Classical Stereo Recording Techniques

Eargle, Ch. 13

Basic Concerns

Ideal listening position is not ideal microphone position. Live listening allows for better focus.

Difficult to reproduce full range of spatial cues through stereo miking and playback.

Most common approach is to place mic’s at Row A, with home playback effect positioning listener at Row J.

Basic Instrument Acoustics

Sound generally radiates forward and upward.

Musician’s prefer uncarpeted floor.LF essentially non-directional.HF more complex.

Brass, along axes of instruments. Woodwinds, (depends)

Basic (2)

Strings LF omnidirectional Mid perpendicular to top plate or belly HF fairly broad

Piano and Percussion vary widely

Dynamic Range

Any given instrument, within a given frequency range, 35 - 40 dB.

Horn up to 65 dB over its entire frequency range.

Clarinet has broadest dynamic range within a given frequency range – 50 dB in its middle range.

Full orchestras generally have around a 90 dB range from noise floor to peaks.

Individual Instruments

Read on your own!!

Accent Microphones (Spot Mics)

Used to bring out certain sub-groups within a larger ensemble.

Usually cardiodsUsually necessary to delay accents

relative to main mix ( X m / 344 seconds)Pan accent mics to position of sub-group

in main mixRelative level varies according to main

level. (most often -6 to -12 dB below)

Reverberation

Settings vary by ensemble, room size, style and historical period Liturgical music tends to have the most reverb. Chamber music the least. Classical and modern music will both have

shorter reverb times. Romantic music more.

Fig. 13 - 17 in Eargle (p. 213)