PHILOSOPHY

My Philosophy of Recording

I would describe my style of recording as “minimalist,” and it’s best summarized by this fantastic quote from noted classical audio engineer Richard King: 

“The secret of recording--especially where classical music is concerned--is simply getting the microphones in the right place... In fact the real secret of recording is to use the least amount of microphones possible, and pay special attention to their placement.” 

This is why I limit myself to eight microphones for chamber music. For chamber music, I like a very simple recording process that captures the sound of the room, as well as the blend and “bloom” of the various instruments in the space. I minimize the use of spot microphones and almost completely avoid post-production effects and processing (e.g. artificial reverb, compression, EQ treatment, etc.).

What follows is my personal perspective on making good chamber music recordings, specifically the most important elements that result in a good recording.  I call this ranked list the “Golden Spiral,” which is made up of five elements each starting with the letter “P:” Performance, Place, Placement, Pickup and Post. 

The most important thing an audio person can do to make good recordings is to ensure the players are able to create the best performance possible. Based on the Fibonacci sequence or so-called “golden spiral,” each element in this list is successively larger or more important than the next element in the list. The geometry and math surrounding this spiral is complicated and beyond the scope of this paper. 

Performance. Unlike studio recordings, chamber music can rarely be “fixed” in post. In order to be beautiful and compelling, the music must sound beautiful in the room. While technical wizardry is possible on location and in post-production, it is considered “cheating” for most academic and competition purposes. 

Place. After performance, the second most important element of making a good chamber music recording is hiding in plain sight right there in the name: the chamber. A musical place to record is important.  I often tell musicians: I am not recording your instrument; I am recording this giant container of air that you are moving with your instrument.

Placement.  The third most important element is the placement of microphones. This is the "Richard King Secret:" knowing where to place the microphones. Only when we reach priority number four do we reach the microphones needed for the recording. 

Pickup. Classical engineers call the system of microphones used on a session the “pickup.” While it is important to use high-quality microphones of the correct type, there is a reason this element is number four on the list.  Microphone quality and type is key, but a quality recording depends on beautiful music, performed in a pleasing environment, and captured from the appropriate location.

Post. The fifth (and last) element of the “Golden Spiral” is post. This item is last for a reason. Apart from artful balancing, there’s not much to do for academic chamber music in post-production. Compression is frowned upon, as it interferes with dynamics; noise reduction is often unnecessary if the recording environment is good. Perhaps artful equalization can be an important part of post-production. But most of what makes a good recording happens in the room where the music is made. 

Another strength of this approach is quick turnaround time, which can be key for audition and competition recordings. Most of what happens using this philosophy happens during the performance itself. After quick balancing, this approach yields a very usable and musical result.