# Sound of modern orchestral recordings



## Pmartel (Feb 26, 2019)

So, just thought I'd throw this out

What are your thoughts on the sound of modern orchestral recordings??

I note that when I see photos of recording sessions a battery of microphones seems to be the norm these days

It would be so nice to see a minimalist approach to recording orchestras again much like in th early stereo days 

I do note that Chandos and some Naxos releases seem to have a very natural sound 

As I do recordings, I use an ORTF set up with minimal post editing where possible only to normalize the recording to around -9 db

As an audiophile, years back, I decided to try making recordings and had access to some chamber music groups. 

Back then I used a pair of Audio Technica AT 801 omni directional mics fed to a Boss BX 800 mixer and my bet hifi vcr

More recently, I sue Rodes NT 6 matched pair mikes fed to a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 preamp to my Macbool pro laptop recording at 96Khz 

It would be so nice to see the minimalist approach in orchestral recordings as the major labels have more money than me 

Just thought I'd put this out as I'd like to hear your thoughts on modern recordings>

Remember many classic recordings were done in 1 or 2 takes with minimal equipment and sound wonderful


----------



## Pmartel (Feb 26, 2019)

Pmartel said:


> So, just thought I'd throw this out
> 
> More recently, I sue Rodes NT 6 matched pair mikes fed to a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 preamp to my Macbool pro laptop recording at 96Khz
> 
> Sorry meant 'use'


----------



## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

Not sure how true this is of orchestral recordings, but I know popular and jazz engineers like to mic everything in isolation so that mistakes can be pulled out and re-recorded. The cost of studio time dictates that rehearsals are limited, if even allowed.


----------



## Pmartel63 (Dec 9, 2020)

NoCoPilot said:


> Not sure how true this is of orchestral recordings, but I know popular and jazz engineers like to mic everything in isolation so that mistakes can be pulled out and re-recorded. The cost of studio time dictates that rehearsals are limited, if even allowed.


Agreed, and I think the same applies to classical as well

As I said earlier, so many classic recordings were done in one or 2 takes with minimal editing

In the days of 78 records you only often got one shot at it

The sense of immediacy is lost in most modern recordings is lost


----------



## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

NoCoPilot said:


> Not sure how true this is of orchestral recordings, but I know popular and jazz engineers like to mic everything in isolation so that mistakes can be pulled out and re-recorded. The cost of studio time dictates that rehearsals are limited, if even allowed.


engineers do like to record everything in isolation, then they mix it together for the final product....this, of course, is not practical for orchestra or large ensemble recording, but I think it is insufficient for chamber music as well...the sound is very unnatural.....the whole ensemble needs to sound together, the natural blend of instruments is crucial....I've done lots of chamber music recording, and have had endless discussions with the recording engineers....recording the whole group together, adjusting the balance, letting the sounds mix works best, ime....


----------



## RobertKC (Dec 9, 2013)

I can't comment on recording techniques, but IME there are many modern classical recordings that have excellent DTS-HD MA 5.1 hi-res surround-sound audio quality, and high-definition video: https://www.talkclassical.com/54011-blu-ray-videos-classical.html?highlight=


----------



## Pmartel63 (Dec 9, 2020)

Heck148 said:


> engineers do like to record everything in isolation, then they mix it together for the final product....this, of course, is not practical for orchestra or large ensemble recording, but I think it is insufficient for chamber music as well...the sound is very unnatural.....the whole ensemble needs to sound together, the natural blend of instruments is crucial....I've done lots of chamber music recording, and have had endless discussions with the recording engineers....recording the whole group together, adjusting the balance, letting the sounds mix works best, ime....


Agreed, I too do recordings albeit primarily organ music right now, but have done chamber and orchestra with choir.

Most are all one shot deals so make the most of what I have and the sound is very natural using a pair of Rodes NT4 matched pair mikes in ORTF position and get a sense of how things should sound when I walk into a room where the recording will be done

Too much over production kills the immediacy and emotion of the recording


----------



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

For me, I often find that the acoustic of the venue has a massive effect on modern recordings. For example, the Barbican's acoustic, where the LSO Live series are recorded are awful (as were Albert Hall recordings from the past). Luckily good mic placement alleviates this in many newer recordings but when they get it slightly wrong the recordings from the Barbican sound awful and flat. Similarly highly over-reverberant recordings can just cloud detail in recordings. Venue is as important as mic placement or equipment.


----------

