At this point I haven’t edited the concert, so I’ve got nothing to comment on just yet!

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I was looking forward to this concert for awhile.  It’s not often for an engineer to get a chance to record renaissance music in a truly large church performed by a professional ensemble, and I can say I was gitty the whole way.  From a recording perspective, its difficult to not to get a good recording, especially with a pair of omnis, a really quiet and pristine preamp and running clean lines.  So I had fun.

I ended up having the mic’s position in a weird, more non-traditional spot.  The only down side was not being able to get control over the ventilation system, which rumbled quite badly under the floor (a common theme in many of my blogged entries here).  I also got a more distant and reverberant sound than I think I normally like hearing, especially for a live concert (which usually means closer to the audience, and higher signal to noise ratio).  On the up-side, having to spend more time on artificially creating the natural compression from being further away from a sound source has a better musical result on a chamber recording.  I still like it!

Please visit the website to see microphones

Please visit the website to see microphones

Hopefully from the photos you can assume this was a large production, and rendition of Carmen (which is a famous opera~for those of you not so operally inclined~about a woman who has a lover that kills her in the end, written in French by a Frenchman, set in Spain, with English subtitles, that takes 4 acts to get through).  For a smaller market, I thought the show was done very well housing beautiful sets, great talent and [what I love most of all] a professional pit.

Making a professional recording on a smaller budget with what I will call untrained recording musicians has challenges.  By untrained I’m referring to musicians, directors or other people who are not used to seeing microphones, knowing/fullfilling the needs of an engineer or consider repercussions on the recording when making decisions (usually the night before a show).  Being this was nowhere near my first encounter with an untrained musician and having solid opera recording experience under my belt I had a good idea of what I wanted to do.... the difficulty was getting there.

For starters, no hanging mics, no visible equipment, and little time for experimenting.  Nothing out of the ordinary for classical productions.  I visited the hall a week prior to get more information about the audio setup after receiving poor information from the facility directors, outdated information online (no official rider) and no rehearsal schedule during tech week. I was given a tour that proved to be much different to what I arrived to on opening night.  I found The Pikes Peak Center to be wired correctly, but used backwards by having isolated splits in a sound-proof room used for live sound and direct splits terminating to a center handicap row being powered by a somewhat broken phantom power supply (that translates into the preconcert speech volume too loud one night and barely audible the second).  To make matters worse, my full-time job was generously reorganized to allow the hour in a half drive from Denver to the Springs leaving a half hour to plug-in microphones and setup the computer. On the day of the concert my prearranged loading dock parking was chained off leaving the next closest spot was 3 blocks away.  You get the idea…

Given the situation, I can proudly say the last night’s recording finally came together well enough I wouldn’t bury it under fire and brimstone.  The standard LCR PCC (well, actually 2 PCCs and one Shure...but that’s because the 2nd was better suited for being tapped to the wall for a backstage feed than having a nice mix) configuration always has decent results per low profile tradeoff and having a pair of omnis in the pit with supporting highlights does the trick for me.  I also took splits from hanging Schoeps that happened to be just far enough apart to have phasing and at the perfect position to hear splatty brass (where as the omnis didn’t… ).  I would have loved to reposition the mics, but I wasn’t able to hear it during the concert....because I wasn’t allowed next to my equipment.... So a little EQ and special sauce and things started sound like I knew what I was doing.  Should make for a nice stereo and surround mix.

Of course, to do any sort of cool surround, movie work I need the movie.... and though one was “going to be provided” I’m still waiting for Colorado Video to send one.

There was one thing about the Pikes Peak Center I thought was fascinating… they have a true, real to life, original plate reverb behind a bed in a basement...and still plugged in.

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I call this a trio: piano, violin and HVAC.  Every time I record in this space it sounds like that either the blower is getting louder, or the musicians are getting quieter.  The sad part is because this is part of a school, everything is under lock and key so disabling the blower takes signed permission by Norad down the street.

