Chadwick
09-17-2001, 06:47 PM
As there is an ongoing debate about the \'right way\' to record samples which are intended to be used to emulate an orchestra, in particular \'that big Hollywood sound\', I thought some of us might invite our engineer/producer/composer friends who have experience in this area to contribute their expertise.
To kick things off, from what I\'ve read on these forums, I\'d say that the most contentious issues seem to be:
Micing techniques - What kind of combination of spot mic\'d, overheads and distant mics do you prefer? How much do your setups vary from job to job (assuming most are looking for a big film soundtrack vibe)?
Recording space - Do you get a better sound from a large studio, large hall, or a sound stage? If your first preference is unavailable, what\'s involved in getting a good result from your \'second best\' option?
Ambience - Do we stick to natural room ambience only, no ambience (add artificial verb later), or a combination of both?
Do final sampled instruments need to be able to vary between different degrees of ambience, or is there a common approach with most recordings that would allow the same instrument to cover most compositions? Is it enought to rely on adding reverb \'after the fact\'.
If digital reverb CAN do the job, what would you regard as the premium reverb unit for this application and what would you regard as the \'bottom line\' of acceptable units?
Are there any other important points which sample library developers need to take into account when embarking on this kind of project?
Don\'t forget that:
1. A reply will take about 5-10 minutes of your friend\'s time, and probably be invaluable to a lot of us.
2. This forum is as anonymous as you wish to make it...
Unfortunately, the few engineers I know who could do this would kill me if I woke them up right now http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif
[This message has been edited by Chadwick (edited 09-17-2001).]
To kick things off, from what I\'ve read on these forums, I\'d say that the most contentious issues seem to be:
Micing techniques - What kind of combination of spot mic\'d, overheads and distant mics do you prefer? How much do your setups vary from job to job (assuming most are looking for a big film soundtrack vibe)?
Recording space - Do you get a better sound from a large studio, large hall, or a sound stage? If your first preference is unavailable, what\'s involved in getting a good result from your \'second best\' option?
Ambience - Do we stick to natural room ambience only, no ambience (add artificial verb later), or a combination of both?
Do final sampled instruments need to be able to vary between different degrees of ambience, or is there a common approach with most recordings that would allow the same instrument to cover most compositions? Is it enought to rely on adding reverb \'after the fact\'.
If digital reverb CAN do the job, what would you regard as the premium reverb unit for this application and what would you regard as the \'bottom line\' of acceptable units?
Are there any other important points which sample library developers need to take into account when embarking on this kind of project?
Don\'t forget that:
1. A reply will take about 5-10 minutes of your friend\'s time, and probably be invaluable to a lot of us.
2. This forum is as anonymous as you wish to make it...
Unfortunately, the few engineers I know who could do this would kill me if I woke them up right now http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif
[This message has been edited by Chadwick (edited 09-17-2001).]