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ENGINEERING

REPORTS

A Different Way to Record Classical Music*


JORG JECKLIN

Radiostudio Basel (Swiss Broadcasting Corporation), Basel, Switzerland

Some methods of recording classical music are discussed, and the development of a new
microphone configuration, called the OSS technique, is described.

0 INTRODUCTION
In past years, recording techniques for popular and
light music have influenced the recording of classical
music. In comparing old and new recordings of classical
music it is not obvious that the new recordings sound
better or more accurate. There seem to be no reasons to
use light music recording techniquesto record symphony
orchestras or chamber music groups playing in the
proper acoustical environment,
Our recording method is based on the following assumptions:
1) The sound source is balanced.
2) The sound source has the proper acoustical environment,
3) Sound source and room belong together,
Under these circumstances there should be one point
in the room where the available sound is optimal. At this
point the balance of the direct sound from the instruments and the relation between direct sound and reverberant sound are optimal,
A microphone configuration was developed to record
the sound at this point. The stereo signal from the configuration is characterized by time delay, intensity, and
frequency response differences between the two channels. Signals from spot microphones used together with
this configuration
must be time-delayed according to
the microphone distances from the stereo configuration,
An electronic compensation
signal is introduced
to
overcome the limitations of two-loudspeaker
reproduction in an average living room.
I PROBLEMS OF RECORDING
THE FACTS

MUSIC:

A music recording must sound well in an average


livingroom when reproduced with the normal two loudspeakers. One drawback of today's stereo technique is
that it is possible to reproduce only two sound sources
accurately,

one at the position of the left loudspeaker,

* Presented at the 66th Convention of the Audio Engineering Society, London, 1980 February 25-28.
1981 Audio Engineering Society, Inc.

0004-7554/81/050329-04500.75

the other at the position of the right. Sound sources


between the loudspeakers
are phantom sources. It is
most important to use a stereo signal that allows human
hearing to produce an optimal illusion of space.
In contrast, an orchestra is a complex sound source
composed of a number of single sources. The source has
properties that depend on the kind of music.
Many sources of popular and light music are not
acoustically and musically balanced. There isno available sound to be picked up without manipulation. The
desired sound must be created in the control room. This
musicmight be called"microphonemusic."
Most sources of classical music are balanced in every
respect. Because the music was written for concert performance,thedesiredsound existsin the concerthallfor
the audience and therefore also for the microphone.
This music might be called "natural music."
Today's technical possibilities make it possible to record popular and light music according to the expectations of the listener because those expectations are
formed by the sound of the recordings. Even in a concert, the performers try to create (with electroacoustical
help) the sound of the recordings. Recording this music
offers no fundamental problem.
The situation is different in the field of classical music.
Expectations of the listener are formed by the concert
hall sound. There is no specific recording technique for
classical music. The sound of the recordings differs from
one recording company to another.
Using light music recording methods to record natural music cannot be the solution because the suppositions are too different. It is necessary to find a specific
recording method for classical music.
2 CONVENTIONAL
RECORDING
FOR CLASSICAL MUSIC

TECHNIQUES

2.1 Polyrnicrophony
Each instrumental

group is recorded

with its own

microphone. Microphone signals are mixed together in


the control room. Often a large number of microphones
J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 29, No. 5, 1981 May

329

JECKLIN

ENGINEERING REPORTS

is used.

2.4 Conclusion

The shortcomings of this method arise because the


acoustical unity of sound source and room is not considered. All microphones pick up direct sound and reverberation. Mixing the direct sound cannot achieve automatically the proper balance of reverberant sound. The
room impression can be strange. Further, in the case of
an orchestra in a concert hall or a similar studio, itisnot
possible to separate the different instrumental
groups
sufficiently.
Polymicrophony
is the best recording
technique
for

The 360 technique seems to be the best way to record


natural music. But it is first necessary to find the proper
microphone configuration to avoid the drawbacks of
normal stereo microphones.

microphone music. To record natural music it seems not


to be the best solution,

The microphone we developed was first built on a


theoretical basis and was then optimized by the method
of "cut and try."
The configuration is assembled with two sound-pressure microphones, so that the tonal balance and spatial

2.2 Main Microphone-Spot


Techniques

Microphone

One stereo microphone or a stereo A-B arrangement


is used to record the sound as accurately as possible.
Additional spot microphones are used to support weak
instruments or groups,
The problem is that the supported instruments are
reproduced too much "in front," and the spatial illusion
of the recording is easily disturbed. There is also the
danger of an imbalance in reverberant sound.
This method can be used to record natural music, and

3 A SPECIFIC TECHNIQUE
FOR RECORDING
NATURAL
MUSIC: THE OSS TECHNIQUE
3.1 The OSS Microphone

relationships of a complex sound source are maintained.


