People ask us all the time about solo recording - how to do it? what's the process? is it expensive?
Well, we'd like to answer some of those questions. So here it goes:
How do you record a soloist?
It's really not that difficult, as long as you have the right equipment, the right engineer and the right place (venue) to record! We take a minimalist approach to recording, however, we are fully aware that sometimes it takes more to capture the best. We start with the venue. Only a good acoustic space is going to make a good recording. Many churches and concert halls are perfect for solo recordings. For horn or other brass, bigger almost always equals better. For piano, the same is often true. For woodwinds and strings, it is often better to record in a more modest-sized environment.
Second to the quality of the space is the gear itself. Quality gear which is designed to record classical or acoustic instruments is paramount to a good recording. Some studios use gear which is designed to record rock or country. This simply won't work for classical and acoustical soloists. Absolute accuracy and clarity and a minimum of electrical induced noise is essential to capturing the performance.
Of course, the engineer can make a difference too - in fact, a big one. It's important that your engineer understands the fundamentals of classical music. The fact is, most engineers out there wouldn't know a horn from a trumpet, much less how to play one. Be sure you choose an engineer who specializes in classical and acoustic music.
What's the process?
The process is very simple. Choose a venue (either one of your own or one of ours) and we'll come set up. We'll listen to you play a little and use your sound in the venue to determine how best to record you. Our sophisticated recording system (Magix Sequioa) was designed from the ground up specifically for recording classical ensembles. Performing multiple takes over a multi-track recording are easier with Sequoia than with any other system we've worked with. This insures faster, more accurate editing resulting in less cost and a better finished product.
Once your disc is finished recording, editing and mixing, the final phase is mastering. We'll gladly master your disc for you, or if you have a label or your preferred mastering engineer, we'll provide the pre-master to you in whatever format you require. Our mastering facility is custom engineered and we use only extremely high-end gear designed and built specifically for mastering.
Is it expensive?
Well, that depends on your definition of expensive, but overall - NO! We charge $75 an hour and most projects can be recorded, mixed and edited in less than 24 billed hours (usually 2 8-hour days for recording and 1 day for mixing and editing.) What's more, we have discount packages which allow you to save even more money. To save the most money, travel to Washington DC to do your recording. We have two wonderful venues at which to record. Both are quite affordable and both are simply beautiful both visually and aurally. DC has 3 major airports which help to keep airline costs low and of course, there are thousands of hotels within range of our venues.
If you have a venue you like already where you are, we'll come to you. Of course, that's a little more expensive since you'll have to cover our travel and lodging expenses and loading 300 pounds of equipment on a plane isn't cheap, but it's not as bad as you might think.
More questions...
How far will you travel?
We'll travel just about anywhere. If you're east of the Mississippi, the travel charge will be less as we'll likely drive to your venue. West of the Mississippi (excluding Arkansas - we'll drive there), we'll fly. Different continent? No problem!
Will you record ensembles?
Heck yes! Horn quartets, brass quintets, woodwind quintets, chamber orchestras, symphony orchestras, choruses, etc. If it's acoustical in nature, we'll be there!
Will you record live events?
Yes! We'll record recitals, masterclasses, live concerts or any other event.
