The Professional Audio Company

Weekend in Tewkesbury

2010-07-05T03:34:00.001-07:00

We were lucky enough to spend the weekend working with the Raging Horns in Tewkesbury this weekend. If you haven't been you should as it's full of beautiful scenery. We were providing the band with a PA System and also engineering them for the gig. They rocked the event and all of the guests were up and dancing immediately.

This week is looking busy with teams out on the following:

Silverstone - Formula 1 - event preparation and the race :)
Manchester - Orange Rockcorp
Essex - Aderra UK - prep for gigs this summer

Check back for more news of what we've been up to and where we are next. Remember that we're always happy to talk to new clients about their needs and offer advice if necessary.

Fred Olsen and the Central Band of the Royal British Legion

2010-06-30T07:41:00.001-07:00

The Professional Audio Company has just returned from a weeks cruise to Norway with Fred Olsen - nice holiday you might say?!?

Unfortunately it wasn't all play for us. Whilst on the magnificent boat and seeing some amazing scenery - the fjords are something that we highly recommend to anyone - we were engineering and recording the Central Band of the Royal British Legion.

This band were raising the profile of the poppy appeal whilst entertaining the crew and passengers on the sold out cruise. The band played on deck and in concerts with the Professional Audio Company always on hand to make sure that the boat (and often those on the shore!) knew that the band was there! The band even managed to perform during strong gales that had the boat rocking from side to side - maybe it was dancing to the music!

Attached is a link to the video of the band that was taken by the ships crew - we were recording this concert - can you spot the microphones? As you'll see we can be very discreet!

http://www.youtube.com/user/Appliedimagination#p/u/1/SfE2BrJMlDs

LIVE RECORDING OF AN ACOUSTIC GRAND PIANO

2010-02-24T05:05:00.000-08:00

The key to recording any instrument in a live environment is being able to place the microphones in a position that captures the sound effectively and yet does not hinder the lines of sight of the audience. This is much easier to do if you understand the instrument that you are trying to record including its characteristics, physical workings and dynamic range.

The characteristics of a piano come from the harmonics and its percussive nature. Both of these are affected by the hardness and density of the felt on the hammers alongside the strength at which the string is struck. Smaller sized pianos tend to have a less pure sound quality due to the strength and size of the strings.

It is important to remember that with the dampers lifted pianos can resonate between 10 and 40 seconds and this varies according to the build quality of the instrument. With a grand piano this is further affected by the reflections according to the angle of the lid primarily affecting the middle and high-end frequencies. In a live environment many performers choose to close the lid of a grand piano creating a duller sound as the high-end frequencies cannot radiate fully and also decreasing the overall sound level (alongside causing a nightmare for microphone placement!). The alternative of removing the lid altogether also creates a similar problem although the amount of dullness is dependent on the proximity and reflective angle of the ceiling.

For a classical recording of a grand piano I feel that it is always best to have the lid raised so to create the reflective angle and allow all of the frequencies to resonate. The microphones of choice would be omni-directional condensers (e.g. Neumann U87’s). These would be placed in a space pair close to the piano at equidistance from the strings and the underside of the lid. As it is a live recording it is important that they are not placed too far from the instrument, as they would potentially pick up too much of the audience and not enough of the piano. It is important to remember to position the microphones and then listen back to the sound that is being received and adjust as necessary – the smallest movement in microphone placement can make the biggest difference in the sound that it is captured.

I would however place a pair of ambient room microphones that were also omni-directional condensers (e.g. AKG414’s) in a spaced pair formation to allow control over the amount of audience pick up and create a blend between the microphones to encompass both the piano and the audience.

Quick introduction to the Professional Audio Company

2009-09-25T02:59:00.000-07:00

The Professional Audio Company prides itself on the range of services offered. Live and Location Recording, PA Hire, Live Sound Engineering, Outdoor Event Consultancy along with Venue PA installation & management, all with highly qualified and experienced engineers. Together we can help you create and capture the magic of live music.

We use HK Audio, Dbx, Allen & Heath, AKG, Shure, Pro Tools and other industry standard equipment that is designed to withstand the rigours of any event.

All equipment is maintained to the highest of standards to ensure maximum reliability and operated by experienced and friendly engineers

Our services cover the whole of the UK so contact us for a quote or if you want advice on running your event or arranging your recording.