The two microphones are spaced by 165 mm to produce the proper time-delay differences between the chartnels. They are acoustically separated by a disk with a
diameter of 280 mm. The disk is acoustically damped on
both sides to reduce reflections. (Figs. 6 and 7).
This combination has the following properties:

it is possible to get good results.

,,4,

2.3 360 Technique

t_,

,,.,
_"

This method can be used only when the available


sound in the room is good enough to be recorded with-

_!
i

out manipulation. It is based on the following assumptions:


1) The sound source is balanced.
2) There is the proper acoustical environment.
The assumptions are fulfilled in the case of conventional classical music. It is necessary to find the point in
the room where the balance of the direct sound and the

o.I. ,, '"

_s

reverberation is optimal. A stereo microphone placed at


this point should automatically give an optimal record-

ts

/_"

//
/'

the properties of the usual stereo microphones.


A stereo microphone usually contains two cardioid
capsules. They are sensitive to sound pressure and sound

330

uae

/"

eo /

be-

it is not possible to realize the ultimate recording. The


reasons are not shortcomings of the 360 technique, but

the time delay and frequency response differences


tweenthe two ears (Figs. 1-5).

,..

(in wavelengths).
The signal that
therefore
a distance-dependent
component
misleadscontains
the human
listener. Bass instruments always seem to be closer on the recording
than in real space.
That is why a complex sound source cannot be recorded accurately with cardioid microphones. Further,
astereo signal containing only intensity differences does
not duplicate the human hearing experience. It ignores

Fig. i. Influence of intensity differences.

ing. But experience shows that a complex sound source


cannot be recorded with one stereo microphone; at least

velocity. The relation between sound pressure and sound


velocity depends on the distance from the sound source

'_

s
_

[
[
to _s _
so
m

zs Jo
m m

,,
_

m-_,
em

Fig. 2. Influence of time differences.

right tS
louder

_,,,_ _"'_
l
.c,
a'_ I
a ,"'---. .._,_ ,J\
;-- -. /
_
,
'
-e
-_'__ ..._\
j_
_
_,_
,_,e
..,Is b-'-" _
-S
-4
-Ir

_"'"'T't
"""o'

t
le, m
earlier

Fig. 3. Influence of the combination of intensity and time


differences.
J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 29, No. 5, 1981 May

ENGINEERING
REPORTS

A DIFFERENT
WAYTO RECORD
CLASSICAL
MUSIC

1) In the frequency range below 200 Hz the disk has


no influence. Both microphones receive the same signal.
2) With increasing frequency, diffraction occurs at
the edge of the disk with an increasing effect of separation of the two microphones,
3) The polar response of the dSS microphone is omnidirectional, which is satisfactory for rooms with either
normal or too short a reverberation time.
To work in rooms with a long reverberation time it is
possible to change the omnidirectional polar response to
a cardioidlike characteristic by using a sound-absorbing
screen behind the microphone assembly. Ihis solution
does not change the transducer characteristic of the
pressure microphones, and all the advantages are conserved (Fig. 8).

one point in the room.


If the spot microphone signals are time delayed according to the microphone distances from the dSS microphone, the recording keeps the dSS properties. In
this case it is necessary to add reverberation to the spot
microphone signals to give the correct illusion of distance.
Experiments have shown that spot microphone signals should be time-delayed in every case, including
their use with a "normal" microphone technique. It is
possible in this way to increase the level of the spot
signals without bringing the supportedinstruments
"in
front" of the recording.

The dSS microphone in this form fulfills the requirements of the 360 technique,

A main drawback of two-loudspeaker reproduction is


the perception of the loudspeakers as sound sources.
This phenomenon appears to be independent of the
specific form of the stereo signal.
To overcome this limitation it is necessary to simulate
a binaural listening condition at the listener's location in
the living room. Because the loudspeakers are fixed, this
effect can be realized with the help of a compensation
signal for a limited area of the room.
There are two compensation signals, one for the left

3.2 Spot Microphones and the 360 Technique


The signals of spot microphones disturb the imporrant time delays between the two channels of a 360
recording because the sound is no longer picked up at

mo _e

sm

mo _

"_,

mm _

se

If 1111111.
I

-re I

[ --'_,'__[_[[_
_:I

i I/1[11_:iN$_
I II
I I I lllllll I I lXllilli,li
-'l
I I II}tlll I ] }l_"l_l[ I
.,!
I IIIIII11 I I IIl'll_/ I
i ! I IIIIIii I IIII1111 I
Fig. 4. Frequency response of the diffraction of sound around
the humanhead.

