The Orchestra As Sardines

I spent the first weekend of 2011 recording a small orchestra in a small hall. Or rather, HALLWAY. 8^)#

The performance space measured about ten feet wide by fifteen feet high by thirty feet long. The performers numbered eleven: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, french horn, violin, viola, cello, contrabass, drums/percussion, piano. Plus the composer/conducter Mike Przygoda, and the recordist, yours truly.

There were a few six by eight foot practice rooms attached to the main area, and a baby grand piano in an alcove by the entrance.

With a bit of discussion about the (generally poor) room acoustics, and musician-to-conducter sight lines, and what multiple microphones would be likely to introduce in the way of phase cancellation, we decided on the following:

Still shoot for a stereo recording - mono would solve the phase problems, but finding a sweet spot for it would take too long, and anyway, stereo is almost always better...

Percussion items and drumset in a practice room with a single overhead mic (CAD M179 set to cardioid pattern). Piano lid on half-stick with a few winter coats placed over the opening, mic'ed inside with two AT4040's. Maestro Przygoda in the center of the room, conducting directly under the ten-foot tall mic stand (almost against the wall, holding two more CAD M179's, cardioid pattern, two or three feet apart, angled slightly outward). The rest of the musicians spread out across the room in a big arc, all facing the conducter, strings toward the left, woodwinds toward the right.

Recordist in the other practice room.

So here is a quick mix of one of the twenty-four pieces we recorded that weekend.




This is the primary stereo pair with some added reverb, and the unprocessed percussion track added in to the center. No stereo piano tracks added, as there is no piano in this piece.

After listening, I think I could add just a bit more volume on the percussion...what do you think?

"Dishes" Live At Martyr's

So here's a little example of some live recording - from this past summer's Diana & The Dishes cd-release party at Martyr's in Chicago. The track is titled "If You're Not Mine", and features some groovy banjo work by multi-instrumentalist Mike Przygoda.

This is a "matrix"-ed recording, a mix of the house P.A. (line out) and my binaural recording head Lamont (microphones), time-shifted, equalized, compressed, limited and high-quality mp3'ed for your listening pleasure.

Photo by Bil Gaines



If you happen to enjoy the song, you might want to pick up the album "Take A Picture", HERE or HERE.

Diana Lawrence - New Album

"Is that THE Diana Lawrence?!?"

"Is that Steve Jansen, the Moonroom GOOROO?"

YUP!

Mastering (here at the Moonroom) on the new Diana And The Dishes album (featuring super-talented singer/ songwriter/ pianist Diana Lawrence!) "Take A Picture" is complete.

Production by Mike "Doesn't-He-Ever-Stop-Working" Przygoda (where have I heard that name before?).

This album is simply a JOY to listen to: replete with string sections, bells, vibes, swirling organs, banjo, horns, phenomenal guitar work...lyrics and delivery that alternate between heartbreak and hilarity...something like Ben Folds jamming with Chicago's best session musicians with Motown's Norman Whitfield producing.

Check out a few songs at http://dianalawrence.com/ to hear what I'm talking about. The album should be out very soon - you must get it.

The PAWNS - First Line Of Defense

January 19th, the Pawns had their cd-release party at Martyr's in Chicago. Yes, the album that was recorded in less than a week (and pared down, mixed and mastered in only a year!) is finally finished. It's titled "First Line Of Defense", and if you happened to come to the show at Martyr's, you were treated to a free copy of the album: quite a special release, since the cd came in a 45-rpm-style sleeve, along with a full double-sided lyric sheet, sticker, and three buttons!

The show was a rousing success - the band managed quite well, even though there was barely enough room on stage for the multiple keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, drumset, bass, vibraphone, cello, and a bunch of amps, let alone the handful of guest musicians!

The Pawns rocked - here's the song "Off Limits" which I recorded at the show (with the help of my binaural aide, Lamont):



And because I'm so proud of the work we did on the album (mixed and mastered here at the Moonroom!), here's a song from the album, "Howard Street":



Now, there has been talk in the band that they may make this album a digital download ONLY release. If that ends up being the case, these cd's in this special package are going to be the ONLY physical release of the album.

If you are interested in getting a copy of this special release while there are still some left, contact Mike Przygoda at mprzygoda#hotmail.com (replace the # symbol with the @ symbol). I would urge you to get one while you can.

The Pawns

Mike Przygoda and Company (aka "The Pawns") and I have been secretly working on a phenomenal audio project - we've been working on mixing this upcoming release for several months now. Originally some TWENTY-NINE songs recorded with up to THIRTY-SIX tracks, it has now been pared down to about nineteen songs, and mixed down to two tracks (that's *stereo*, for you neophytes!).

Here is a hybrid from the sessions: the song is called "The Only One". The mix is a composite of a very early live performance of the song (I believe when the song was only a few days old!), a quick mix of the original recorded tracks, and a more polished "prefinal" mix.

And howbout that groovy/ugly cd cover I threw together? "Pawns? I thought you said Prawns!"...just look closely and nod like you get the joke.

Stay tuned for updates about the exciting release...