Acoustics of Rooms for Classical Recordings

Abstract

One of the tasks of the producer of classical recordings is to select the acoustical environment and the placement of microphones to achieve the result that he and the conductor feel fulfills the composer's intent. For organ and choir music, fullness of tone is sought. For music of the Baroque period, a drier quality is usually preferred. Much of the music of the Classical and Romantic periods is satisfactorily produced in one type of environment. Excerpts from recordings of the major record companies are played to demonstrate the results achieved. Several examples of the same composition performed by the same orchestra and conductor in two different halls are presented. One asks whether listeners' tastes for the acoustics of live music might be influenced by the “standardized” environment heard on many recordings.