As for the recording, I tend to find better spots each time recording here.  I get the “that’s ugly” speech from the stage hands, so I think I’ll start breaking them in with what most recording engineers will do; STANDS EVERYWHERE!  During the sound check, I was only able to test piano (the violinist was a no-show), so I got a decent piano sound...maybe a bit distant and had issues getting an even balance (I blame the piano itself).  As for the violin, it was off to the left somewhere… While hanging provides a degree of visual space and tends to be audience proof, it’s almost impossible to position once in place.  Getting good sounds just takes a bit of previous experience and a dash of luck… as well as a good pair of spaced omnis.

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Titled “Margaret Miller and Friends” was a concert of mostly string duets.  A quick, non-gaff taped, hang of the spaced omnis while tossing in a 414 (shown is a PCC) made a stress-free concert to record.  Had it not been for the Louisa Center’s loud HVAC and the inability to shut it off, the recording would have actually sounded pretty good at an overall sonic level.  Gotta love recording at grade schools where everything is locked down, and no one has keys.

Please visit the website to see microphones

A very simple concert of voice and piano featuring performers in the upcoming performance of Carmen here in the Springs.  From a recording perspective there is only so much that can be done.  Singers move around, balance changes, and sight lines are more important than ever.  Nine times outa ten I use a stereo pair and leave those variables up to the performers.  Because this venue has such a wide expansion for hanging (a stand is not an option), I initially thought about doing a 3 across the front idea with 3 Crown PCC 160s [the magic mic].  Having only one, I substituted the outer two with 414s.

Many thanks go to Bob, a veteran from Anchorage for some good pointers an ideas to make a no-so-favored situation into something rather interesting.

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Round two at the Shove Chapel.  A great space with good sounds, but with older buildings comes power and wiring nightmares.  I had splitters rushed-shipped to take splits of two microphones for poetry readings, and after a good hour before the concert of troubleshooting grounding/buz issues I had to give up the split.

The rest of the concert was magical (as usual).  Deborah had some great ideas of putting the choir moving around the church and taking advantage of the various stages in Shove.  So what should an engineer do about a moving choir?  I asked the director what sort of recording she would like; one that sounds as if the choir is moving, or if its in the same location.  Of course one means a single main mix, most likely favoring the front of the stage, and the other approach of mic’ing each location.  Personally I like the simpler “effect” approach of a single array (regardless of the fact I don’t have the ability to mic 5 different locations in a large church yet!).  My argument is that this is a live concert and reproducing what occurred.  Even if the recording turned into an album I would feel the importance of preserving the natural concert is better musically, financially and logistically (and also practical!).

Josh Klahn was at it again taking photos of me working and of the concert.... but more of me.... which is weird on my end....  So thanks to him for some great shots!

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Joint concert with a local high school in a larger church in the area.

Finally being able to utilize a rig built for chamber/natural sound recordings with few microphones was relaxing. However, having cable issues was not. The concert was also video recorded for the school’s local access channel and I provided an audio feed.

The goal was to find the right balance in the [new] space. The church is big, but not THAT big, so reverberation time isn’t as strong as it looks, and the spacial field narrows quickly [I think] due to the church’s narrow design. Walking around I found some great spots to put future microphones (if I had the cable!) but I suspect the ease of finding these spots is harder in this church than a larger cathedral. To supplement the larger distance from the choir and loss of the lower mail voice I put two large diaphragm (414’s) behind the choir - a trick I learned at Western Michigan University. If you’re thinking of taking this idea, I welcome it, but it’s tricky and there are a few other details I’m hiding

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“Songs from the 1920’s and 1930’s” melody featuring an Amy Sue Hardy accompanied by Ken Miller (Director of Entertainment at the Broadmoor Hotel), Jay Hahn on bass, and Richard Clark on drums.

First time taking the newly built recording rig to a remote concert, and maybe not the best situation to figure out what’s working and what’s not.  I took lots of time testing the gear, but still found a cable not functioning properly that evening.  Unfortunately it was one of the main cables holding a flown stereo bar with the B&K’s.  The width of this stage was also impressive and difficult to keep a mic rig above lighting sights.  I also used hi-lights on the three band members and took splits from the live rig.  Another unfortunate aspect concerned the arrangement of the provided live sound, though I tried to do my best to help out.  Can’t do everything!

For a jazz recording with the problems that happened and wishing for another cable or two, I do like how the recording turned out.

Please visit the website to see microphones