Critic's Corner

Posted by regmac (A) on February 21, 2010 at 12:15:48

In Reply to: RE: Perhaps you should start a thread on miking techniques posted by E-Stat on February 21, 2010 at 11:22:06

"By minimal miking, I do not refer to monophonic."

Mr. Sax used a *stereo* single-point microphone for the recording I cite. But that's neither here nor there. You seem to have some expertise regarding this matter (recording) and I'm attempting to discover *precisely* what it is that sets the Mercs (and some of the early RCA's) apart from the myriad recording companies that have come and gone since.

I liken the Mercs to the 1947 Cheval Blanc (greatest wine ever made). The '47 CB was too high in alcohol (for that era) and too low in acidity, yet remains the finest wine ever produced. Likewise, the folks responsible for the Mercs were operating under less than ideal circumstances, yet seem to have produced some of the best recordings ever made. In the case of Cheval Blanc we still aren't certain as to how it happened. Does the same hold true for the Mercs?

Fifty years of recording "improvements" have done little to diminish the achievements of the Merc engineering team. Why is that, and why can't today's recording engineers duplicate the process with routine regularity? God knows they've had ample time to study the Merc engineering process. What's more, the vast majority of audiophiles seem to be clamoring for more of that classic Merc sound. Since a ready-made market already exists for said sound, why isn't some enterprising capitalist cashing in by filling this void? When it comes to progress, sound engineering seems to have hit a rigid law of diminishing returns decades ago.