Klarinet Archive - Posting 001069.txt from 1998/05

From: "Benjamin A. Maas" <bmaas@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] tips on recording
Date: Mon, 18 May 1998 23:43:23 -0400

>I thought it's time for a new topic. What tips do people have for
>recording (either live, for CD, or whatever) clarinet. What mikes are
>good? Placement? How do you run a session? Etc. How do you go about
>producing a CD? How much $$ is involved? How do you get a major label to
>pick you up? What are some other ways to cover the cost of a CD?
>
>Dan

Man, Dan....

For a recording engineer like myself this is such a loaded question. It is
almost like saying what is the best instrument, reeds and mouthpiece. My
following answers are based on personal preference and opinion (obligatory
disclaimer...)

It is not just the microphone that influences the sound. It is also the
digital medium, pre-amps, production tools, etc.... They all have their
own unique sound for a recording. Some of the microphones I personally
like include: B & O ribbon mics, RCA ribbon mics (44 and 77), Coles 4038
ribbon mics, Neumann 582 omni tube mics, AKG 426 stereo, Schoeps CMC-5
condensor mics and several others. I like the sound of the Inward
Connections Vac Rac tube preamps and I record at high bit-rate through a
Nagra D (1/4" digital reel to reel) tape machine.

Many of my choices in mics and placement depend upon the acoustics of the
room, the sound of the player, and several other factors. In a live
situation (especially with classical music), Dogma doesn't work. You have
to use your ears to get the best sound. The other thing to consider besides
placement is the pattern for your stereo pickup. Each configuration has its
own unique advantages and disadvantages.

As for running a session: Decide how much time you want to use to put the
stuff on tape and double it to allow for set-up, getting a sound, etc....
Go in with a plan so you can get through everything. Do a couple complete
takes, have your producer listen as you are playing and take notes about
rough spots. Do patches to fix those spots. You will end up with a much
more fluid sounding tape.

When my colleagues and I go out here in Los Angeles, a full CD including
recording and post-production/editing can cost about $7000-$12000 depending
upon the amount of work required. It isn't cheap, but at least here, that
is what a high-end recording will cost. In addition to this, you need to
worry about replication.

If you want a major label to pick you up.... good luck. You need to be
pretty famous for most labels to be interested. Pick up a book like the
Recording Industry Source Book (pub. Mix Bookstore) or Musical America to
get addresses and contacts for record companies. This is something I
actually don't have a lot of experience in (but need to because my
contemporary music ensemble wants to record a disc)

To cover the costs, look for grants. There are tons of foundations that
fund such things. It just takes a bit of research. Go to your local
foundation center library (http://fdncenter.org/ for a listing) and ask for
help.

Well, enough rambling. Hope this helps. There are several people on the
list who have gone through the process as well. Perhaps they will discuss
experiences.

--Ben

Benjamin Maas
Clarinetist and Digital Recording Engineer
Student, University of Southern California
Executive Director, Digital Renaissance Consort
bmaas@-----.net
bmaas@-----.edu

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