Dear All,
These are topics close to my heart at the moment, having started to make
simple MP3 recordings for my website. So far, my efforts are all
essentially single takes, though in a couple of cases with a kind of
"join in the middle". It is so hard to play a complete piece without a
blemish of any kind - from that point of view a recording is unlike a
live performance, where passion is everything and even quite large
blemishes go unnoticed. My recordings so far have plenty of blemishes,
and I would like to redo most of them to iron a few more out, but time
is in short supply. (also I have found a clearer sound now, I think, by
recording from a greater distance (still only about 1m) in a drier
acoustic and increasing the reverb time - non-obvious but you don't know
until you test it.)
As a lute maker I am keen to capture the sound of particular instruments
as well, so sugary-sweet homogeneity is definitely not what I want.
Bonne chance, Jean-Marie! J'attends les resultats avec impatience....
Best wishes,
Martin
Jean-Marie Poirier wrote:
Passion is a delicious fruit too, David ;-) ! I agree with you and I also deplore the
standardization of lute sound in recent recordings. But H2s or equivalent devices can be
very useful, impartial tools to work with, certainly NOT to make a Cd !!! I am preparing
to do a recording next summer for a little French label (Peyrole Records) whose policy is
to make ONLY live recordings, no editing AT ALL... They have a very good equipment of
course and appropriate places to record, plenty of time to do it, but I must say it still
sounds like a challenge. Have to choose the proper repertoire for a first experience, in
my case plucked strings duets with my friend and colleague Thierry Meunier (lutes,
theorbo, baroque guitar and renaissance guitars). I don't know precisely what will come
out of it but I look forward to that "test", not without apprehension, but that
is stimulating, isn't it ?
All the best,
Jean-Marie
======= 16-03-2008 21:21:06 =======
David T. wrote:
Most lute recordings are heavily processed in addition to recording
in churches or resonant spaces, so there is a kind of artificial
standard in place.
..
The reverb/church effectively removes all or most of this aspect of
the technique.
You could say that in this regard the modern taste for lute has a
sweet tooth
..
The current state of recording exists however to cover up or remove
mistakes, not to amplify the intrinsic beauty of the instrument.
Hear, hear! I couldn't agree more. My own experience as a listener and cd
reviewer, as a player with a few recordings of my own and as a producer of
some other recordings I cannot agree more with what David T. wrote. This is
how it is now and I think it is a sad state of affairs. But isn't up to us
to change this? Let's make different recordings. Let's listen with different
ears. Let's try to capture the essence of the lute sound and the musical
personalities of the players in live performances in our recordings. Let's
not make technical perfection and a lush 'easy' sound our priorities. The
results are sterile cds for easy consumption: muzak. So, to all of you out
there with your Zooms: go for the real thing, don't imitate cds, but record
yourself as realistically as possible.
David - in the middle of the easter season, hence the passion
****************************
David van Ooijen
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.davidvanooijen.nl
****************************
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://poirierjm.free.fr
16-03-2008
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