From: adrian@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid   
      
   Peibyn  wrote:   
      
   > > A good singer will perform differently, depending on whether the room is   
   > > reverberant or 'dry'.  The singer needs to hear the reverb in order to   
   > > give a good performance.   
   >   
   > Adrian, I used to work in record production with a famous British label,   
   > and you may be interested to learn that we went to a great deal of trouble   
   > back then (and I am certain it still happens) to select the best   
   > reverberative chamber for the particular performer or group of performers   
   > we were recording.  For example, certain London halls or churches were   
   > rejected because of the kind of reverberation they provided, while others   
   > were ideal.  Singers particularly were fussy about the venue and usually   
   > wished to rehearse in the space prior to the recording so as to   
   > accommodate the reverberation of the space.  For example, a soprano might   
   > find that she needed only to produce a high note in a particular way in   
   > order to produce the most pleasing effect - all because of the acoustics   
   > in the space.   
      
   A neighbour of mine recently paid to make a 'vanity' recording in a   
   studio.  His voice was pretty good, but I could tell that he hadn't been   
   able to hear the reverb, which had been added later.  He wasn't aware of   
   any changes in his style, but I knew that he would have been a good   
   enough singer to unconsciously adapt to the acoustics and it was   
   apparent from the recording that he hadn't made that adaptation.   
      
      
   > Also, the degree of reverberation effects the singer's psychology as he or   
   > she sings.  For example, a completely "dead" space (in which we would   
   > never record) would give nothing back to the singer or musicians, making   
   > them feel as if they were performing in a vacuum - a very disheartening   
   > effect, likely to produce a recording that indicates what actually   
   > happened, a battle against an ungiving space.   
      
   I prefer to ask the performer or composer what sort of venue they would   
   like to hear their music performed in, then we search around and see if   
   we can find something we can hire that meets their expectations.  It may   
   require a bit of acoustic treatment before it is suitable for recording,   
   but it ensures that the performer feels comfortable and 'at home' in   
   their surroundings.   
      
      
   > On the other hand, I appreciate that a space which is barely reverberative   
   > can provide the performer with "honest" feedback.  This is useful in   
   > rehearsal.   
      
   A music venue in Bristol has a slightly concave back wall to the   
   auditorium, which focusses the sound back onto the performers.  They   
   love it because of the 'feedback' it gives them, but it caused me no end   
   of problems when I first tried recording there.  I eventually used a   
   steerable mic pair connected to an X-Y scope, which showed me that the   
   strongest signal was coming into the back of the mic - then the penny   
   dropped.   
      
   In that venue, I now record a solo instrument with the mic facing across   
   the stage from one side or hang blankets across the back wall before   
   recording an ensemble from the centre.   
      
      
   --   
   ~ Adrian Tuddenham ~   
   (Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)   
   www.poppyrecords.co.uk   
      
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