On Recording New Music

A recent article/blog by composer Nico Muhly started me to think a little more about my own line of work: Recording live Classical, Jazz and World Music. More specifically, the recording of new compositions, usually commissioned by an orchestral, choral, operatic or theatrical group.

If you’re a composer of modern classical music, or if you play in an orchestra that presents world premieres of new music, take a moment and read this link before going any further here. It’s a good read and well worth your time:

http://nicomuhly.com/news/2011/i-want-to-get-specific/

My take on it:

I was just a little surprised at the state of affairs Muhly describes for getting one’s work recorded, even just for archival use. I see things a little differently on my side of the “virtual” studio glass. I was under the perhaps naive opinion that most new works do get recorded, at least for posterity, study & and future reference. (I guess that’s obvious for me, isn’t it? I’m only hired after permission/funds have been granted to record.) These days, only a hermit living in a cave for the last twenty-odd years would believe these recordings are done for profit or monetary gain. The music world has seen quite a few changes in the last two decades, and we all know that very few recordings turn any kind of profit. It’s now more of a promotional tool or cultural artifact than a profit generating device.

Long before I became a full time producer/engineer, I also worked as a musician and occasional composer for hire. Nothing very serious, or in a professional orchestra, but in some areas that my work could (and sometimes did) be used for commercial purposes. (This was back long before anything but cassettes and the nascent CD would start to change things forever…) To this day, I totally and completely understand the feeling of loss (and sometimes even outrage) when someone takes one’s work without permission. Believe me, I’m still not really over this whole “download for free” stuff that most under-30’s think is perfectly fine today. I doubt I ever will be, but it’s a fact of life these days, and I have made an uneasy truce with it.

For the last 24 years or so, I’ve made my living primarily as a recording engineer/producer, and have had the honor of recording traditional music as well as hundreds of new commissioned world (and local) premieres. I can’t speak for other recording engineers in this business, but my philosophy has always been (with the permission of the artists, orchestra/management, etc. of course) to provide the composer(s) with copies of their work. Heck, it’s just good business to say hello and introduce myself early in the process, trade contact info, and make sure the composer gets to hear their work (and mine!) The cost of a blank CD is nothing compared to the good will and camaraderie that goes with this sort of thing. (And, I have never, ever, put static noise or silence into a work every 20-30 seconds to render it unplayable, nor has anyone ever asked me to do so.  What is up with THAT? Seriously!?)

After reading Muhly’s take on the situation, I’d like to add my own .02 about getting a work recorded.

Firstly, one should be aware that there are in general three kinds of groups that perform commissioned works, and each have their own rules about recordings:

1. Professional (ie: unionized) Orchestras, Choral Groups and ensembles, performing in halls with professional (also union) staff.
2. Mixed professional and semi-professional ensembles with top-level musicians working without a contract per se, in non-union halls, churches and auditoriums.
3. Community or school-based, non-paid and/or non-auditioned groups, often with additional pickup or select professionals for day-hire.

In all cases, with all three groups, the best (and most respectful to the musicians) way to insure your work will be recorded is to specify everything ahead of time in the contract you sign with the parties commissioning your work.

You’ll find out right at the start what is allowed and what is not, what is affordable and what is out of the question. You may even find miscommunication within the group as things go along, but an early documented conversation with all parties is your best insurance should things get sticky.

For example, Group 1 – the professional orchestra (and its management up top) – may be recording their performances anyway, often in a negotiated contractual agreement with everyone (musicians, staff, etc,) and will likely be making an archival-use-only recording of the work. Copies will be limited, so it’s always best to check on this early; often a simple email to the engineer handling the work can get you right to the heart of the matter. You may have to pay for the raw media (blank CD, USB stick, etc.) and you’ll probably have to sign a release form, but you’ll know long before going into the situation what is and what isn’t going to happen. You may also have to wait for artistic approval from the music director and/or soloists for copies to be released. The better your working relationship with these folks, the better your chances for archival copies, at least.

Tip: Asking about a recording the day of the final dress rehearsal – or worse: after the concert is over – will likely get you nowhere fast. Plan ahead! I can tell you from experience; it’s one thing to make an authorized copy for you as it’s happening or immediately thereafter; it’s quite another to be fielding requests for copies of events that happened months ago. Most busy orchestra staffers – and their engineers – have their hands full with current projects and aren’t always caught up on back archives.

If there’s no budget for recording – and you’ve not put it in your contract – then chances are slim to none that a Group 1 type professional orchestra will allow you to even put up a portable two-track hand-held recorder under any circumstances. It’s simply not allowed, and one has to know this ahead of time. It’s only fair to the labor agreements with all parties involved, regardless of one’s views of the value of the recording. You just can’t do it that way. It’s a fact of life in today’s professional musical world.

Moving on to Group 2 – more is possible in this scenario if everything is handled properly. In a perfect world, again, the musicians must be informed ahead of time that one (or all) of the works on the program will be recorded; perhaps just the concert itself, or perhaps including the final dress rehearsal as well. Depending on the arrangement with the musicians, there may be an additional fee. We all know these things can end up as commercial recordings, broadcasts and even soundtracks. It is at this point that anyone not comfortable with the arrangement may opt out and turn down the booking. Once again, last-minute recordings foisted on the musicians are just not fair, and it’s up to the management (or whoever’s signed your contract) to make sure everyone on the stand is aware and ok with the fact that the performance is being recorded before they accept the gig.

I’ve occasionally faced upset or angry musicians who are surprised to see me setting up mic’s and stands before a concert or rehearsal. They clearly were never told there was a recording being made of their performance, or they missed the memo, and naturally many bristle (while some are thrilled) to find out a permanent record is about to made of their efforts. I’ve even seen votes taken right then and there to allow the recording to happen at all. (My batting average is about .500 on this one!)

I try to be understanding, and I have a few stock responses, including “Sorry, but I’m not the one you should be angry with.” Or, “Please discuss this with the person who contracted you”. It’s a difficult spot to be in, and I don’t like it, but let’s be honest; do they really think I’m there just to ruin their day? There’s a hundred other things I could be doing, but an irate few seem to think I’ve decided to arbitrarily lug all my gear there just to annoy them. When I’m hired to make a recording, I too assume my client has sorted everything out on their end as well.

For all three types of groups, it really does come down to planning ahead, and everyone should know ahead of time what’s going on. Again, it’s only fair to all (including ME.)

Why record anyway?

For the validity of making recordings, there are many reasons to do so beyond simple vanity. In addition to the historic value of a world premiere, (what do you think Beethoven or Mozart would have done with today’s technology when they premiered their works? Wouldn’t you like to have heard one?) everyone benefits artistically by having at least an archival recording made of the event: the people who commissioned the work, the orchestra themselves, the composer, the conductor, and on and on. I’m not talking cash money benefits of course; I don’t know any artist that at some point who doesn’t want to hear the results of their work captured for posterity or study – provided it’s not costing them future work or income.

Another fact of life with most performing arts groups is that ticket sales don’t cover the annual operating costs. Most groups depend on grants and gifts from a varied group of benefactors.

For many commissioned works, the parties paying the cold hard cash for the work often request a copy of the work, if only to preserve for posterity what their dollars have wrought. (Seems smart to me…) On the other side of the footlights, many performing groups must record works this year for grant submissions next year and beyond. It’s just simply good business sense to have a variety of recordings in their archives for the stylistically varied selections that are often required when applying for a grant. This is something that’s rarely brought out in the open by upper level orchestra management, mostly for competitive reasons (e.g.: orchestra A is competing with orchestras B and C for the same grant, which are all submitted in confidence to the same charitable organization that ultimately decides who gets the award.) In many cases, therefore, the musicians themselves don’t realize their income for seasons two or three years down the road can and often does depend on a good recording to include in a five or six-figure grant submission. Missed recording opportunities can easily turn into costly incomplete grant applications. This can make or break an entire season of performances for some lesser-endowed groups, and I’ve seen it happen first-hand. I’ve had an entire season of work lost when a struggling group didn’t get the grant they were counting on, and thus folded for the season.

We’ve all heard it, and let’s get it right out in the open now, if only for the sake of this discussion: orchestral recordings don’t make money anymore. Don’t believe me, check out what Klaus Heyman, the head of NAXOS, has to say about big ensemble recordings vs. smaller solo & duo recordings. Mr. Heyman has a fascinating and very honest opinion about how things work today. (Read it all the way through, esp for the sales numbers he talks about.)

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-classical-beat/2010/07/the_future_of_the_recording_in.html

Years ago, there were cash advances from the record companies, even for orchestral recordings. Many got paid right up front, when the album was released. It was often part of a major orchestra’s annual income. A quarter-million dollar investment on another Beethoven 5th recording could recoup its money within a few years, minimal risk. Its old news now: with the advent of digital recording, the CD, and now downloading, it all went away. But don’t feel bad; we’re not alone in our corner of this business. It’s happened all across the genres as well; not just classical, and unless your name is Bieber (Justin, that is) Gaga or Beyonce’, chances are you’re not making anything from your CDs other than promotional and archival use. (And neither of those is a bad thing!) Yes, downloads are doing well, but again, nothing to sustain the bottom line of any serious performing arts organization.

It’s a hard and bitter pill to swallow for recording musicians who remember firsthand the good old days; they’ve spent their entire lives and careers perfecting a craft that only a seemingly few now truly appreciate. The world has changed, and the methods of capture, storage and delivery have diminished the perceived value of the recordings, possibly forever. In that light, I’m still surprised here in 2011 when this reason – “monetary gain” – is hauled out as an excuse to ban a recording. Sorry, but it just doesn’t wash anymore. Aside from the necessary ethical correctness of alerting a hired musician about the recording of your performance, trust me, no one is making a profit from the sales of physical recordings.

But there is an upside. What it has done in many ways is returned the focus to live performance. That’s a big fundamental change that’s happened in the last 15-20 years. People can get the recording anywhere, often for free, but it’s the real thing – live, with no net, no fakery, no props and no gimmicks – that brings people back to the concert hall.

