Leonard Gibbs, Classical Recording Engineer for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra for the past 40 years, built a three-channel phased-array playback system located in a 1000 square foot acoustically designed room. His live recordings have been featured on National Public Radio broadcasts of Pipedreams, Performance Today, and (since 1995) on South Carolina NPR’s Carolina Concerts.
by Leonard Gibbs
I purchased my first pair of Earthworks Microphones Model QTC40 ten years ago. I now own 9, in addition to 11 other various Earthworks models. Originally, I just wanted to try to improve some areas of performance over the B&K 4006 omnis I owned at the time.
The Earthworks QTC40s are the most uncolored microphones I’ve ever used. What you hear with your ears, at a live concert, is what you get with these microphones. The only problem, when starting out with something this good, is trying to maintain the same level of uncolored sound all the way through — not just in the recording chain but the whole playback system itself. I’m as concerned about playback reproduction as I am with the original recording process. If you can’t play it back with a high degree of fidelity to the original, how can you judge what you’re doing? Recording live music and playing it back are opposite ends of the same problem! That’s why I designed and built my own playback studio.
If you have to record a full orchestra and large choir, say 300 people, as in a Mahler symphony, there will be more than enough opportunities for sound colorations to creep into the entire process. Consider all the equipment required for a recording project: microphones and microphone cables, microphone preamplifiers, types of recording devices (analog or digital), sampling rates, playback preamplifiers, interconnect cables, power amplifiers, speaker cables, speakers, and worst of all, room acoustics. To add any additional coloration in the first link in the chain, through microphones that alter or jazz up or “cook” the sound, seems unnecessary and counterproductive.
My approach to recording has always been to start with the most accurate microphones I can find. Remember, you can always add flavors later — you’ll have plenty of chances! So cook your steak the way you want it — but start with the best beef!!!
Above all, enjoy yourself and have some fun!
Tags: leonard gibbs, qtc40
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