twiiii
Lunatic Member
I am sure many of you are familiar with Sheffields Harry James LP recordings captured fundamentally by a single Stereo condenser microphone. Well I was poking around You Tube and found Harry James "One Night Stand" featuring Buddy Rich on drums. If you get a chance listen. For the time in history the sound is outstanding. The video is poor, but watchable. The way big band should be captured in stereo or mono. How many mics. One solo mic that everyone stays a respectable distance from. One mic for the brass, and 5 knee high KM84 mics for the saxes. Buddy Rich is on his own. There is one for the piano but I can't see it and there is one for the bass. Thats's it. Oh the highs aren't in your face but the sound replicates a live performance as it should. I wish other big band recordings blends were this good. Some might prefer closer miking and a bunch of mikes for the drums. But I enjoy the balance of everything. 17 musicians working together as a single group , and not 17 individualists. The vocal and instrumental solos were so natural with the musicians standing 5 to 10 or more feet away from the Telefunken mic with the in vertical diaphragm. It looks like the early model mics Mercury used for their Living Presence" recordings. The bass of the upright and drums doesn't drive or predominate the recording. Its there, easy to follow, but its nothing like R&R inspired recordings later on in history.
It was great fun to see and hear some one else capture Harry James Band for posterity. It does make we want to pull out my Sheffield albums for after dinner enjoyment.
It was great fun to see and hear some one else capture Harry James Band for posterity. It does make we want to pull out my Sheffield albums for after dinner enjoyment.
Last edited: