How do they MIC a symphony?


I'm not a big classical fan but what I like I love. Mostly I'm into solos but I just listened to the Classic 45 series of Beethoven's "Violin Concerto (in D)" - Heifetz/Munch with the Boston Symphony and the recording was incredibly airy. I thought there was static on the LP at first but then I realized it was the rustling of a shirt and the whistling of a nose from (I assume) the conductor breathing and since many instruments were playing I'm assuming it wasn't from a single musician (unless a very overweight triangle player.) Whoa! (Am i hearing things, btw?)

I've heard similar personal sounds on Beehoven's "Moonlight Sonata" (Serkin) and Bach's 6 suites for cello (Casals) but these are solo pieces and the sound was coming from the players which makes sense.

How do they mic a live symphony? How do they mic a recorded one? Where do the engineers try to place the home audience?

Hope those questions aren't too basic but I'm fascinated by this now and would love to know.

Thanks
kublakhan

Showing 1 response by slipknot1

Kublakhan,

Funny you should post this thread when you did. On Tuesday July 22nd, I attended the Philadelphia Orchestra doing the Beethoven Violin Concerto with Itzak Perlman. They were recording the performance (probably for their archives), and I noticed that they were multi-miking the be-jeezus out of it. I counted no less than 12 spot mics along with a spaced pair of omnis above and behind the conductor (Hans Graf) hanging from the proscenium. This was an all Beethoven concert including the Corolian Overture, The 4th Symphony, and the Violin Concerto. I've done a bit of live recording myself, and I'm of the minimalist mic school: the fewer the better, well placed to capture the hall as well as the music. Kavi Alexander of Water Lily Acoustics is the current master of this technique in my book: 2 custom made tube mics, all analog recordings. Listen sometime if you can to his recording of the Philadelphia Orch. on the Water Lily "Nature's Realm" to hear what good 2 mic recordings can sound like.