Think of it this way: a recording is similar to (but more honest than) a movie trailer. Like what you hear? Want to experience how it’s done LIVE?

As I mentioned earlier, I fully understand the feelings of being ripped off or manipulated when an unauthorized recording occurs. That’s wrong in any scenario. But what people would be wise to consider going forward in the digital, on-demand world is that everything important should be recorded, especially now, with today’s more advanced and affordable technology. As long as everyone is informed, fees paid, waived or negotiated; the recordings should be as indispensible as program notes or restrooms for intermission.

Control of distribution of recorded material is of course paramount. Archival means archival.  No YouTube uploads without permission, no iTunes sales without a contract, no cell phones, hidden 2-track Zoom recorders or what have you.   But honestly, and I say this with love and respect to every hostile musician who still thinks the presence of a microphone or recorder is going to take money out of their wallet:  when done properly, it can mean the very survival and health of  live music. Recordings are preserving your legacy, they are helping put butts in the seats in the very halls you play, thus creating more opportunities for you to continue to work and play such great music, in a live setting.

Unauthorized recordings aside, can we really afford NOT to record?

 

UPDATE III – The Challenge: Live to on-air in 16 hrs, with DSO’s New Year’s Eve Concert

Well, first off, Happy New Year 2012 to everyone, and if you’re reading this, that means we both made it out of 2011 intact.

I’m also happy to report that as I write this (at about 5 a.m. in the wee first hours of 2012), both halves of the DSO concert are being uploaded to the WRTI server, in time for the 2 p.m. broadcast today. If you’re in the Delaware Valley area, near any of the dozen or so WRTI translator stations, you can pick up the broadcast on your FM radio; 90.1 in Phila., 107.1 in Wilmington, DE, and many other similar stations around the area.

If you do go online to hear it (at WRTI.ORG), just know that it’s still being sent out in lowly mono. (ugh! I’m trying to get them to change that, but it’s going to take time, and more listeners need to let them know it’s important.)

The concert & recording went off without a hitch (well, one air-cannon in the second half went off a bit too soon, surprising everyone with a shower of confetti), and the orchestra was in fine shape throughout. Maestro David Amado really gave a sterling performance, but not only that; he’s downright funny in his onstage chats with the audience between works. I really enjoyed his easygoing, subtle jokes. It’s no wonder he’s so successful; the man really knows his audience, and they loved him in return.

The audience’s participation (during the intermission segment as you’ll hear) was a hoot, literally. All those noisemakers, a little bubbly, and some mischievous horn players, and well, you have to hear it to understand.

The concert ended at 9:45 or so, and the crew at the Grand helped me get out and on my way back to home base in just under an hour. I started file transfers almost as soon as I got in the door (stopping only to hug & kiss my wife & pet the dogs!). With a brief stop to ring in the new year at Midnight – again with my lovely, understanding and wonderful wife – I was back to mixing & editing, working from the same template as Thursday’s dress rehearsal.

Fortunately, there were only a few (minor) blips and bobbles to clean up, but I had plenty of good alternate takes from the Thursday dress, and editing was minimal; we could have almost aired everything exactly as they played; DSO is a great group of very talented musicians.

I’ll have more to report on the tech side of things, but for now, it’s all done (say Hallelujah, somebody!) and I’m off to bed.

Hope you get to hear this one, it was really a lot of fun pulling it all together, and this is my last late-night burn the candle at both ends gig for (hopefully) a long time!   I’ll have pictures to share as well; just don’t want to tie up my internet connection while the broadcast is still uploading.  I’m a bit supersitious about that sort of thing. 

Cheers!

 

Is your data safe for 2012?

Well, Happy New Year, and here’s to a data-safe 2012!

As lots of folks take this moment as a good opportunity to finalize their bank accounts, receipts and tax information, it’s also a good time to check on your data, be it music, videos, personal and professional files, documents, and so on. Far too often, folks find out all too late that they’ve not kept their data in a safe place (or two).  And when it’s lost….look out; the pain starts.  Big time.

If you haven’t heard it yet, here’s one simple truth that anyone who works in the digital data world (which at this point is 99% of us!) knows:  Data isn’t safe until it exists in three places.  (That’s right; THREE places.)    The master copy, the backup copy, and the safety/second backup copy.  And if you think it’s expensive, what price would you put on all your data if it just goes POOF and disappears?

If you haven’t set up a data backup plan yet, now is a good time to start.

You may have only a few gigs for your personal stuff: calendar, address book, photos, emails and documents, or you may be well on the way into the ‘Terrabyte” world, esp if you’ve been archiving movies, music, online books, etc.   Over time, it does all add up! If you don’t need all THAT much space, you may want to just get some USB thumb drives, or SD chips that hold 8, 16, 32 or even 64 gigs of data.  The bigger ones aren’t all that cost effective (yet), but they have no moving parts, and in theory at least, should last a long time.  The most important issue beyond the media itself is the backup.  Always the backup!

