A small documentary from recording a children choir

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by Lynn Fuston

I know I'm coming to the party late, but I'd love to hear this comparison but the files are gone. I tried the parent directory but was forbidden. Are they still there? Any chance of hearing them?

Oh, I made some server shiftings some time ago and there could be some mess with moving all those files ... just looked there and they are really not there ... sorry, must look around ...

[Lynn Fuston]

Oh, you saw it. In that case, ignore the PM. It just says the same thing.

PS: It's too bad you don't get to work in the glorious auditoriums/gymnasiums that we have over here in the US.

Also, how much further away WERE the outriggers from the NOS pair? It sounds like several meters. 3-4 maybe?

I liked your balance of the two also. The outriggers seemed more ambient, but I didn't hear any time smearing, which unequal distance pickups usually exhibit.

[Or were they equidistant and just pointed away from the choir?]

[After listening again, it seems the presence is too great for the mics to be off axis to the choir. I plead ignorance of the Schoeps models. Are the outriggers omnis?]

[David Spearritt]

Ivo, great work as usual. I have a boring question. What is the brand of that rack case holding the preamps and A/D?

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by Lynn Fuston

Oh, you saw it. In that case, ignore the PM. It just says the same thing.

PS: It's too bad you don't get to work in the glorious auditoriums/gymnasiums that we have over here in the US.

Also, how much further away WERE the outriggers from the NOS pair? It sounds like several meters. 3-4 maybe?

I liked your balance of the two also. The outriggers seemed more ambient, but I didn't hear any time smearing, which unequal distance pickups usually exhibit.

[Or were they equidistant and just pointed away from the choir?]

[After listening again, it seems the presence is too great for the mics to be off axis to the choir. I plead ignorance of the Schoeps models. Are the outriggers omnis?]

The samples are back ! (although they are not really 100% ideal - we were almost packing, children were already tired ... and I suddenly remembered we should try it ...

The outriggeres were about 3 meters on each side from the main pair, whether on the same line or slightly back, I already don't remember, I think about 1 m back. Outriggers were omni (pointed directly towards the choir), NOS were wide cardioids

Originally Posted by David Spearritt

I have a boring question. What is the brand of that rack case holding the preamps and A/D?

It was SKB cases, if I am right ... http://www.skbcases.eu/

[zoom]

hi ivo,

btw another question or remark: as i see on your pics you use some special suspensions on the MK21-pair. what is the advantage of them compared to usual mic-clamps? obviously these are not elastic suspensions, or...?
on the other hand you use schoeps (A20) elastic suspensions on the mk2 outtriggers. in my opinion it would be better to go for the Mk21 with the elastic ones and standard clamps for the mk2, because wide cardioids are a bit more sensitive to vibration than the omnis.
(i assume you don't have 4x A20, which would be the best of course :-) )

cheers
stefan

[ISedlacek]

These are M600 mounts from Enhanced Audio - M600 - Microphone Mount They are excellent universal mounts, much better the original Schoeps mounts (that are very flimsy and break often). Apart from precise and flexible mounting, they also enable the mics to sound more clear and open than the usual rubber mounts, due to very special construction,. I did not experience any problems with vibrations etc. I used A20 on the outriggers from a simple reason: I did not have four M600 at that time Otherwise I would mount the omnis too in them. I did it for MK21 since it was the main pair ...

[zoom]

aha. ok, didn't know them... i had no problems using the schoeps standard clamps since they have a new softer material - i exchanged the old ones. schoeps changed the material 2 or 3 years ago. they have definitively no incluence on the sound, except if there are problems with vibration coming e.g. from wooden floor. for the mk4 always i use the A20 (which has a few disadvantages in handling).
just this one (from my rycote wind basket) is a bit too soft, which is better than none of course. but there is no chance for a suspension like the m600 if you have a m/s application, i think.

are there any comparisons (sound examples) of the m600 compared to a conventional mount? (usually i never believe in sound improvements without a double-blind test ;-) )

[mixedupsteve]

Ivo,
Have you ever thought about running the remote laptop via wireless. We do this at a Theatre I work for as a volunteer and so far so good.

