Doç . Dr. CAN KARADOĞAN İTÜ TMDK

1. Creating The Recorded Image of Turkish Art Music: The Decision Making Process in a Recording Session Doç. Dr. CAN KARADOĞAN İTÜ TMDK

2. Discussion of the studio representation of Turkish Art Music • Stating the frequently faced problems of Turkish Art Music recording sessions • Creating the ‘high fidelity’ stereo image of the music that an ensemble is playing • Recommending ways to ease the decision making process in the session based on observations gained from practice PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY

3. A form of chamber music by tradition • Although the original practice was performed acoustically, the contemporary performance practice requires sound reinforcement TURKISH ART MUSIC

4. Recorded mostly live using no overdubs • The dominance of small studios force the productions to transform into a overdub way • Bigger ensembles which won’t fit into a studio should be recorded in concert halls or similar places ACOUSTIC ENSEMBLE MUSIC

5. They make use of the ITD (Interaural Time Delay) or IID (Interaural Intensity Difference) (e.g. the A-B technique or the XY technique) • They can reflect the placement of an ensemble in a room by giving localization cues. STEREO MICROPHONE TECHNIQUES

6. The placement of musical elements in the horizontal (left-right) and the depth dimension in mixed music • It is mostly possible to pan instruments to left of right. • By changing their volumes and their reverb amounts mostly it is possible to place these instruments to the foreground or the background. PANORAMA

7. A fixed sitting placement • In order to capture the depth and the space, even a single A-B stereo pair can be sufficient to create the image • Near mics are used to support the sections that are not loud enough in the whole mix SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

8. Microphones are placed mostly at a distance about 2-30 cm. from the source • Aims to capture more of the first sound waves from the source • Minimizes the reflected sounds that arrive at the microphone capsule CLOSE MIKING

9. Fixed placement • Familiar with acoustic performance • Overdubbing is never the choice of production STRING QUARTETT

10. Difficulties in acoustic performance without any monitoring • No clear placement • Fuzziness in the stereo image FREQUENTLY FACED PROBLEMS OF TURKISH ART MUSIC SESSIONS

11. Due to the 3:1 rule, a tight sitting placement would limit the miking distance • The stereo mix design would be compromised • Controlling the musical image WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

12. High awareness and expections for the stereo image • Only close miking techniques are used so that the panoramic placement is done in the mix • Recorded using headphones!!! JAZZ RECORDINGS

13. High awareness and expections for the stereo image • The stereo microphone pair defines the panorama • The close mics contribute less to the overall sound • No headphones are used during recording!!! CLASSICAL RECORDINGS

14. The ensemble creates the intonation together in the room • What happens if one instrument makes a mistake • Acoustic performance problems • Headphones: With or without • When a singer is involved, the session must be done using headphones TURKISH ART MUSIC LIVE RECORDING CASE

15. Stereo placement of the instruments • Is the kanun in the center? • Bowed instruments vs. Plucked instruments • Performing in a wide hemi circle • Percussion instruments on the left of the circle • Restricted usage of the stereo panorama that is present in the stereo pair MIXING

16. AN EXAMPLE

17. INSTRUMENTS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT • Tanbur • Ud • Ney • Kanun • Kemençe • Cello • Bendir (Percussion) • Daire (Percussion) RefikHakanTaluEnsemble

18. Having the sound expectation unclear, placing a close mic for each instrument can be helpful. • Depending on previous experience, matching all instruments with the best as possible sounding mic. • Recording the sound that is created together in the room with an A-B stereo pair. MIKING DECISIONS

19. TANBUR

20. UD

21. BENDİR

22. Making use of the polar patterns of microphones as much as possible. • Isolating neighboring instruments with gobos • Making use of the Low-cut filters of some microphones MINIMIZING THE LEAKAGE

23. GOBOS

24. Placed in the center of the hemi circle • Pointing towards the kanun as a center instrument • Ca. 2.20 m height A-B STEREO PAIR

25. A-B STEREO PAIR

26. A-B STEREO

27. MIXING STAGE

28. MIX PANORAMA

29. Close mic channels contributed to the sound more than the stereo pair • Unlike classical music mixes, the level of the main pair was kept lower than the close mic channels. • Delay compensation between the close mics to the pair was made • Close mics were panned according to their position in the stereo image of the A-B pair • Reverb added • Eqs were used to minimize the leakage and to give definition to some instruments MIXING STEPS

30. BuselikSazSemaisi – RefikHakanTalu • Room mics. only (A-B, DPA 4006) • Only close mics. • Final mix LISTENING EXAMPLE

31. Is there a traditional placement of the instruments of Turkish Art Music? • Is the kanun always in the middle? • Must the percussion instruments be place at a hard left of right position? • Would the bowed and plucked instruments be placed together as a section? • Would an average listener expect to find this stereo image in a recording? • How much freedom does a sound engineer have in order to produce Turkish Art Music? REMAINING QUESTIONS

32. THANK YOU