Klarinet Archive - Posting 000540.txt from 1999/10

From: "Benjamin Maas" <benmaas@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Funny Nielsen recording
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 19:21:14 -0400

> At 03:24 PM 10/18/1999 +0100, Michael Whight wrote:
> >Well yes I am well aware of what is possible but just because we have the
> >technology doesn't necessarily mean that it is good to use it. I
> am not in
> >favour of trying to produce a "definative" recording- in fact I
> am against
> >anyone trying to tell the public what is " the best" as the whole process
> >seems to me to be contrary to what live music is all about.
>
> Correct. But it is exactly what RECORDED music is all about.
>

THANK YOU!!!! This is exactly what my point was.

> ...However would it not be
> >better to record the atmosphere of a performance. Some of my favourite
> >recordings come off the radio from live concerts. The
> engineering of these
> >can be questionable and there may be many mistakes but all of them have a
> >feeling of interaction. I guess for me it's the difference
> between going to
> >the movies or hiring a video.
>
> More like the difference between live theater and a movie. Of
> course, live
> theater is better! But if someone were to make an archival film of the
> stage show, would it not be better to dub over the fluffed lines
> and missed
> cues? I say "Yes." I personally would not care to know that MY mistakes
> are being repeated ad infinitum in thousands, or even millions, of homes
> all over the world!

Going to a concert is a totally different experience than listening to a
recording. A whole different set of rules apply. The interaction is what
gives us a sense of energy in a performance. On a recording, there is NO
interaction. Therefore, people are less willing to make excuses for
mistakes.

I am sure most of you out there are familiar with most of the big broadcast
series out there on the radio. Guess what, they all go through
post-production that more often than not includes *splicing*. There are
very few real "live" performances out there. You know all those "live" CDs
out there? They are all spliced as well. They take the best parts of
multiple concerts. If there are still problems, they schedule a session to
fix mistakes for editing. This is, in fact, one of the cheapest ways that a
recording company can hire an orchestra to make a disc.

If you want to venture down another dangerous path, we can discuss editing
in audition tapes. It is usually forbiden, but even so, most people I know
splice anyways. If it is done well, people would never know and it gives
everybody the "advantage." Recordings are not live performances and if an
edit can get them in the door, the performers will most likely do it. It
may not be honest, but it is real life in a digital age.

--Ben

Benjamin Maas
Freelance Clarinetist and Recording Engineer
Los Angeles, CA
benmaas@-----.com
http://www.fifthcircle.com

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