Recording Orchestras

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 8:36 am

Simmosonic wrote:

Always keep a cake of soap in your pocket; if the ship sinks, you'll be able to wash yourself ashore.

Oh GOD...please get healthy!

Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:26 pm

I've been recording orchestras in southwest VA for the past year and a half using the following equipment:

2 - DPA 4006 omnis in A-B stereo
1 - Pendulum MDP-1 stereo tube preamp
1 - Pendulum OCL-2 stereo tube compressor/limiter

Occasionally I'll augment this with some spot microphones but have gotten really good results with just the 2 mics. Luckily, I'm working in a great sounding concert hall with adjustable acoustics. I've been very happy with the results from this simple setup and would certainly recommend it to others.

The section of DPA's website called Microphone University is really good at explaining the various techniques and equipment for recording large ensembles. I have also found their phone support to be amazing - I have been able to speak a number of times with the president of the company about my specific challenges. Everyone there seems very knowledgeable about recording classical music.

I can also recommend two books:

1) The New Stereo Soundbook by Ron Streicher & F. Alton Everest
2) The Microphone Book by John Eargle

While not specifically about classical recording, these two books are great resources for learning how to capture the heart and soul of your sound sources. Dig in!

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