[BC] The real thing....

[Robert Orban]

I used to record concerts with three spaced U67s (left/center/right), 
with the center panned equally into the L and R channels of the 
stereo recording at a level that was subjectively determined to fill 
the "hole in the middle" problem that occurs when one uses spaced L 
and R microphones. The BSO recordings you describe use one of many 
"coincident array" techniques that were originated in Europe (by Alan 
Blumlein), just as the spaced array techniques were originated at 
Bell Labs. Coincident techniques generally give more precise stereo 
imaging, while spaced arrays give more spaciousness.

As a counter-example of "simple miking," you might want to give some 
of the San Francisco Symphony Mahler Cycle recordings a listen to see 
what you think. These were all recorded from live concerts (Michael 
Tilson Thomas, the conductor, believes that this gives the 
performances more "fire") with an *extremely* complex miking setup to 
minimize audience noise. The Tonmeister arranged for a scaffolding to 
be suspended above the stage to mount the microphones. (I was in the 
audience during a number of these recordings so I was able to see 
this first-hand.) The recordings are all SACD five-channel surround 
with a CD layer.

Even Jack Vad's recordings for the SFS broadcasts are non-minimalist, 
but he uses far fewer microphones than are used for the recordings 
intended for SACD release.

Finally, I should note that major classical recordings are supervised 
by at least one producer and the mix is not simply determined by a 
"recording technician's individual taste" but rather by the taste of 
the producer and conductor. It is the engineer's job to bring this to fruition.

At 04:26 AM 9/25/2008, RichardBJohnson at comcast.net wrote:
>Symphony Halls were designed so that individual
>instruments could be heard with extreme clarity.
>Miking instruments destroys the hall and substitutes
>a recording technician's individual taste which,
>although it may be okay, it is seldom what the
>master who wrote the score had in mind. Note that
>Stravinsky and others wrote for a hall, not for
>a microphone!