First new recording in a long time...

[debra]

Well, I have made recordings of different ensembles but Im now starting to record some of my own arrangements so that people who are interested in them can hear what the result is supposed to sound like.
My first one is the <a href=<YOUTUBE id=0I8vHrWveFs url=>Adagio from BWV 564</a>. I have an arrangement for accordion quintet and for duo. The recording is the quintet version. Im still learning how to properly record in multiple tracks (I can play only one of the 5 parts at the same time...) but Im learning quickly. I wont be bothering this board with more such recordings to come. They will appear on my YT channel at some point in time.

For now there is no real video, only sound and a picture. I may start recording video in the future. (But Im not an advanced video editor who can combine 5 videos of me playing each parts into a single video...)

Enjoy!

 

[Morne]

This is great, Paul. I love baroque pieces and I will definitely be looking forward to more of those.

 

[jozz]

Beautiful! You can try the program Shotcut for basic video editing even on slower computers. It has that multi split screen function you need.

 

[Geronimo]

I've used Shotcut (though under GNU/Linux) for most of my recent videos. KDEnlive can align audio tracks: that's quite convenient. But its transitions really drive me crazy, and I just don't get warm with its workflows. It also has better export possibilities. But in the end, I get the job done pretty fast with Shotcut. Though its documentation (which documentation?) sucks.

 

[Glenn]

Nice recording Paul. And your website is a gold mine for music and ideas. Thanks.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Zevy]

Very nice!

 

[Piotr]

Nice job Debra.
Maybe we would make a virtual recording? I can mix 3-4 records but we need nice arrangement and 3-4 persons for cooperation...

 

[debra]

Nice job Debra.
Maybe we would make a virtual recording? I can mix 3-4 records but we need nice arrangement and 3-4 persons for cooperation...

Technically this is challenging because of synchronization issues.
What I did for my latest recording is to first play and videotape (plus good audio recording) the first part, and then I started playing/recording the other parts while watching the video (and listening with headphones). The body language on the video is at least as important as the sound, if not more important, to get the interpretation right and to stay synchronized. Even then I needed to fix some synchronization issues in mixing and post-processing the recording.
Recording a small ensemble playing live (i.e. all parts at once, not meaning live for for an audience) is a lot easier, but it is harder on the players as none of them should make any mistakes.

 

[Geronimo]

Nice job Debra.
Maybe we would make a virtual recording? I can mix 3-4 records but we need nice arrangement and 3-4 persons for cooperation...

Technically this is challenging because of synchronization issues.

Well, one would start with the rhythm group. Bass accordion and/or 4th. Add melody and then other voices.

Assuming that all participants have the necessary equipment (playback of preexisting tracks through headphones while recording new ones), next challenge is that the recordings need to be close-captioned with as little reverb/room as possible since that should be added last in order to make for a consistent character.

 

[Piotr]

We can try it.
It is my idea and examples:
<YOUTUBE id=2QSHAcEwVEk url=></YOUTUBE>
<YOUTUBE id=k0KzGq46Hm0 url=></YOUTUBE>
<YOUTUBE id=Iuu9hoMwTHQ url=>https://youtu.be/Iuu9hoMwTHQ</YOUTUBE>

 

[Geronimo]

Uh, yeah. Ill have to admit that the only actual multitrack I did so far was without merging videos. Try
<YOUTUBE id=H9mYPaNvhhY url=>[media]</YOUTUBE>
Cat scratching furniture and running around, mediocre mics, awful camera, and the viola voice (same accordion! No EQ, really. But the reed is the one in the pseudo cassotto.) articulated like drunk and added as mono voice-over.

As I said, first multitrack. Im pretty sure I can do this better now, given an occasion.

 

[debra]

My guess is that what is best is to first record each track separately with just audio (video for the first track because the body language needs to be seen to synchronize playing) and then looking for a suitable background to make the videos while doing playback. And when making really good recordings you want two good mics placed left and right in front of the accordion as well (I did not do that for my recording, just used the built-in mics of the Tascam recording device) which does not make for a nice video image either... I guess I'll have to experiment more, but the hardest part still is first studying all parts of the virtual ensemble.

 

[jozz]

pro tip: choose a fixed BPM and have everybody play with metronome {}

 

[Geronimo]

pro tip: choose a fixed BPM and have everybody play with metronome {}

It would be my guess that the pros dont use metronomes for their click track because they are just too raw. I find that even using a drum sequencer (which is certainly not less precise) allows for better settling in of ones tempo.

 

[jozz]

Its personal, but the standard is a high pitch 'beep' metronome track as it cuts through the music better than a drum track (certainly if you're drumming to it). Also a visual aid is nice.

 

[debra]

I tried recording with metronome in the past. Much easier to keep the play synchronized, but the result does not sound nearly as spontaneous as when you just play the lead voice and use body language to act as a conductor.
There was once a TV program/documentary where the conductor of a very good orchestra was replaced by a metronome, either with light flashes or with sound, and the performance was just awful compared to what the orchestra did with the conductor. We should not forget that an orchestra with conductor is mainly one musician (the conductor) who is playing a very complex instrument (the orchestra). The orchestra cannot do without the conductor what it can do when the conductor is "playing" the orchestra as an instrument.

 

[Geronimo]

I tried recording with metronome in the past. Much easier to keep the play synchronized, but the result does not sound nearly as spontaneous as when you just play the lead voice and use body language to act as a conductor.

For double leads that may be impractical. I was musing at some time whether it would work to start from a blank (metronome or freely) and then ping-pong between recording the two leads (record the violin 1 part, then the violin 2 part while listening to the first recording of violin 1, then violin 1 again listening to the first recording of violin 2, then violin 2 again listening to the second recording of violin 1 and so on) in order to arrive at a reasonable approximation to give-and-take between two instruments. But I havent tried this in practice (yet).

 

[jozz]

I find the accordion lead and solos mostly "begs" for tempo swings, but the rest of the band will get frustrated if I do that as they continue to grind on, to the layout of the drummer, so I got used to it and accepted my fate.

But my main reason for metronome recording is speed. If everybody does their homework to the click track, it's 2-3 takes and done. If we can only match tempo in person to a lead player, you're in that room for half a day.

 

[debra]

I find the accordion lead and solos mostly begs for tempo swings, but the rest of the band will get frustrated if I do that as they continue to grind on, to the layout of the drummer, so I got used to it and accepted my fate.

But my main reason for metronome recording is speed. If everybody does their homework to the click track, its 2-3 takes and done. If we can only match tempo in person to a lead player, youre in that room for half a day.

I feel your pain regarding the drummer. All too often the drummer feels that (s)he should be in control of the tempo which is frustrating for the solo who wants to go rubato. My experience with good bands, without drummer, is that the other players do not get frustrated but instead will concentrate on what the solo does and follow the flow to keep everything synchronized. Alas, most bands are not like that...