[mathieujm]

I am also late... but I love these recordings... except the Gloria with piano.

I imagine it was not easy to record the piano in the reverberant big church. How did you do that ? Some spots ? Was it recorded with the choir ? I am surprised to not hear more the reverberation of the basses of the piano thru the main pair. Really I ask myself if it's a real piano ?

Otherwise, what a superb recording !

JMM

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by mathieujm

I am also late... but I love these recordings... except the Gloria with piano.

I imagine it was not easy to record the piano in the reverberant big church. How did you do that ? Some spots ? Was it recorded with the choir ? I am surprised to not hear more the reverberation of the basses of the piano thru the main pair. Really I ask myself if it's a real piano ?

Otherwise, what a superb recording !

JMM

No no, it is not a real piano, just a simple digital one recorded from the line output and from whatever reflections it produced from its tiny crappy speaker inside that church ... no real piano available there. Not possible to perform some pieces from that choir repetoire without a piano simulation

[bove]

Originally Posted by mathieujm

Really I ask myself if it's a real piano ?

JMM

If you look closely at Ivo's photos you can see the "piano," and it appears to be an electronic keyboard.

[bove]

Originally Posted by jg1983

Looks impressive, ISedlacek! Where did you get the long stereo bar from? I do a lot of recording with spaced omnis and have been searching the net for a couple of weeks now for a simple stereo bar that's about 1m long and can only find the really expensive ones (AEA, Schoeps etc.).

Jonathan

Sabra-Som makes nice modular stereo bars based on hex rod, which is easily available in many lengths. These systems are reasonably priced.

:: SABRA-SOM ::

[bove]

Ivo, Thanks for posting! This is a great recording, a fantastic choir, and a spectacular sounding room! Nicely done!




I would love to borrow a nice quiet church from the Czech countryside to use here in NY once in a while!

[mathieujm]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

No no, it is not a real piano, just a simple digital one recorded from the line output and from whatever reflections it produced from its tiny crappy speaker inside that church ... no real piano available there. Not possible to perform some pieces from that choir repetoire without a piano simulation

What a pity...

I didn't pay attention to the photos. Sorry

JMM

[danharr]

Great, inspiring work as always, Ivo! I just found this thread through the link from the Forssell thread.

It is funny how coincidences work... I was just learning about and setting up Remote Desktop to access files while working away from home on jobs. I was also trying to find a decent AES to PC interface to use on remote recording rigs. I never considered combining the two or even using in conjunction with a wireless ethernet connection! What a great idea. I wonder if you even have to use a graphics card at all on the rack mount computer? The thought of running (for example) Nuendo on a PC that has NO extraneous cards and accessing it through remote desktop is intriguing.

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by danharr

Great, inspiring work as always, Ivo! I just found this thread through the link from the Forssell thread.

It is funny how coincidences work... I was just learning about and setting up Remote Desktop to access files while working away from home on jobs. I was also trying to find a decent AES to PC interface to use on remote recording rigs. I never considered combining the two or even using in conjunction with a wireless ethernet connection! What a great idea. I wonder if you even have to use a graphics card at all on the rack mount computer? The thought of running (for example) Nuendo on a PC that has NO extraneous cards and accessing it through remote desktop is intriguing.

Carrying 2 computers was actually not that much comfortable (and relying on their cooperation). Now I have much more simple and straightforward setup: MacBook Pro with Weiss AF1 ...

[danharr]

Thanks-
I just looked up the AFI1... I'm guessing you use the AES to Firewire portion? Is the conversion to/from firewire clean? I kept hearing that the firewire interface isn't great when using Lynx or Apogee converters w/ the firewire accessory cards. But I really don't know what to do for a portable system any more!

[Audiop]

Originally Posted by danharr

Thanks-
I just looked up the AFI1... I'm guessing you use the AES to Firewire portion? Is the conversion to/from firewire clean? I kept hearing that the firewire interface isn't great when using Lynx or Apogee converters w/ the firewire accessory cards. But I really don't know what to do for a portable system any more!

I'm running a Lynx Aurora 8 with the FW-card into a laptop and have no problems capturing 8 channels(sp?) of 24/192.


/Peter