Klarinet Archive - Posting 000272.txt from 2009/01

From: David Craig <dl_craig@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Inauguration clarinet
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:32:07 -0500

The following is a link to the referred to performance.=A0 The presence of =
microphones are quite obvious.=0A=0A=0Ahttp://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/ente=
rtainment/classicalmusic/2009/01/inaugural_premiere_resonates_w.html=0A=0A=
=A0=0ADave Craig=0A=0A=0A=A0=0A=0A=0A----- Original Message ----=0AFrom: Be=
njamin Maas <benmaas@-----.org=0ASent: W=
ednesday, January 21, 2009 10:04:39 AM=0ASubject: RE: [kl] Inauguration cla=
rinet=0A=0A=0A> -----Original Message-----=0A> From: Fernando Jos=E9 Silvei=
ra=0A> Subject: RES: [kl] Inauguration clarinet=0A> =0A> Hi Folks.=0A> I sa=
w it on CNN international.=0A> For me they were not playing, since fingers =
of Mr. Ma did not =0A> correspond, sometimes, to the notes; yet, there was =
no =0A> microphone at all and if it was there, would have a lot of =0A> noi=
se to the listeners... Probably the music was =0A> pre-recorded, what is, f=
or the occasion, a smart decision.=0A> For the truth, and on my opinion, th=
e music for clarinet was =0A> not so important than violin and cello.=0A> =
=0A=0ASorry, the microphones were quite definitely there.=A0 It did not sou=
nd like=0Ait was pre-recorded and played in sync.=A0 There were too many is=
sues with the=0Arecording and the sync to the fingers from what I saw on th=
e NBC feed was=0Aperfect.=0A=0AIf you care, there were 2 microphones visibl=
e through much of the=0Aperformance, they were just positioned very low.=A0=
One was a Neumann TLM 170=0Athat looked like it was in front of the cello =
and the other was an=0AEarthworks mic of some sort (couldn't identify a mod=
el) likely in front of=0Athe violin.=A0 Couldn't tell what was in front of =
the clarinet.=A0 The=0Ainstruments were mic'd very closely and they used a =
LOT of reverb to try to=0Amake it sound like an ensemble.=A0 IMO, the piano=
balance was also quite low=0Afor that ensemble.=0A=0AAlso as an FYI, just =
because you think you don't see microphones, it does=0Anot mean that they a=
re not there.=A0 Today, microphone technology has changed=0Ato the point wh=
ere there are some very good sounding microphones that can=0Amount on an in=
strument and are about the size of a match head.=A0 I've been=0Aknown to mi=
c entire string sections with these mics and have had great sound=0Athat ha=
s thrilled clients.=A0 I have even used similar microphones to mic a=0Aclar=
inet (usually mounted on the performers chest- I can thank Richard=0AStoltz=
man for that suggestion as he was the first that required that in a=0Ashow)=
.=0A=0AAlso, it is not an unknown thing in situations where video is used t=
o=0Aposition microphones outside of the shot or the view of the camera.=A0 =
In this=0Acase, they didn't appear to use them, but several microphone manu=
facturers=0A(notably Schoeps, Sennheiser, DPA and Neumann) have some very g=
ood sounding=0Asetups where the capsule of a small microphone is removed an=
d placed using=0Aany one of a series of attachments in a way that is very l=
ow profile.=A0 Think=0AAcademy Awards podium or the three tenors.=A0 In bot=
h cases, you had multiple=0Amicrophones with a very low profile that are ve=
ry high quality.=0A=0AI would not use finger sync as a deciding factor.=A0 =
There were major sync=0Aissues with the broadcast on at least one network (=
ABC) that I was watching.=0AAt one point towards the beginning of the broad=
cast, there was close to a=0Ahalf of a second difference.=A0 Then, they wou=
ld cut away to crowd shots and=0Awhen they would return, the sync was close=
.=A0 However, this scene repeated=0Aitself no less than 6 times in the firs=
t 20 minutes or so. It became so=0Adistracting for me that I changed channe=
ls.=A0 When I switched to NBC, the=0Afeed was much better and stayed in syn=
c.=0A=0A--Ben=0A=0ABenjamin Maas=0AFifth Circle Audio=0ALong Beach, CA=0Aht=
tp://www.fifthcircle.com=0A=0A=0A=0A=0A=0A---------------------------------=
---------------------------------=0AThe 2009 Woodwind.Org Donation Drive is=
going on right now - see=0Ahttps://secure.donax-us.com/donation/ for more =
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t-digest-unsubscribe@-----.=0AFor a list of co=
oodwind.org=0A=0A=0A

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