How to create a music festival?

How to Create a Fine Classical Music Audition CD

• My next career will be that of a Classical Music Recording Engineer. I already have a 9-foot Steinway in my living room and that should count for something. I record directly into my PC using Audio-Technica 4033a, and C87 microphones and the quality is really quite good. But here's my problem (and my question). I find I'm making quite a number of audition CDs for College graduates who are looking to enter a Masters program in music performance. The Institutions/Universities to which they are applying include Julliard, Eastman, Curtis and The University of Michigan and The University of Indiana. So you can see that I really don't want their audition CDs to suck. I have an unlimited number of options available to me using the digital recording software that I own, and I can create CDs that sound like store-bought ones. But I don't think this is right somehow. I think that I should not alter the sound at all (reverberation, compression and like that) because the listeners can tell that I've done this and they might think that the performance, itself, has been altered too (fixing wrong notes, putting multiple "takes" together to make a full performance). I seem to think that I should highlight the soloist more than usual by lowering the volume of the piano accompaniment in order that not a wisper of sound by the soloist be drowned out. Do you agree? Is there somewhere on the web that I might find hints on how to create audition CDs? Or is it possible that everybody "doctors" their audition CDs (and yes, I know that Julliard wants a "standard audiocassette", but CD is easier to type) to make the soloist sound as good as humanly possible? I'll play along if this is the game. Please let me know soonest, because the deadline for Julliard is November 1, 2002 and I have another recording session before I can start to create the final CD.

• Answer:

  hello beauregard, Wow - that is a great multi-part question. I have read it several times to ensure I could highlight each point that you proposed, and to answer each question. I decided to answer this question due to the fact that I too am a musician ( blues guitarist 12 + years ), and I think I can answer it from a point of view that will be useful to you. Please ask for clarification if you need it, as our ratings as researchers are based on how well we answer questions, and not so much on our observations. The first part of your question that needed an answer is: "I seem to think that I should highlight the soloist more than usual by lowering the volume of... Do you agree?" I would have to agree with you on a level. I would take a different approach to making the student stand out though. The performance in question should have an emphasis on the student and their music abilities overall, as they are the one auditioning. I would not propose altering the volume after the recording has been done, rather playing the standard composition at hand, and playing dynamically ( soft -vs- loud ) at predetermined intervals. ( Typically the solo areas ) This offers three advantages over adjusting the levels with your recording equipment : - It shows the students ability to adapt and improvise. - Provides the reviewing board the opportunity to scrutinize the students timing and phrasing in the students environment ( where they are more comfortable playing ), as opposed to the student putting themselves in the position to be examined solely on a standard 'plain-jane' performance. - When the student plays live at the school - the review board already has a realistic view of how well the performance will sound i.e. unprocessed control of the instrument. "Is there somewhere on the web that I might find hints on how to create audition CDs?" Here is an article on Mastering CDs, with some great tips. Specifically the section ("Seven Reasons Why Mastering is Needed. Can't I just mix..."), that mentions how things sound different through monitors etc... http://www.digido.com/cdmastering.html I found a couple of resources that may aid you in your research. Most are about creating CDs, with an emphasis on the musician side. The best way I could find such sites was to search for "creating demo tapes", vice "creating audition CDs". The first site on the list is something of a library. I found it to be very useful. Audio Amigo http://www.audioamigo.com/ The Recording Website http://www.recordingwebsite.com/forums.html About.com has an extensive collection of tools http://homerecording.about.com/ I also thought you might make good use of this site, that has tons of free/share/trial software for the "at home" recording musician. At one point I used it on a daily basis. ShareWare Music Machine http://www.sharewaremusicmachine.com/ Now let me address the next part of your question : "is it possible that everybody doctors their audition CDs (and yes, I know that Julliard wants a standard audiocassette, but CD is...?" It is highly likely in my opinion - that many do. While I am certain that quite a few do not, most musicians forget to impress the uniqueness of their music - and conform to worldly standards. Here is an excerpt taken from the Juilliard website: Juilliard site reference "..but a broad and thoughtful interest in the world of classical music, including its historical traditions and contemporary trends" http://www.juilliard.edu/admissions/musicaudition.html I understand that to say - each musicians 'thoughtful interest' is their musical individuality, and those are the students that will be accepted. Take a look at these statistics of acceptance at Juilliard for the 2000-2001 year: http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:UycREMl8ZdMC:www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/dradmiss_2742.htm+juilliard+admission+rate&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 Only 8% of those who applied were accepted. I would have to say with a certain degree of faith - that Juilliard weeds out most submissions that are just plain electronic reworks, and now has a detective ear for such recordings. Then again - that is just my opinion :-) I wouldn't mistake quality for the advice I gave though. A good CD still needs to be made, as the ability to do so has gotten very easy these days. I just think I agree with you on a very high level - The musician is what matters in this instance, and not how well the recording was processed. One more excerpt from Juilliard - "...students who attract the most attention are those whose work is imbued with the kind of emotional spirit and artistic creativity that sends an exciting message to audiences" http://www.juilliard.edu/admissions/college.html I hope you find this answer/input useful. If you need clarification before rating, simply ask and I would love to assist in any way I can. To find more resources for this answer I searched for : "home recording creating cds" : ://www.google.com/search?q=home+recording+creating+cds "home recording": ://www.google.com/search?q=home+recording Thanks for the great question! SgtCory