 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
69.73.18.34
In Reply to: I was astonished . . . posted by markrohr on September 8, 2006 at 09:05:25:
"this is one of the several reasons multimike classical recordings cannot sound real. The audience doesn't hear instruments from 12 inches away."Actually, it does sound "real," it just doesn't sound "live." I don't want to once again get into a discussion of "live" vs recording, but I'm not convinced that recorded sound can (or should) sound exactly like a "live" performance.
So, for me, it is not an issue of the number of mikes. It is an issue of audio quality. I have heard multi-miked recordings that I enjoy. I have also heard many, many "live" recordings that were single-miked, that had dreadful audio.
I'm not defending any particular recording, and an not even defending the close miking of individual instruments. I'm just saying that good audio quality is not the product of only microphone placement, but a lot of other factors as well.
That said, I dislike most of Perlman's recordings because the violin is too "out front" and out of balance with the orchestra. That is a result of all sorts of choices, only one of which is the close miking of the violin. In other words, I agree with you regarding these recordings, but disagree that it is to be blamed solely on multi-miking.
Follow Ups:
Instruments do not sound the same from 2 feet as from 30+ feet, and we never hear them that way in a concert. They invariably sound bright, hard, and ugly from that distance.I hear instruments from "too close" every day, and it is an instant, dead give-away that this is a multimike production when I hear it on a recording. The other "unrealities" of multimike recordings--unnatural balances (why is that oboe louder than the whole brass section?) and comb-filtering follow right behind. I still listen, because I'm after performance first and sound second, but I don't care for it.
I've heard some pretty good multimike jobs, especially the ones that employ time-delay to even up the arrival time between the close mikes and the stereo pair, since that helps reduce the comb-filtering. Also, the RR recordings are multiple mike but always in stereo pairs and not so close. They're pretty good, too.
But for me, the extreme closeness is a "suspension of disbelief" buster. I don't really like the "better than live" clarity it gives, but to each his own.
So, it seems we are actually in agreement, then. It is possible to use multiple microphones in ways that do sound good. However, close miking of individual instruments is not one of those ways. I can live with that.
. . . alas, 99% of multimike recordings are close-miked, too. RR has discovered a way to do it--multiple pairs--but because it takes more time in the recording session to get the balance right, it will never become the common way of doing things.Money comes first for the record companies.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