Another quick and somewhat easy way is to just buy an off-the-shelf, self-contained hard drive by one of the big manufacturers like Western Digital, Seagate, LaCie, etc.   They’re sold everywhere now, online and in stores, in all kinds of sizes and configurations, and it’s never been cheaper, faster and easier now to just hook the drive up to your main computer via a USB cable and copy all of your critical files in one easy move.  Most come with software that will walk you through this and it’s great if you just want to let it work that way for you, or you can simply do it yourself manually.   The really good thing about dedicated storage drives is that they’re not being used over and over again (like the “C” drive in most people’s computers), so they’re often used only a few times to simply store and occasionally retrieve data.  That’s a big difference in the longevity of a device like this.

After you’ve made copies of everything from 2011 and before, you now have one of two choices:  Unplug the drive (or SD card, USB stick, etc.) and put it away until the next time you want to back it up; say every other month or so.  Or, simply keep it connected, and use the timed backup software that came with the drive and let it do it automatically behind the scenes.  (Every Sunday night at2-3 a.m.for example, is often a good time and a good way to start your week.) If you do keep your main storage drive connected and powered up, consider an uninterruptable power supply for it, as well as a surge protector for those inevitable lightning strikes and power outages.  They wreak havoc on storage systems.

If you’re like me, you may want to go that extra mile or two with a second backup system, just to be safe.   I may be extreme, but of course my business depends on it, so whenever I finish a project for a client (specifically, once I’ve been paid and the check clears the bank), I make sure there are three (and sometimes four) copies of a project in existence somewhere. The client gets their copies, the dupe copy lives on in my duplication system’s hard drive, and the masters – audio & video files as well as mix/editing templates, bounced stereo files and final renders for CD or DVD – are off on a hard drive, in a dedicated folder, with the client’s name, project and date, so I can easily retrieve the project from long-term storage to update, repair or simply re-copy it for another duplication run.

Before cheap SD & Hard Drives there was Tape and Optical….

Once upon a time, people used tape for data storage, and then came CDrs/CD-ROMs.

I’ve found over the years that tape (data tapes, that is, not necessarily analog audio tape) isn’t a very reliable way to save data.  (I’m so glad I never took the excabyte route that many colleagues swore by in the 80′s, 90’s and early 00’s.  Yuck!)  Old DAT (data and audio) tape retrieval/restore can also be a white-knuckle experience.  Was the machine that made it in good shape in the first place?  Will the DAT play on my current machine?  It’s always a roll of the dice… Mangled, chewed up DATs will never play properly; and unlike analog audio tapes, you can’t get “just a little” out of them; it’s all or nothing.

Early burns of CDr’s from the 90’s are pretty scary, too. Although I have to say I’ve had pretty good luck with media burned from the late 90’s and onward.   Early, first-generation CDs (early/mid 90’s era) have proven to be pretty unreliable, but I’ve recently had to re-master a holiday project from 1996, with all files retrieved from the only mixed/edited masters I had, on CDr’s and CD-ROMS.  Happy to say, thanks to good media available of the day, I had zero problems retrieving them.  (You bet I put this latest version away on a hard drive, too!)

Backup, Backup, Backup

All that said, whatever media you prefer, take some time today to figure out what you need to backup personally and professionally, and how you’re going to do it. The same goes for old movies, tapes and other treasures.   If you’re not sure you can do it properly, get them to a professional to back them up, make digital copies, etc.  10, 20 or more years from now, you, your kids and your clients will be glad you did.

Have a great 2012, and remember to back it all up for the next New Year, too.

 

UPDATE II – The challenge: Live to on-air in 16 hrs, with DSO’s New Year’s Concert

Well, all good news to report so far.   Yesterday’s setup and final dress rehearsal recording went perfectly.   The crew at the Grand are total pro’s - Steve Manocchio and his assistant Stacey, specifically – and got me and my gear loaded into the theater via the backstage lift in short order, giving us about 2.5 hrs to get mics set and a good spot for my “control room”.    We worked quickly and without a hitch; everything I needed, they got for me, and couldn’t have been more helpful.  I can’t tell you how much something like this helps, right off the bat; we’re in, we’re set up, and things are cooking!

In all, we’re using 23 mics/line feeds for this recording.  (2 mics on the audience for ambience, applause & new year noise-makers, 2 mics on a stereo bar as the main pair for the orchestra, spot mics on all principal players, an M/S ribbon configuration on the winds, 3 on the percussion, as well as piano, celeste and harp.    Last but not least, we’ve got a hand-held mic feed from the house PA, where Maestro Amado will announce various pieces, as well as introduce the orchestra and various segments throughout the performance.

I did a last minute mic placement check onstage around 7:15 and got to say hello to a lot of the musicians, many I know well from their work in and around the area.   I was happy to see concertmaster Luigi Mazzochi on the stand; I’d almost forgotten he was with DSO!   Next I had a brief chat with Music Director David Amado, and we discussed the order of the works he’d be taking in rehearsal, and how we’d compare notes after the real performance.   Another positive sign was how prepared the orchestra was; having been alerted that we planned to record everything “just in case”.   In my experience, this gives everyone a little breathing room; they give a little extra at the dress rehearsal, knowing it’s being recorded, and also lets them kick it out a little bit more at the performance; they can concentrate on their art, and not worry about little mistakes here or there.

I quickly set levels throughout the tuneup and first few pieces, but otherwise we were well on our way.   All tracks were captured flawlessly on my JoeCo “Blackbox” 24 track hard disc recording system, with an SD chip (stereo) backup, and just for redundancy, a CD copy as well.   I had a nice cozy setup backstage, in the connecting space between the Grand and the “Baby Grand” theater right next door.  Sweet!

My 'control room' - backstage at the Grand

By 10 p.m., we were done and quickly struck just the mics, leaving everything else in place for Saturday. (Fortunately, nothing else going on in the theater means everything stays set up and in place for Saturday’s performance.)

Today (Friday), as planned, I transferred all tracks from the rehearsal into my main Sequoia workstation and began working on the overall mix.   Happily, everything came through as planned; I don’t expect to change much at all during the re-set on Saturday.   The orchestra really played well, in top form, even for a dress rehearsal, and I’m more than happy with what we’ve captured.   The strings are solid and lush, and the percussion (esp the huge bass drum) really spice up the sound.  I’m glad I used so many mics!  Lots of control over such nuannced performances.

I’m rendering a temp stereo mix of both halves of the rehearsal as I type this, and will have these ready for “dropping in” bits or pieces here or there, as needed.

Overall, I’m feeling pretty excited about everything at this point, although the big, challenging moments are still to come… We all know things can change quite a bit betwee I’m holding my breath just a little bit longer, until we’ve got it all in the can, sometime around 9:30-10 p.m. tomorrow night – December 31st.

Once again, stay tuned; I’ll have more to share soon!

 

UPDATE – The challenge: Live to on-air in 16 hrs, with DSO’s New Year’s Concert

Well, things are moving along nicely on the project, and excitment is buildng.   As mentioned before, the mid-show interview with Music Director/Conductor David Amado is completed, save for some editing based on what happens at the concert itselft.

On Tuesday, the script I wrote for the voice-over was approved by DSO, and sent to Jack Moore to read on Wednesday.   Jack (ever the pro!) turned it right around and did a great read, with a few extra touches that really make the production shine (and my job a little easier).    I’ve since tweaked it a bit and put it on the timeline in my editing software (Samplitude/Sequioa) for the broadcast template.

So now, we’ve got all the talking we need for the broadcast: a beginning, a middle and an end. We just need some music! 

This afternoon, I’ll be leaving with all my recording gear and heading over to the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, for a 4:30 load in.   The plan is to be set up and ready for a 7:30 start of tonight’s final dress rehearsal.   Then the REAL work begins. We’ll be using most of the available 24 tracks to capture the entire orchestra, the audience, and whatever else needs to be recorded.

The goal for today is to capture everything and bring it back here for a preliminary mix - for backup and possible repairs, depending on how everything goes at the concert itself.  (I’ll spend most of Friday, Dec. 30th working on this. )  This also helps for the final mix in that we’ll have overall levels set, tracks and effects assigned, etc.   The more time we can save on the back end, the better.

So that’s the latest from here.   If I have internet access, I’ll update again from the rehearsal tonight.

Thanks for following along!

 

The challenge: Live to on-air in 16 hrs, with DSO’s New Year’s Concert.

I’m excited to announce we’re recording the Delaware Symphony Orchestra LIVE at their New Year’s Eve Gala this Saturday, December 31st at the Wilmington Grand at 7:30 p.m. and turning it around overnight for a 2 p.m. broadcast on WRTI on NEW YEAR’S DAY, January 1st.  (The countdown begins when the music stops around 10 p.m.  That’s roughly 16 hrs to get it completed and on the air.  No pressure!)

I hope you’ll follow along with me here as I update our pre-production progress, recording the dress rehearsal, and then the concert itself at 7:30 on New Year’s Eve.  The VO script is now written for the broadcast, (hosted by WRTI’s Jack Moore) and Music Director/Conductor David Amadao has already sat down for an intermission interview at WRTI’s studios.   (That’s already “In the can” and ready to go for the middle of the broadcast.)

You can read more about the concert here:  http://www.delawaresymphony.org/specials.htm

I’ll be checking in again soon with more updates during the week, so stay tuned for what happens next….

 

A little more time travel this morning….

I had a real sonic treat this morning, courtesy of WRTI, in my car at 107.7 FM, down here in Wilmington, DE.

My first music of the day was a good one: Gustav Holst’s “Brook Green Suite”.

What a nice trip back in time for me, hearing this lovely work again. Not only is this a fine work for string orchestra, it’s one of the first pieces of classical music I professionally recorded, as part of the live remote crew with “Magnetik Productions”. At the time, (it was probably mid-’84, ’85?) and we were recording the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, although back then they were called: “Concerto Soloists”).

It was a remote recording at Lang Memorial Auditorium at Swarthmore College, with the gorgeous spring/summer view of trees and flowers, through the 3-story glass wall in the back, and the works for those recording sessions included Bernard Herrmann’s “Psycho Suite” and Gustav Holst’s “Brook Green Suite”.

Although I was classically trained on the piano, and had been to many concerts by then, it was still a revelation for me; hearing such an amazing chamber ensemble playing such beautiful music up close, setting up the mics, running cables, then hearing it all in the control room. What a revelation!

All in glorious analog technology, too: straight to 15 IPS analog Ampex 456 tape, Neotek Elite console, MCI-JH-110 2-track machines, no noise reduction, and no digital converters, either.

Isn’t it amazing how a piece of music can transport you anywhere in space or time?

 

True Stories From My Career – #1

True Storeis, #1

After over 35 years of professional experience, I have a long list of clients and stories that go with them.

This is an ongoing retelling of these stories as they occur to me. Some are good, some are bad, some funny, some bizarre, but honestly, they’re all ALL TRUE. Lots of folks in these stories are no longer with us, while many still are. I have no intention of harming anyone, their legacy, or causing problems for their estates. In borderline cases, or where I don’t want to really embarrass anyone, the names maybe be changed to protect the guilty. For the most part, this is all pretty much what happened, as I remember it….

#1 Hal Prince and previews/pre-production of “Parade”. (Originally “I Love a Parade”) in Philadelphia.

In 1996, I was doing a lot of projects for the American Music Festival in Philadelphia, from Cabaret to live sound reinforcement, to recordings, and so on. One of the things that AMTF did well was champion new plays and productions. Hal Prince was a good friend of the company CEO, Margorie Samoff, and it came to pass that Hal was going to come to town to direct a “workshop” (script in hand, no sets/scenery) production of a new musical with the working title: “I Love A Parade.” (Eventually simply called “Parade” – book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown.)

This was big stuff, since Philadelphia had long ago stopped being any kind of pre-Broadway tryout. Folks “in the know” were really freaking out (in a good way) that Mr. Hal Prince (the king of Broadway!) was coming to direct this. I was hired for “Sound design”, as folks in the theater biz call it: running the sound system, following the score, handling live sound for the singers and making a rough demo recording afterwards. Fair enough; this would be at the tiny, intimate 200-seat Plays and Players theater on Delancy Street in Philadelphia, and as for live sound; I was amazed they’d want to mic it at all. (The cast was going to be seasoned B’way singers, on their days off/vacations, doing this tryout for fun, experience, and a favor to Hal.) Always up for a challenge, I jumped in with both feet. (I knew Hal Prince only by his works and reputation; I was just fine with everything)

Before long, certain “staffers” and handlers of Hal Prince began to ratchet up the intimidation machine; Hal will want this, Hal will want that. Someone even went as far to tell me that, in all likelihood, Hal would probably at some point stop the production, and ream me out for something or other involving the sound. They said: “Just take it in stride, don’t worry about it, he does it to everyone.” I figured Hal was either impossible to work with, or he had a lot of incompetent folks handling his production needs. (Personally, my BS-detector starts going off whenever yes-men start this kind of nonsense. As it turned out, it was most likely the latter.)

We started production on the work, with my sound system and 16 microphones at the ready, including 12 rented wireless lavalier microphones someone ordered; for all of the principles and a few bit players. I was shocked and a bit worried: you folks are telling me we need TWELVE wireless mics for a cast of 18-20, accompanied by two pianos and a drum kit in a theater that holds 200 people, for a private audience?!?!? I could feel my gut tightening already…..

Soon enough, the week of rehearsals leading up to the performance was underway. I met the cast, the composer/music director, and most of all, Hal – Mr. Prince. He turned out to be a lovely man, nothing at all what I’d been warned about. We fell into a good working relationship quickly, and I was Johnny-on-the-spot in getting soloists up in the mix, following the script, and giving Hal his very own monitor at his producer’s table, stage left.

Troubles began soon enough, though, as the production got louder, and louder, and….louder! Some cast members would sing full voice, others were “marking”, and some simply hadn’t learned their parts yet. To be honest, they all had singing jobs to go back to; so it was a little like pro sports: all completely understandable. As anyone who’s worked in live sound might have suspected, it was fast becoming a case of “more me” in the mix for everyone, as the mix volume climbed and climbed. One of his handlers told me Hal was having some hearing issues at the time, and although we did everything we could to make him comfortable, trouble was brewing, and Hal was getting cranky.

By the second day, this wonderful new musical was going from a simple “reinforced” type of sound to live pop/rock, and it was making folks (including Hal and myself) really uncomfortable. Cues became more and more urgent, and little touches and subtleties were rapidly being lost in the overall din. A fine little musical/acoustic experience was turning into a blaring, ugly mess. An exasperated Hal finally turned to me during a break and said: “Good lord, why does this have to be so LOUD?!?!? Can’t we do something about this?” I said: “I thought you wanted everyone mic’d individually?” He said: “Hell no!!!! “I” didn’t ask for that. THEY told me it was necessary. I remember when people just SANG naturally, to a full house, with little or no mics at all. I HATE this stuff.” I said, “Hal, I couldn’t agree more. Let’s talk!”

We never quite figured out who “they” was, but I offered Hal a solution based on my operatic and classical recording experience. Since no one was really moving around (or dancing, etc.), we created a chorus “zone” with one stereo mic pair for all the accompanying singing, and solo spots for the big numbers. (If memory serves correct), we dropped most (or all?) of the wireless lav mics, and went with solo mics on stands, in front of their music stands, since everyone was working from a score. Suddenly, the sound opened up again, people could be heard, the noise floor dropped, and the production moved forward. Hal was again happy. So was I!

Two other anecdotes come to mind from this experience; The first was the sheer number of major Broadway producers, directors – movers and shakers – in the audience for the two big tryouts, in this tiny little theater on Delancy Street in Philadelphia. I don’t recall the entire list (and wouldn’t reveal them here anyway), but the general consensus what that if someone dropped a bomb on the theater that day, Broadway would have gone dark for a long, long time.

The other story is my favorite moment of the entire production: One day about midway through the week (and probably while we were still “fixing” the above sound issues), a break was called, and most folks left the building for lunch. Hal chose to “eat-in” and work on some cues with the musical director, and I stayed behind as well, with a lot of sound “housekeeping” issues to deal with. Of course, the lackeys and wanna-be’s got lunch for Hal, and ignored the rest of us. I was resigned to an empty stomach for the afternoon until Hal looked up from his own sandwich, (a turkey club, I think) and said: Hey, what are you eating? I said: “nothing; looks like I’m fasting.” Hal said: “well, here; take half of mine; I don’t want all of this anyway.”

So, there I was; sharing lunch on a make-shift table top over some theater seats with Mr. Hal Prince. I have never forgotten this simple act of kindness from one of Broadway’s giants. (And Hal probably doesn’t even remember it!) He could have munched away, gone about his business, and ignored my situation. Instead, he was down to earth and gregarious enough to simply split his sandwich and chips with me. So much for advance reputation, and so much for lackeys and sycophants.

I believe everyone starts with an “A”, works down from there. I also believe everybody puts their pants on one leg at a time in the morning, too.

Anyway, thanks for lunch, Hal! (Nice musical, too. It opened successfully on Broadway in 1998 as “Parade”, followed by numerous touring versions. I still have the raw demo cassettes around somewhere.)

 

Time Travelling again…

Time Travelling Again…

Even during this hectic, crazy time of year, I had two unexpected trips back in time to the 1970’s, both about as different as could be.

The first was a pleasant surprise; I got a CD copy in the mail from an old friend who had found a cassette tape of a band I had performed in, back around 1975 or so, in my younger days in the clubs. Thinking it was just a dub of tapes I already had, I wasn’t expecting much.

It turned out to be a live recording of a club date that I didn’t have in my archives. Even the though the recording itself was horrible by today’s standards (noisy cassette, auto-level recording, too close to the guitar amp, etc.) I could still make out the songs, the various band-members who were singing on them, and the in-between song patter.

The drummer (and lead singer) Peter Wells, is no longer with us, sad to say, and I’ve lost contact with the bass player (Rob Viola) and the guitarist (Dal Bauder). Even so, the energy, excitement and exuberance just pops out of the songs – everything from the Doobie Brothers to the Beatles to Chicago to Stevie Wonder. This band was FUN, and made some great music.  (Dal, you were SMOKIN HOT on that Strat, buddy!)  I really miss you guys! Would love to get in touch with them and catch up, and give them copies of this and the other masters I saved from those days.

The other fun trip back in time was also a labor of love; I’m involved with the newly-launched Bruce Montgomery Foundation, and I have been working on restoring some of Bruce’s works, as well as making CD and DVD copies of his various projects from his amazing and varied career.

One of Bruce’s CD private compilations contains a work commissioned by William Smith and the Philadelphia Orchestra, entitled “Herodotus Fragmnets” – an orchestral and choral piece, inspired by the futility of war, dating back to the days of Sparta and Thermopylae in Greece. The recording is from the work’s premiere performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra, in the Academy of Music conducted by William Smith on April 28, 1970.

I don’t have any production notes with the original analog master tape, but judging by the logo sticker on the box, I’m sure it was recorded by none other than my predecessor at Magnetic Recorder Reproducer Company, Mr. Albert Borko.

I never met Al; I came to the company when it was rechristened “Magnetik Productions” in the mid 1980’s, but it’s thrilling to hear something done correctly. (It sounds like it could have been done yesterday, actually.)

Nice job to all! I’m humbled to be helping preserve the work of Bruce Montgomery, William Smith, and Al Borko….and a little bar band playing rock’n’roll in a smokey club somewhere in Willow Grove, PA.

 

Language: Made-up, incorrect & over-used words. Please stop!

This topic has been on my mind for a long time, and on the auspicious occasion of my age now matching the speed limit in most states, I present it here.  You may find these things as annoying as I do.

