Experiences with Orchestra.net or similar?

[seanmccoy]

I have a client who has done several film/documentary projects with me who is now interested in using a full orchestral accompaniment for an upcoming music CD, so I'm looking into the affordable Eastern European options for him. Does anybody here have experience with sessions that were recorded in this fashion? I know this isn't a composer forum, but some of you may have mixed film projects that used music from Orchestra.net or the like, so any opinions or info are welcome.

[londontown]

Are you talking ISDN or going over there? I did two projects out in Bratislava last year which went fine, though you HAVE to record at 442 (they say they can pitch down, but frankly, they can't). I just serato my prerecords (if I have them) and then bring the recorded tracks back down for the mix and mix at 440. If it's just orch I'd do it at the higher pitch.
that studio looks rather like Smecky, in prague, which sounds, imho, like shite. They tend to wash everything in verb in the control room to cover the sound. A good mixer salvaged the one session I did there using a bunch of my samples, but...ouch. Mercifully it was a small enough project and I retracked all the brass in London, bit the bullet on the package fee, and the client was happy.

The musicians might be fine but the studio is a biiiiiiig letdown.

Bratislava and some others are in old soviet radio studios which can be pretty great. They have character!
The language barrier is a problem but can be surmounted with a good conductor. I liked Brat a lot, it's a great city, they've done a lot of good stuff (giacchino went out there for Cloverfield) and with a decent engineer it can be made to sound really pretty great.

I've heard rumors that Amsterdam might be an up and coming location though...no contacts alas yet, but I can't wait if it is
Seattle is another possibility you might want to investigate...less players in seattle can sound just as good as more in Europe. The recording engineer is a crucial thing though, they HAVE to know the room.

Originally Posted by seanmccoy

I have a client who has done several film/documentary projects with me who is now interested in using a full orchestral accompaniment for an upcoming music CD, so I'm looking into the affordable Eastern European options for him. Does anybody here have experience with sessions that were recorded in this fashion? I know this isn't a composer forum, but some of you may have mixed film projects that used music from Orchestra.net or the like, so any opinions or info are welcome.

[seanmccoy]

Are you saying the studio mentioned by Orchestra.net is the lousy sounding room?

I'd prefer not to have to there for the session, but would if necessary. I'll check into Seattle for sure, and I've also heard some good things about the Utah Symphony doing this sort of thing. Thanks for all the info.

[dr.sound]

Sean,
I've had experience with both Brat and Seattle. You must have a good Engineer in both places. If you have very little money you should go to Bratislava. I wasn't too fond of the Piano I got in Bratislava but the rest can be made to sound very big and full.

[londontown]

Originally Posted by seanmccoy

Are you saying the studio mentioned by Orchestra.net is the lousy sounding room?

I'd prefer not to have to there for the session, but would if necessary. I'll check into Seattle for sure, and I've also heard some good things about the Utah Symphony doing this sort of thing. Thanks for all the info.

Yeah, that's the one I think...Smecky is pretty horrible. It's just not designed for it. If there is another room it might well be better, but it depends how large you're going. They also record in the Rudolphinum which is absolutely lovely I've heard, but you have to book a LONG way in advance, it's rarely available, and it's expensive. Apart from that, just great!

The air con has to be turned off every time to start a take. Maybe string tracking might be okay, but forget about any band where the room tone is paramount eg. woods/brass with strings. I really enjoyed Bratislava though. City is pretty fun too...and very cheap. It's worth making the trip if you can get a flight cheap (one flies to Vienna and then usually they can arrange for a pickup there, as the city is a drive across the border).

Utah's not bad, I've heard. Never recorded with orchestra there.

Wherever you go, have to second getting an experienced engineer and making sure you have lots of mic options isn't a bad idea juuuuuust in case. Worth paying the extra for sure. And if you do europe book more time than you need...you're going to want it, even with great performances, mostly for room noises as these old soviet rooms don't half creeeeeak and make little crackling noises. The headphones can be a bit dodgy sometimes too, so you need someone experienced in riding clicks if you're using them otherwise reverb tails such as they are....bleh.

Also Seattle in the middle of summer can have a similar problem...they tend to record at Bastyr, this chapel in a university which doesn't sound bad, but it has stained glass windows. One project we had unbearable clicking noises as soon as the sunlight hit the glass...every second or so, an audible click that sounded just like a word clock cable had come loose...but generally I've enjoyed working up there. It IS a little more expensive than europe or utah etc. though.

[joenovice]

speaking as a composer.....

Why not look for a person skilled in the usage of VSL and EWQL Symphonic? While these are seqeuences, many non-musicians have trouble telling the difference between a poorly recorded orchestra and a high quality sample-instrument sequence. Persoanlly I've even sent sequenced orchestral stuff to University music professors who responded with questions like "Where did you have this recorded?" or "Who were the performers?"

Granted you don't have to COOL factor.... "We had the music recorded by a European symphony."..... but you can get quality music for less investment and headache.

[seanmccoy]

Originally Posted by joenovice

speaking as a composer.....

Why not look for a person skilled in the usage of VSL and EWQL Symphonic?

I actually am a pretty skilled MIDI arranger, and though my work isn't as amazing as some of the incredible MIDI mockups some guys over at Northernsounds have done, I would have no problem with doing the work if the idea was to add orchestral accompaniment to otherwise pop-oriented music. In fact I have done that for this client in the past, and we haven't ruled out using MIDI stuff and adding a handful of live players, which is how a lot of low-budget film music is produced. His idea for this project is for the orchestra to be featured and out front, which is where the sometimes subtle, sometimes glaring differences between even the best sampled orchestra and a live one can't be hidden.

[joenovice]

I still stand by the idea that "Non-musicians can't tell" provided it's crafted and mixed well.

Yes, the real thing sounds better. Yes, most musicians and some video professionals can tell.

Bottom line... it's just a thought/suggestion.