EQUIPMENT
Microphones are responsible for 90% of the final sound. These mics are the top choice among classical engineers and producers for one simple reason: they deliver the most accurate representation of the music.
DPA 4003 high-voltage and 4061 omnis, Schoeps CMC 5 & 6 solid-state preamps with MK2S omni, MK2 omni, MK21 subcardioid, MK 5 omni/cardioid, and MK6 figure-eight/omni/cardioid capsules; Neumann TLM193 (large diaphragm) cardioids (4); Sennheiser 800 Twins, and Royer SF-12 stereo ribbon (FABULOUS for the voice). We can obtain almost any mic you desire, such as the M50 and M49.
Sonare has rigs consisting of 24 channels of Prism Orpheus and Broadhurst Gardens microphone preamps which are in the recording environment and separated from the control room by up to 100 meters of optical fiber. Recording equipment offers a limitless opportunity to attempt to describe the ephemeral. We'll pass on that and simply say that all of our equipment is chosen for sound alone, and the results speak for themselves.
Our Sequoia workstation is one of only four software platforms than offer the flexibility of source-destination editing needed for critical classical work, and is where we keep our sonic magic wands from Algorithmix and iZotope RX. With these it is possible to remove almost any amount of steady-state noise (HVAC, organ blower, and hiss) but leave the music untouched; remove chair and bow scrapes, coughs, motorcycles and other bothersome noises; and Orange Linear Phase EQ, which transparently changes the tonality while leaving the imaging intact.
No system is complete without a means to add reverberation, and ours is Altiverb. Called "the best software reverb available" by reviewers and users, your ears will not be able to tell what is real and what is "virtual." Utilizing convolution technology, we can offer such justly-famous acoustics as the Berlin Philharmonie, the Concertgebouw, Vienna Music Hall, Esterhazy Palace, plus many stunning European churches, as well as several famous studio acoustics.
Tannoy System 800A location monitor speakers offer accuracy, pinpoint imaging, and easy setup. We also bring acoustic treatment for improving the monitoring and recording environment as neccesary.
Custom-designed signaling and talkback system that enables 2-way conversation, the traditional red light, as well as a phone for "private" comments.
Editing Capabilities are virtually unlimited in Sequoia. The material on either side of the cut can be adjusted for loudness, pitch, and tempo, and the splice point is easily moved for the most musical results. This all saves time and musical endurance when recording by knowing what can be "patched." Sequoia offers virtually unlimited potential to extract your best efforts. Because the same gear is used for editing as making the recording, we can edit while on location with your input. It is always fun watching the client observe what might otherwise have been an impossible edit simply "get fixed."
Mastering is done back home in Savannah using our full-range monitor system that consists of B&W Matrix 801 Series III (with North Creek crossovers) amplified by a Bryston 3B ST. It has been said that 85% of the world's classical music is mixed and mastered on these speakers. Their frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz with lightening-fast transient response and true phase coherency puts them in a very exclusive group of music transducers.
