Recording day 15th July
We eventually recorded the CD at St Luke’s Church in Cambridge. Our sound engineer was Geoffrey Smallwood and the occasion was video’d by Mike Addlesee. Everyone was well prepared and it all went remarkably smoothly. We spent a couple of hours warming ourselves up while Geoffrey and Mike set up…
Rehearsal 4 – Getting to grips with Kithara and Swimming Down the Stars
We made yet more trial recordings at our 4th rehearsal. All the pieces we played depended on a very precise tempo or very precise tempo changes. There were wobbles, and uncertainties. But the process of discussing it did indeed produce improvements, and the 2nd take of Swimming Down the Stars…
Rehearsal 3 – thinking in sections
We again took 2 pieces (Lyttleton St Mvt II, and Kithara) and made before-and-after recordings. This time the focus was on the sections of the orchestra – “Can I hear my section?” “Do I like what I hear?” “Are we too quiet/loud?” “Is there anything we need to make sure…
A lot of work, but I think we can do it!
Last rehearsal made us aware of the difference concentrating on a few details can make. Comparing the two sets of recordings, it was like night and day!
Rehearsal 2 – recording and listening
Last night we took two of our proposed CD pieces – Harmony on Lyttleton St and Tu vuo fa l’americano – and put them under the microscope. We made a “first pass” recording of each, and then listened to the recordings together and wrote down any reactions. Then we gathered…
“And we’re rolling … now!”
Those infamous words (usually followed shortly afterwards by “OK everyone … ready for Take 2”) have caused many a musician to drop their plectrum within the first few bars of recording. There’s something very particular about trying to play for posterity rather than for the moment! One way to minimise…
CD project – pics from 1st rehearsal
This week the intrepid MMO players had a first runthrough of the 8 (8!) pieces that we are aiming to record at the end of this term. We were unfazed, as you can see …