Live music recorded well has a certain undefinable energy which can make for a more engaging and satisfying recording. We have experience recording everything from webcasts to commercial releases.
VENUE: For live concerts, we would suggest that atmosphere and vibe is more important than worrying too much about extraneous noises; it may even possible that the odd passing bus, bird song or church bell adds to the live ambience! Of course, it is still very desirable that the room complements the instruments and chosen repertoire, and we are happy to advise on the suitability of your particular concert venue. Permission to record must obtained by the recording artist.
VISIBILITY: One of the main challenges of live recording is the discreet placement of microphones and stands. Where the venue allows it, mic's will be slung and suspended from above.
'ARCHIVE' OR 'BROADCAST' SESSION: We record two types of live sessions - 'archive' and 'broadcast'. An 'archive' session is exactly that - a straight archive recording of the concert.* This session is ideal if you want to record an important concert for yourself or for posterity. It may also be useful as a promotional recording. A 'broadcast' session differs in that the session rehearsal (assuming it is on the same day in the same venue) will also be recorded to give more material to work with during editing. Only a broadcast session may be used for radio broadcast and commercial release. Both session types receive the same level of dedication to quality. Indeed, an 'archive' recording may prove to be a more economical way of making a demo. For both session types, we will arrive at the concert venue before the session and set up all necessary equipment.
POST-PRODUCTION: After the recording session, we will sort and edit all recorded material. The only editing involved in 'archive' projects is removing unwanted gaps (e.g. long breaks between movements). 'Broadcast' editing involves all the usual processes: cutting, pasting, splicing and comping the recorded material, adding fade-ins/fade-outs, and removing unwanted noises (chair squeaks etc.) to create one satisfactory whole. Our ethos is that good editing practise should enhance the accuracy of the performance while maintaining musical line and meaning.
DELIVERY FORMAT: In most circumstances, the artist will require the final material in CD-DA format (this is the industry accepted 44.1KHz/16bit CD audio format). We provide two master CD-DA as standard from which the artist is free to burn as many copies as required.* For a more professional touch, we can also provide silk-screen printed CDs. It might also be convenient to have shorter clips in MP3 format for e-mailing, websites and other such uses.
WHAT IT COSTS: The following breakdown of costs can be used to calculate our fee.
|
• 'archive' session & post-production costs (inc. 2 master CDs): or • 'broadcast' session & post-production costs (inc. 2 master CDs): • [optional] 10 MP3 clips (inc. LQ and HQ versions): • [optional] Professional silk-screen printed CD-Audio: • Travel: |
£150 £250 £20 £1/CD (minimum 100 CDs) Free, within the Central Belt** |
Approximate turnaround time: 2 days for 'archive' recording, 7 days for 'broadcast' recording.
* 'archive' recordings are strictly for personal and promotional use and may not be publicly broadcast or resold.
** travel further afield will be re-billed at cost.