Randolph Singers Concert 12/10/17 - Recording Technical Data

The Randolph Singers performed selections from the 1961 collection Carols for Choirs, as well as several works by George Frederic Handel, at the Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph, Vermont, on December 10, 2017. Under the direction of Dick and Marjorie Drysdale, the choir included over fifty singers, and an orchestra of a dozen players. Accompanist Marta Borgstrom played a Yamaha electric piano, which was amplified through speakers flanking the choir. The choir stood on risers, backed by an acoustic shell, while the orchestra sat in the front of the stage. Soloists stepped into the cavernous theater, beyond the stage’s proscenium. The timpani were also located inside the theater itself, to stage right, out of view of the choir. Listen to this recording on YouTube. 

View from the balcony of Chandler Center for the Arts, of a 2017 performance of Vermont's Me2 Orchestra. Photo credit: Chandler Center for the Arts.

A previous recording of this choir became a complicated project, involving multiple digital recorders and PZM microphones. This concert was recorded using only a Tascam DR-40, set on a shelf in front of Chandler’s sweeping balcony. The internal mics were set to 50%. The recorder provided two 44.1k PCM WAV files. These were edited first in Adobe Audition, eliminating audience noise and truncating performances from periods of silence. These tracks were then aligned in Reaper v5.50c, grouping together performances that included the orchestra.

Manufacturer's stock photo of the Tascam DR-40. The internal microphones may be set as pictured, or turned outward, for a different sense of stereo separation. For this recording, the microphones were set as-pictured. 

My first decision in post-production was whether or not to preserve the performances’ natural acoustics: the overture of one Handel piece (“Zadok the Priest”) was whisper-quiet compared to the thunderous choral entrance. I experimented with compressors, but found the volume levels too disparate to be enjoyed. Eyeing the master mixer meters as well as my outboard Spectrum Analyzer (BSR EQ-3000), I tweaked individual sections of each work by manipulating a volume envelope.

Cantrip performs at Chandler Center for the Arts, as part of the 2012 New World Festival. The black platform hanging from the balcony is where the Tascam DR-40 was located for the recording of the Randolph Singers' 2017 holiday concert. Photo credit: Dan Houghton. 

Applying simple filters in Reaper (EQ, ReaComp), I found the ‘room hiss’ to be substantial—to such an extent that I attempted using other plugins to quell the constant noise. For all but two tracks (two of the carols), I ended up applying a trusted process: noise reduction through identifying a profile sample and applying that sample across an entire waveform. Because I had normalized each track independently, I had to create unique noise profiles for each track. This was time-consuming, but worthwhile: the result came in crisply pronounced, pseudo-gated choral expressions, without a hint of ambient hiss. Capturing an audience anomaly—a chair squeak, a cough—in the noise profile meant desired frequencies would be removed from the entire track, leaving a residue of digital squeaks. I have utilized this process frequently, as it works charmingly on noisy line-level synth recordings. In this scenario, my careful choosiness was critical to enjoyable results.

The noise-reduced versions of the tracks responded well to my selections of plugins. I added a gentle reverb and stereo enhancement across all performances, not to enhance the sound as much as to smooth over any ‘sharp’ sonic edges left over from the noise reduction process. A number of low-frequency thumps take place throughout the recording: I believe these to be someone on the other side of the balcony, tapping their foot. While a low-pass EQ eliminated this problem, I couldn’t remove it with adversely effecting the quality of the choir.

All tracks were rendered in Reaper, and truncated in Adobe Audition, and authored into videos using Windows Movie Maker. The editing and post-production of these tracks relied heavily on digital effects (noise reduction and reverb); without enhancements, the disparate volume levels and room hiss would have made these recordings less enjoyable. I was surprised to hear some moments of clipping present in the final videos. These anomalies may be the result of multiple normalizations of each track, and/or the noise reduction process. In future recordings, I intend on running the Tascam DR-40 in 4-channel mode, utilizing both the internal stereo microphones as well as a pair of PZM “plate” mics. 

My efforts in producing this recording were strictly non-profit, motivated by my belief that recorded music allows for the capture of unique moments of human expression, and that technology is making listening experiences more available worldwide.

A famous performance of "Zadok the Priest."