 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Geoffrey
Date: 2002-01-15 18:33
what's the best way to audition by audio tape/cd? do it at home with regular sstuff, on the computer, or in a studio? what kinda equipment is ok?
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Author: Francesca
Date: 2002-01-15 20:41
If you don't have quality equipment with an acoustically good room, I wouldn't recommend home recording. Most high schools and colleges have studios you can use. If that's not an option, for a nominal fee, a "professional" recording studio will usually let you use their stuff. I've been turned down for positions because of the poor recording that I've tried to do myself. Definitely get someone to help you out.
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Author: anna
Date: 2002-01-15 23:34
how much is it to use someone else's studio?
i saw some at Mar's Music the other day. there are some other stores t00
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Author: donald nicholls
Date: 2002-01-16 03:39
the main thing is- if you are going to do it yourself make absolutely sure that you don't distort the recording. For example, if any piece has high notes, make 100% sure you set the level for this bit.
home recordings or recordings in acoustically challenged rooms can be ok if you play really well- i have won two auditions from such tapes (one in a kitchen, another in an acoustically dead room with no reverb added afterward). However one tape i made- in a concert hall with great acoustics- sounded ok only i didn't quite set the levels correctly and ended up getting distortion as i hit the top note in the Ginastera Variations excerpt... Apparently at this point the audition commite turned my tape off, a little unfair as most of the other applicants (a mixture of live and tapes) didn't actually get the top note..... (but hey, the person they picked was really really good so i don't feel bad about this)
the microphone is as important as what you are taping on- for instance, a good quality stereo cassette deck with a good microphone will work better than a cheap Minidisk player/recorder with a cheap clip-on mic.
hope that this is helpful- just paying someone else to do it has the added benefit of reducing stress, if you have the money....
nzdonald
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Author: Ken
Date: 2002-01-18 11:30
Donald, I don't know who or what audition committee you were auditioning for, whether a school ensemble, advanced or professional position of some sort. IMHO, I would seriously question the credentials, priorities and organization "itself" of a committee that would assign "equal weight" and judge the sound quality of a demo tape along side musical content unless it was simply undistinguishable. And then disqualify a candidate based on it? ... absurd. Recordings even in the best studio environments with cutting-edge digital equipment can still be and are unrepresentative of the artist. Any professional musician with real-time industry knowledge and experience knows that and will take that into account when previewing audition CDs/tapes. You're auditioning as a clarinetist, not a sound engineer. There have been times when I intentionally submitted demo tapes of "live" performances where I was at the mercy of the sound engineer. But I wanted the listener to hear my best work and I happened to play better at that moment in time, and in that setting than in the "sterile" studio recording I did.
If you grew up in the B&W era, it's mind boggling how fast technology has improved, how good it is as well as cheap. A quick fix, and suitable @home studio for "solo clarinet" recordings of any type. Get a decent recordable cassette/CD boom box with "stereo condenser" mics. Find the smallest contained area in the house with hard surfaces, a room you can fit your box, music stand and ability to sit and play comfortably (normally a powder room, full bathroom, pantry or shed will serve, be creative). Set yourself as close as you can against one wall or at an angle to the corner of two walls. Hang blankets, large quilts, afghans, etc covering as much of the walls to the floor. Don't put anything on the floor yet. Get a table or something that will securely hold the box "right above" the music stand facing you. If the box doesn't have recording levels, experiment with placement and distance making sure the instrument can be heard as clearly and evenly as possible throughout the range of the piece(s) (move the box NOT you). If the playback has too much echo, sustain or decay place a throw rug or door mat at your feet to further deaden/focus the sound. This set-up should make a perfectly acceptable demo tape, especially playing etudes or unaccompanied works. Local studios very in price ($20 to $100) and usually rent by the hour.
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