Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site
In the Forum: Playback Listening
In the Thread: Time Alignment : Live Performances vs Audio
Post Subject: orchestra alignmentPosted by op.9 on: 3/7/2007
One of the dark arts of playing in (and conducting) an orchestra is
the question of judging when to play. This is a huge subject. For
example, often the backs of sections are playing slightly behind anyway
- If you play exactly on the speed of light signal from the conductor
when you are at the back - you will most likely be early. Its very
tricky. I prefer being at the front! Percussionist have it hardest -
timing a 'ding' exactly where on the beat you want it (i.e. on or just
after) when positioned right at the back is a miracle. Only the very best musicians get it right.
Conductors who try to solve this with clever leads or flicks of the
wrist tend to cause more problems than they solve. When you listen to a
really great ensemble its wonderful how all those musicians find a way
to really listen and to use the acoustic and delays in the hall to create the perfect sound
for the listener or microphone. (Horn players playing a low note have
to play a good quarter of a second or more in front to compensate for
the length of their instrument and also because their sound is best
reflected off the back wall of the hall) Interestingly, in the film
music studios most instruments have their own microphone and you simply
play with the click track. Comb filtering heaven! Then they do what
they like with it in the control room.Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site