Recording Orchestra and Other Classical Music Ensembles, 2nd Edition

Chapter 1Introduction

DOI: 10.4324/9781003319429-2

Throughout the industry, there exists a broad range of accepted practices and styles of audio production and engineering. This highly subjective field is driven by the individual preferences of practitioners, along with consumer expectation. In music production one engineer might prefer a “bright” mix, while another might choose a “warmer” or darker presentation, and both approaches may be entirely valid. I like to draw on metaphors from the culinary discipline, as both audio recording and preparing food are executed “to taste”. For instance, what exact measure constitutes a “bright” mix? This is a subjective value, just like the questions: How salty or spicy is the stew? How much garlic ...