During the summers of 2013 and 2014, I was the recording engineer for the National Repertory Orchestra, in Breckenridge, Colorado. The orchestra performs over 120 pieces in over 20 concerts over a 10 week period, mostly at the Riverwalk Center, a lovely auditorium on the banks of the Blue River.
My first year with the orchestra, I designed and installed a new audio recording system from the ground up. The goal was to achieve the highest possible sound quality within the modest budget. The system I designed includes:
Studio and Interconnect Equipment:
Event 20/20 BAS monitors
MOTU 896HD digital audio interface
TASCAM DR-680 solid-state recorder (backup)
PreSonus FaderPort
Coleman monitor control
Apple iMac 27" 2.7gHz
Avid Pro Tools
Lacie Minimus hard disk drives
Custom microphone cable and multi-pair snake assemblies
Microphones:
(3) MBHO 603 small capsule condenser microphones
(2) Line Audio Design OM1 omnidirectional small capsule condenser microphones
(1) Neumann KM184 small capsule condenser microphone
(1) AKG C414 XLS large capsule condenser microphone
The miking techniques employed included the MBHOs, 3 across the front L-C-R main array at the downstage lip, the Line Audio omnis in a spaced L-R array, flown off the Riverwalk Center Arch, the 184 flown at the downstage lip, stage right of the conductor's podium, the 414 used as a woodwind highlight mic, and two Cascade Fatheads with Lundahl transformers used as L-R string highlight mics.
