a concert hall session
> shortly, employing purist techniques.
Have a great time!
John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile
> John, I've just been listening to your recording, "Rendevous", recorded
> Salina, Kansas. Willing or not, you've been my recording mentor, and this
> particular one answered a question burning in my mind:
>
><snip>
>
> I put the CD on without reading the liner notes first, and my first
> impression was of a marvelously discrete, yet coherent soundstage,
> and I wondered, as I usually do, where you got the acoustics.
Thank you Bob. Yes the soundstage is artificial, but it does
reflect what you would have heard at the sessions.
> 1. For the final image, you chose to put the vibes on the left, the sax in
> the center, and the drums as a rather diffuse background that might be
> panned slightly right. Was this choice motivated by the traditions of jazz
> combos, by emulation of an expected recorded sound, or other factors?
This was the physical layout of the musicians in the hall. By
panning the close-miked signals to the same place in the stereo
mix, the inevitable leakage would help create the illusion of
a soundstage rather than fight it. I also used stereo miking for
the vibes and drums, and much of what you hear as the
hall acoustic is the contribution of the overhead stereo pair
on the drums.
> 2. Were there constraints caused by bleed?
As with my Merkin Hall jazz recording, the bleed limited the
range of adjustments I could make to the balance.
> 3. You used quite a variety of mikes. Were the specific assignments
> very strongly determined, or more a matter of habit and hunch? The
> 4006es were assigned to sax/trombone; was this to allow closer
> placement to these lower volume instruments?
Only partly. It was also because I needed to use my
directional mikes on the drums and vibes.
> I will be recording my first fully rehearsed/in a concert hall session
> shortly, employing purist techniques.
Have a great time!
John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile