Recording Shell Shock

Shell Shock is a new creation of an opera by Nicholas Lens, a Belgian Composer, and Nick Cave, an international Rock star.

The Orchestra

Since the Composer thought the acoustics of the Opera hall to dry (2.6sec)  We were asked to

enhance the live orchestra with some artificial Reverberation.  Therefore we placed some Cardioide microphones in the Pit and added some additional microphones for the recording.

The Amplification was done by a Yamaha PM5D.  We use an Optocore network for audio distribution.  This way we can select the microphones we want to send them to the Yamaha and create an other MADI stream to a protools HD for the recording.

On the String Section were 4 Schoeps MK4V at a small distance (for amplification).  In addition there was a large spaced pair of DPA 4006 for the recording.  This pair does not only take the strings but more or less the entire orchestra.  On the Basses we've put a Neumann U87 and an AKG C414, a choice we do not defend a 100%.

The woodwinds and the brass had Sennheiser MKH40.  On the harp there was a Schoeps MK41 and on the piano a Schoeps MSTC5.  On the percussion we had all omni Schoeps MK2 and DPA 4006.

Pictures from the recording on facebook

On Stage

We installed the traditional 5 Schoeps MK4 on the front of the stage and there were 2 Schoeps MK41  and a MSTC5 hidden for Choir amplification.  When the Choir were in the royal loge, they had two AKG C414 for amplification.

All singers had a DPA 4061 wireless microphone hidden on them.
In the hall we hung a pair of Schoeps MK2 and AKG C414 for ambiance/room.

DVD Release Rusalka

Our Production of Rusalka is now available on DVD and Blu-ray

http://www.euroarts.com/artikel/dvd/?id=005992_la_monnaie_dvoak_rusalka

This Opera was recorded in March 2012 at La Monnaie in Brussels.

Recording Daphne

Richard Strauss’ Daphne was Recorded in collaboration with "Musique 3”.  Since we have had a problem with a part of our preamps and convertors, we were limited to 48 channels of microphone preamps.  This was particularly a challenge because of the set.

On stage there was a big stair and so we could not benefit of the usual installation of microphones at the footlights.  From the moment a singer goes up for more than 1 meter, his voice is no longer captured by the directional boundary microphones.

The setup was to rely as much as possible on wireless microphones for the singers and to install some back-up microphones hidden in the set 'in case off’.

The orchestra was recorded with 4 Omni SDC’s  on the strings and 2 in a large spaced pair.  Another
omni Schoeps was installed for the 2 harps and for the big drum.  All other microphones were cardioide.  Schoeps for the woodwinds, Sennheiser MKH40 for the brass and a U87 for the double bass.  In the hall we installed 4 AKG C414 in wide cardioide for ambiance and 5.1 mixing.



At La Monnaie we have a real church organ on stage and this was captured with one omni Schoeps.  In the mix this channel was duplicated and delayed to give a sense of stereo.

apart for a limiter, there was a multi-band compressor on the orchestra buss to control the low medium of the percussion when things got really load.

Finally there were not much problems with the wireless microphones and we used the stage microphones only for the choir and the off stage horns.
On each Wireless Microphone was a gentle compressor to control the fortissimo.  Some automation on the EQ was applied wen singers put on a hat or sing with their head on the floor.

We used a long and dark reverb and in addition a short and brighter reverb for the voices. For the choir off we added some delay.

Pictures of the Recording session can be found here

We often work with delay compensation for the different microphones in the pit and on stage.  For this purpose we perform a 'clap' at the conducters place in front of the orchestra.  In the pit I often do not delay all the mics but I did delay the woodwinds, brass and percussion.  The on stage microphones where delayed but not as much as the clap would indicate and the wireless mic's were delayed at the same amount because the singers do anticipate when singing at a large distance of the orchestra so in the venue they sound together.

Free online untill the 21th of October

DVD Release Lulu

Our Production of Lulu is available on DVD at Belair Classiques.

http://www.belairclassiques.com/blog/opera/lulu/

This DVD was recorded at La Monnaie in october 2012.

Recording Orpheo

The Concept of the Opera was to send the sound to a Hospital at 14 km from Brussels to a Patient with the Locked-in Syndrome, which is filmed live and the images projected on a big screen in the theater. The Sound was recorded with a traditional setup (see other opera's) and mixed live in the production booth on a Yamaha PM5D. Then the sound was transmitted with Nicecast and the down-link was done by the wifi network of the hospital on a ipod with a ATH M50 Headset. Pictures of the recording: The Videotransmittion was done on the 4G network of the 3 Belgian operators with a LiveU field set and a Glidecam on a motorcycle.

The same Microphone setup was then send to a protools system and Mixed for Video.  The core of this audio network is an optocore system, where every microphone can be assigned to a diversity of machines as the Mixing desk and a MADI stream for Protools.

Recording "Rigoletto"

For this style of orchestrations we do not need to put up a lot of microphones in the pit.
We installed 2 microphones on the brass but did not use them in the mix because they blended nicely in the other omnidirectional microphones.  There were 4 DPA 4006 on the first row of strings and 2 Schoeps MK2H as a large spaced pair in front of the orchestra.  There were 2 other Schoeps Omni's above the woodwinds, a Sennheiser MKH40 on the French Horns and a Neumann KM184 o the timpani to get some of the attack. Another DPA 4006 was placed at the big drum for the same reason.

Since the singers were flying in this production we installed 2 hypercardioide on the same level as which "Gilda" was singing.  This microphones were useful too for the choir singing in the set.  Two miniature DPA's were hidden in the center of the set and backstage was a Schoeps MSTC for the backstage choirs and a double setup of MD421 and DPA 4006 with different gains to capture the enormous dynamics of a big drum in the back.  We placed 6 Schoeps MK4 on the proscenium as directional boundary microphones.

In the hall we installed 3 pairs of microphones for ambiance, a pair of Schoeps MK2, a pair of AKG C414 for surround and a Schoeps MSTC for applause.

Pictures on Facebook

Radio Mix

For the Radio Mix this setup was ok except for 1 moment where Rigoletto was too far from the main microphones, placed at the footlight.  All singers had wireless microphones but only for this one occasion was used his microphone on the radio mix.  The Mix was done on a stagetec desk installed in the OB Van from the flemmish radio.  The only outboard used was a TC Electronic Finalizer on the stereo buss.

Streaming Mix

For the stereo mix we mixed on a Protools HD9 system with  subgroups for orchestra, wireless, ambiance, footlight, stage, parallel compression and reverbs.

On the ambiance Aux was a Waves C1-SC with the side-chain focused on 1k to balance the applause and color the natural reverberation of the Hall.  The footlights aux had a C4 multiband compressor on it to reduce the footsteps with band 1 and the proximity effect with band 2, other bands were bypassed.

Where the radio mix must bring the listener to the theater, for video the voices must be in the center for 99% of the time.  In radio the singers must walk trough the stereo field and front and back to make the experience for the listener as if he or she is in the theater, but this approach does not work when looking at a screen.  Here were the wireless microphones much more important.

Theater Mix

The previous mix will be used for a 5.1 mix.

Recording "Au Monde"

Au Monde was a creation of composer Philippe Boesmans after a theatrical piece of Joel Pommerat.
The recording was simultaneously for the Flemmish Television. 

Instruments

There were 8 DPA 4006 on the string section and one on the timpani with an APE and 4 Schoeps MK2 on the woodwind section.  On the Piano we had a pair of Schoeps MK2H.  Apart from a very large spaced pair of Schoeps MK2 in the Hall, all other microphones were cardioide.

The Doubble bases had a Neumann M149 and U87.  On the accordeon and harp were Neumann KM184.  There was a Schoeps MK4V on the Celesta and 2 o percussion.  A Schoeps MSTC5 on toms and conga's and a Schoeps MK4 on the G.C and tamtam.  All brass (including the French Horns) had a total of 4 Sennheiser MKH40.

In addition there was a distant couple of AKG C414 in the hall.

Voices

On Stage we installed 5 Schoeps MK4 as directional boundary microphones and 2 Neumann KM150 For the voices.  The set was a closed box and there were not much more options for installing additional microphones.  All singers had Wireless microphones and some had different costumes with different microphones prepared.  A total of 12 wireless Microphones were used.

At some point in the show, we needed to amplify the voice of Ori, played by Stephane Degout.  He was installed off stage in front of an AKG C414.

Recording "Jenufa"

This Opera is available on Medici TV and culturebox

We recorded simultaneously on a pyramix and Protools system and provided the live mix for Medici TV with a Lawo mc56 mixing desk.  All 3 were connected to La Monnaie's optical MADI network, which has an Optocore matrix for all routing.  It also completes the 24 channels of Crockwood preamps up to a total of 72 preamps.

The Orchestra

We wanted to achieve a clear sound for the brass and percussion and chose for this purpose a relative close micing with a Royer 121 on the trumpets, AKG C414 on the Trombone's and Tuba and Sennheiser MD421 on the Xylophone and the glockenspiel.  For an optimal separation of the timpani, the C414 were in figure of 8.  The timpani were recorded with a DPA 4006 with a APE.

Woodwinds were all recorded with Schoeps MK4V and MK8, to reduce spill of the French Horns which had a Sennheiser MKH40.  For the Harp we needed an open sound.  Since the mc56 had not enough channels and the Schoeps MS couple sounded very well, we recorded the harp in MS, for live streaming only using the Mid channel and for remixing we had the stereo signal for a more open sound.

The strings were recorded with DPA 4006 with APE and 2 Schoeps MK2 fill in.  The Doubble bass were recorded with a Neumann M149 and U87.  This makes a total of 21 microphone channels in the orchestra.  4 ambiance microphones (414 in wide cardio) were installed in the hall.

Pictures are available here.

The Stage

On the Proscenium we installed 5 Schoeps directional boundary layer microphones MK4. and suspended 3 cardio Schoeps, 3 hypercardio Schoeps and 2 Neumann KM150 to capture the singers and the choir. On top of these 13 microphones we used 12 wireless DPA 4061 on the singers.