IWeNz

,aese

0"_

t_

__
m_

fe

le _
m

J2_Hz

_i_m,

-I0/_i

_n

-'_-- _',.,.
_ --,,._,

R-L

Nm_

Ifthis

is done properly,

there is no informa-

tion for the listener about the position


speaker. The same compensation
is
loudspeaker.
The reproduction ofa compensated
more nearly natural. The width of
seems to be greater than the distance

of the right loudmade for the left


recording sounds
the reproduction
between the loud-

speakers, and in addition the loudness is increased.

4 APPLICATION OF THE dSS TECHNIQUE


4.1 Using the dSS Microphone
recordings where the available sound is satisfactory. In
Applicability
the dSStomicrophone
limited of
to
some
cases it is ofnecessary
change the isposition
instruments
balance.

or groups of an orchestra

to get an effective

R
-

'0_
-,.
-..-... I_
*r,_,i
lO -- _."_

'"_ "'

'_l-t_
--

_' '"'

5. Intensity differences

" 'DD--"
.....
'"'_......
.... :..,z
... 1-1

lO

-.110

60e g?Oe810e
oe 40e Ijoe
'" _ *'=-_=,,_
-'0,,_-_
Fig.

-'--

--Jo
to _ _, ---' .-

-,110
e

14_/

Signal

loudspeaker and one for the right. Theleft-channelsignal has to compensate at the left ear of a listener for the
unwanted sound from the right loudspeaker that reaches
theleftear.

,e

_Hz

3.3 Compensation

lO

at the ears for different angles.

J.AudioEng.Soc.,
Vol.29,No.5,1981
May

l(JJ
Fig. 6. Principal

assembly.
331

JECKLIN

ENGINEERING REPORTS

The technique of using just the OSS microphone


itself to work with simple technical equipment.
4.2 Adding Time-Delayed

lends

er time delay.
It is possible to overcome the limitations
loudspeaker reproduction
tion signals.

Spot Microphones

of two-

with the help of compensa-

Combining the OSS microphone with spot microphones in the described manner allows the work to
proceed conventionally.
In addition to positioning the
spot signal between left and right with the panpot, it
must also be positioned in depth with an adjustable time

Most interesting was the realization that in the"black


magic field" of music recordings it is possible to get a
valuable result by starting with theoreticalprinciples,

delay.
Because a conventional recording of natural music is
also improved by time-delaying the spot signals, this
technique should be used throughout.

7 REFERENCES

4.3 Compensation
Reproduction

of the Loudspeaker

The compensation signal was created to overcome the


limitations of two-loudspeaker reproduction,
and so it
ought to be added in the reproduction rather than mixed

following the theory carefully, and using the method of


"cut and try" only for the final optimization.

[1] N. V. Franssen, Stereofonie.


[2] H. F. Olson, AcousticalEngineering,
Nostrand, Princeton, NJ, 1957).

[3] Feldkeller and Zwicker, Das Ohr als Nachrichtenempfi_nger.


[4] J. Jecklin, Musikaufnahmen, Grundlagen, Technik,
Praxis.

in the recording. Becausethis is not possible at the


either case, the sound image in the listening room is
moment,
much
improved.
it must be used (if at all) on the recording. In
5 ADVANTAGES

musicians,

producers,

OF THE OSS TECHNIQUE

and consumers,

3rd ed. (Van

fl[_

..._

,i_}i..
'_;!
i::'_:.:'_
';-3:1!t

::

much more accu-

OSS
sound
different
in the opinion of
rate
andrecordings
natural. The
stereo
imageand,
isnearlyspectacular,
and the sound is rich, full, and clear. Recordings made
with time-delayed spot microphones never give the impression of having been manipulated. If there is "available sound," the OSS technique seems to be superior to
all other recording methods. Most impressive are recordings of live performances,
because the public is
"embraced."

_!.
__

i,._. . _ _ -:

Fig. 7. Damping of the sides of the disk.

6 CONCLUSION
Our work made it obvious that the_360 technique is
the optimal method for recording natural music.
It is of great importance to use the best possible stereo
configuration.
The stereo signal must contain intensity,
time delay, and frequency response differences between
the channels.
Spot microphones

should be used only with the prop-

Fig. 8. Acousticalscreento realizea directionalcharacteristic.

THE AUTHOR

332

J_irg Jecklin was born in Chur, Switzerland, in 1938.


He studied music in Basel and received a technical education at the RTI in Nuremberg, West Germany. After
earning a degree as a recording engineer, he worked for
the music department of the Swiss Broadcast Corp. in
Basel and as a recording engineer and music producer.
In addition, he has served as an audio consultant in the
field of microphones and loudspeakers for several companies.
The author of two books and several articles for
technical magazines, Mr. Jecklin worked in the development of electrostatic headphones.

J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 29, No. 5, 1981 May

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