AudioMedia - June 2008 - (Page 66)

06|08 AMSR to need to be mic’d, you’re going to need a big PA system, and you’re going to need to mix it, whereas I wasn’t quite sure what I’d have to do in the concert halls, to be honest. “The arenas are a tricky mix; it’s high profile, and the mix is very critical, obviously, because if you get it wrong then you’re getting it wrong through a very big PA! It’s more forgiving in the concert halls, but, basically, I didn’t know what the acoustics were going to do to the sound of the show, so I covered my arse and shoved everything out, expecting to use about half of it, and ended up actually using everything.” Changing tact, Pink adds, “If you hear this piece acoustically, it doesn’t actually work, because all the emotion gets ripped out of it – the emotion being the connection between what’s on the screen and what’s being played, and that’s all in the detail, which makes it very exciting to mix. And that’s the other main part of the job: getting the perspective right – making the orchestra as big as the screen, because the audience aren’t looking at the orchestra. There’s a very large screen, the images look fantastic, and the soundtrack has to match that. Basically, we’re doing a film mix live, which is quite interesting.” specifying the kit: “This time, because of the schedule, it seemed obvious to go down the digital route, because there’s 118 audio channels, which is a monster, so we ended up with two [Yamaha] PM5Ds, with one of them basically being used to sub-mix the strings. What’s nice about the digital approach is that you have everything at your fingertips; if you need to put a compressor or a gate on something then it’s very easy to do that without having to cart lots of outboard racks around, and that gives you more time to concentrate on getting the mix right. “You could argue that Cadacs sound nicer than PM5Ds – in fact, they do, but, at the end of the day, you either go for instant quality or speed, and, on this occasion, speed was more important.” So what’s at the stage end of those multiple audio channels? Quite simply, microphones. Lots of them. Just like recording an orchestra in a studio. “There is a big crossover in that the main thing that we wanted to be able to get hold of was the detail,” reiterates Pink. “Because it’s live, it’s one take, and you need to have control – especially in the bigger venues, which is primarily why there are so many mics. Everything is close-mic’d; the violins, violas, and cellos are all on clip-on DPA 4060s with the miniature mics just clipped onto the bridge, so that’s as close as you can get. The added advantage of that is that it helps eliminate feedback problems, so that seemed the obvious choice – great microphones that give you all the detail you need. The double basses are on [Sennheiser] MKH40s – > contemporary (1991-vintage, 2,262-seat) Symphony Hall – with world-class acoustics engineered by New York-based performing arts facilities designer/ planner Artec Consultants – would be an easier proposition than in, say, the comparatively vast (9,000-capacity) Manchester Central (formerly GMEX), sited in a former railway station (Central Station). Well, it ain’t necessarily so, says Pink: “What was very surprising for me is that in the concert halls I thought I’d have a very easy life and have to do very little, because the acoustics should take care of it all, but because of the way it’s written – it’s film music – the orchestration is all about the detail, and concert halls are all about blending an orchestra so that it sounds nice and cuddly. So the big job in here is all about getting the detail out, which is great, because it’s that old thing of not trying to fight the room, but rather using the good bits of the room and just adding what you need to add. But it’s a completely different mix to the arenas, where I’m having to put in all the dynamics of the orchestra artificially, and here it’s the opposite, because the room is putting in more dynamics, so I’m having to effectively flatten things off – and shout at brass players a lot!” Given that George Fenton and his supporting cast of musicians are effectively reproducing an orchestral soundtrack recording session live onstage – albeit with no scope for repeat takes, it’s a potentially confusing mixing landscape – seascape, even. “With the arenas, it’s difficult, but, logistically, it’s straightforward,” posits Pink. “Everything’s going Although Pink mixed The Blue Planet Live! on its first UK arena-only outing two years ago, sub-mixing the strings on one of his beloved Cadacs, while working mainly from an unspecified “ big analogue Yamaha,” this time round he was also involved in O rchestral M anoeuvres > > 00 http://www.digico.com http://www.digico.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - June 2008

AudioMedia - June 2008 Contents Recording Post Broadcast AES Review What's Up UK? Geofocus: Australia For the Record Special Report: Videosonics Newstalk: DPA New Microphones Novation SL Compact Allen & Heath IDR-8 Eastwest Quantum Leap SD2 & Goliath Final Cut: Indiana Jones Merging ADR Module Koolworld SSL Duende Good Product Sampler: Microphones Video Guide AMSR Meyer Sound The Blue Planet Live! Royer Labs Mics R-121 & R-122

AudioMedia - June 2008

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