What jump-started the topic for me again was a recent blog entry, from “Life’s a Pitch”.  Read this list, and then come back “after the jump”.

http://www.artsjournal.com/lifesapitch/2010/07/just-another-easy-to-use-state.html

Ok, now that I”ve said it;  “After the jump” is one of my new pet peeves.  What the HELL does that mean???  What jump?  Who’s jumping?  Is there a big invisible hole I’m missing somewhere?  Half the time I see this sort of thing on Yahoo, AOL news, whatever; there’s nothing even remotely resembling a “JUMP”.   Once in a while, there’s a  video clip.   Is THAT what they’re talking about?  Who started this nonsensical phrase?   

I for one am NOT jumping.  It doesn’t make it more exciting, and it doesn’t spruce up a lame news story.  Get over it.  No one’s jumping; up OR down.   This is the first of many new web-based phrases we need to excise.  Just stop saying it, right now.

Another one – this from the music biz – is an expression used when an artist or group releases a new CD.   Some advertising wanna-be coined the phrase “Drops” and now it’s grotesquely overused, let alone silly and inane.   So-and-so’s CD “DROPS” today.    Oh REALLY….. reminds me of BIRD-POOP dropping, or something falling out of the bottom of a box.  Another image that comes to mind is bad sales:  If a CD is DROPPING, wouldn’t that imply it’s falling off the charts?!??!   Just another BS term made up to impress us with something ho-hum.   Drop it, indeed.   My clients RELEASE CDs, and it works just fine for them.   (Of course, with all the doom & gloom predicted for the CD industry in general, most music releases now go out as digital downloads more than physical CDs, so maybe this one will just crawl off and die somewhere, hopefully ignored and forgotten.)

Another expression that drives me batty – and should be banned from the face of the earth for at least 10 years - is any phrase that includes these two words:  “Literally Skyrocketing”.   AAAAAAAAAAAAiiiiiieeeeee!!!!   It’s like having a screwdriver shoved in my brain, any time I hear this, esp on TV news reports, at least once a week.   My mind thinks of a fireworks display, and someone has linked the item in question (Gas Prices, Inflation rates, Summer temperatures, Susan Boyle CD sales, etc.) to this phrase.    “Prices at the pump are literally skyrocketing today“…….Uh, no, they’re NOT.   Not unless you have tied a trash can filled with pyrotechnic devices to the thing and lit the fuse.

Seriously, can’t news reporters and journalists agree on an indefinite moratorium of this meaningless phrase and find a better way to say:  “Going up” ?

Here’s another ridiculous expression you’ll hear when you’re travelling on an airline, although I have to credit George Carlin for this:  “…until you’ve reached your final destination.”   Say what!?   The word “Destination” contains the very core word: “Destiny” in there.   Final/Destination are mutually inclusive terms.   You DONT NEED FINAL in the phrase.  Too many words.

One makes “Connections” along the way to our “Destination”, but one doesn’t make several “Destinations” before reaching the “Final” Destination.   If there IS such a thing, I think we call it “DEATH”, don’t we???

Now, lest you think I’m just a total grouch, I do enjoy and appreciate the act of turning a noun into a verb.  (Things like:  “He googled her name to see if they were related”, and  ”She just friended him on Facebook.” )  New technologies, and new situations.  I have no problems with that.    Here’s a good article about the fine art of ”Verbing” here: 

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/07/25/verbed/

Two more come to mind;  the first is that tired old chestnut: “…waiting online at the bank.”   I remember Johnny Carson and others of his day using this expression, (was it a NY or LA thing?) and it always felt wrong to me then, as it does now.  Doesn’t one wait IN a line?   Even more so these days, when using a computer involves getting ON-line.   Minor quibbling, to be sure, but it still bothers me whenever I hear it.

I’ve saved my biggest peeve for last:  The term ”Reaching out” is currently the most annoying and over-done, ”new” phrase going.  I remember when “reaching out” to someone was a big deal emotionally; you’d reach out to someone for a serious favor, a handout, a charitable contribution.   You might even “reach out” to a stranger, a competitor or even an enemy in some special dire situation.     To me, it’s a serious act of connection, to be saved for special, important situations. 

But when I get an email from an organizaton that just wants my business, or time, the bile starts to rise in my throat.  Just this past week, a client’s secretary emailed me, to “reach out” to me to make an appointment.   Arrrrggg….what she REALLY meant to say was she was contacting me to set up an appointment. Period.   Please, there’s no need to get all warm & fuzzy on me just to set up a meeting!   A while back, an old high school colleague (who really SHOULD know better) used the same phrase: He was “reaching out” to me.  At first I thought he wanted a contribution to a charity; turns out he really want to just ”CONNECT” to work together on a project.    Why didn’t he just say so?

Anyway, that’s a few of the most annoying ones, off the top of my head, and I’m sure I’ll add more when I remember them and have time to post here. 

Here’s to sane and sensible expressions, old AND new!

Joe

PS:  Not very terrible, but already overused nonetheless: “At the End of the Day” has all but replaced “When All’s Said and Done”.   Got any more?   Respond here; maybe we can make a list and call it  “Chicken Soup for the Lame Phrases”.     Or something.