Creating a Commercial Classical Music Recording

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For a piece with many musicians (ex.

orchestra): a large space with high ceilings,

such as a concert hall, is ideal

For a piece with a small group of

musicians (ex. string quartet): a smaller

room would achieve a more intimate,

focused sound

The location of the recording session depends

on the number of performers and the

acoustics of a venue.

Stereo Microphones: most classical

music recordings use several

microphones placed in strategic

locations to capture both the

performer's sound and overall sound

of the room

Microphone Preamps: takes output

from the microphone and amplifies it

to deliver a high quality, clean sound

TIP: Choose a location

with minimal background

noise (cars, people

walking by, etc.)

Why use stereo microphones?

Mastering is the final editing

step. The goal of mastering

is to ensure the recording

sounds its best before it

is released.

If the recording has multiple

movements, mastering

ensures each movement

flows well into the other and

the entire recording sounds

consistent.

CREATING A COMMERCIAL

CLASSICAL MUSIC RECORDING

A Quick Guide To:

RECORDING

POST-MASTERING

EDITING

Essential Equipment

Stereo mics are used in classical music

recordings because they best replicate the

sound of a live performance and "creates the

illusion of space" (Toft, 2020).

REFERENCES

By Winnie Zheng

Mixing

Mastering

Comping

Mixing music is the process

of combining and adjusting

multiple tracks together to

achieve optimal sonic

balance.

Equalizer: adjusts the

frequencies of the audio

Compressors: reduces

the difference between

loud and soft levels to

achieve consistency in

frequency level

Track comping involves

piecing together multiple

takes to create a "best of the

best" recording, otherwise

known as a composite

track.

Successful track comping

requires a good ear and the

use of crossfade which

seamlessly blends one take

into another.

Common mixing tools:

Creating an album cover

Contain visual associations to the

recording

Evoke the recording's character or

mood

Feature the artist(s) or composers

The album cover is an important visual

representation of the recording.

Album covers can:

Writing liner notes

Liner notes are a written guide for the

listener and contains relevant and/or

interesting information related to the

recording.

Liner notes can include:

Composer/performer bios

Inspiration behind the work

Music analysis

Music/production credits

Toft, R. (2020). Recording classical music. Routledge, an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group.

Location, location, location!