Thank you very much for sharing all this ! I am a french sound engineer and music lover, I find this interview with detailed explanations very exciting... A piece of history and passion.
As a local New England, USA resident, live recording engineer, and audiophile, who's attended numerous BSO concerts over many decades, this is an intriguing look into how this current BSO Team is recording concerts for both live broadcasts and recordings; using around 50 separate micropphones in one of the acclaimed best halls for symphonic music in the world! The use of multi-microphone techniques is useful for post-production mastering. However, referencing a Bob Katz commentary about audio special effects: having such extensive resources available, one must use them sparingly to not acoustically foul the original intent of the composer, conductor, musicicans and avid listeners; akin to adding too much or too many condiments to a gourmet meal! A difficult balance must be carefully struck by the producers to detail the performance characteristics without creating considerable disruptions in the nuances of listening to the live performance as intended for listeners in the hall or performance venue, of course at the discretion of the producers and performers. This team has indeed produced Grammy Award winning live concert recordings of the Shostakovich Symphonies under the direction of Andris Nelsons, but the quality of the original orchestral detail and instrument "placement" in the recordings does not accurately present the live listeners perspective or representative audio quality present in the hall. Comparison with much earlier live broadcast recordings using essentially a minimalist technique of 2 to 5 microphones in the hall, easily demonstrates the issues that will and have arisen in the more recent mult-microphoned recordings. And, regrettably, further processing in various digital formats used in local digital and HD broadcasting systems reveals even more issues with these recent recordings due to phasing anomalies, comb-filtering, and compression. So, Bob Katz' advice needs to be seriously considered in all recording activities, especially knowing that more microphones can introduce more problems... but can potentially provide worthwhile enhancements to recordings and live productions when used carefully accopmpanied by intense critical listening.
Thank you very much for sharing all this ! I am a french sound engineer and music lover, I find this interview with detailed explanations very exciting... A piece of history and passion.
As a local New England, USA resident, live recording engineer, and audiophile, who's attended numerous BSO concerts over many decades, this is an intriguing look into how this current BSO Team is recording concerts for both live broadcasts and recordings; using around 50 separate micropphones in one of the acclaimed best halls for symphonic music in the world! The use of multi-microphone techniques is useful for post-production mastering. However, referencing a Bob Katz commentary about audio special effects: having such extensive resources available, one must use them sparingly to not acoustically foul the original intent of the composer, conductor, musicicans and avid listeners; akin to adding too much or too many condiments to a gourmet meal! A difficult balance must be carefully struck by the producers to detail the performance characteristics without creating considerable disruptions in the nuances of listening to the live performance as intended for listeners in the hall or performance venue, of course at the discretion of the producers and performers. This team has indeed produced Grammy Award winning live concert recordings of the Shostakovich Symphonies under the direction of Andris Nelsons, but the quality of the original orchestral detail and instrument "placement" in the recordings does not accurately present the live listeners perspective or representative audio quality present in the hall. Comparison with much earlier live broadcast recordings using essentially a minimalist technique of 2 to 5 microphones in the hall, easily demonstrates the issues that will and have arisen in the more recent mult-microphoned recordings. And, regrettably, further processing in various digital formats used in local digital and HD broadcasting systems reveals even more issues with these recent recordings due to phasing anomalies, comb-filtering, and compression. So, Bob Katz' advice needs to be seriously considered in all recording activities, especially knowing that more microphones can introduce more problems... but can potentially provide worthwhile enhancements to recordings and live productions when used carefully accopmpanied by intense critical listening.