The Golden Mean of Sound: Sound Director’s Tips for Recording Academic Music

The III International Symposium of the Academic Music Recording Industry, organized by the Russian Music Union, continued with a master class “Recording Acoustic Music in Non-Acoustic Conditions and Features of Information”. The host was Yakov Zakhvatkin, sound engineer and engineer at CineLab SoundMix studio. The event was supported by the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives.

Zakhvatkin shared practical tips for creating optimal conditions for recording, emphasizing the importance of understanding the acoustic features of the room and the impact of choosing microphone equipment. The key point was the explanation that the purpose of the information is not just to “fix” the recording, but to create a “sound” that corresponds to the intention.

In particular, it recommended:

**Consider the acoustics of the room: ** Even in the CineLab studio, with its seven-meter ceilings, it is important to properly position the instruments to avoid unwanted reflections of sound. Special attention was paid to the piano, which is usually the loudest instrument in the record.

* * * To control the volume of instruments: * To achieve balance, you can use sound boards or even a musical music player.

* **Optimal location of microphones: ** Yakov Zakhvatkin used a comprehensive solution: nearby Schoeps microphones for the piano, as well as microphones located at different heights and in different directions, for recording the violin. For large halls where the violin is played, you can use 18 microphones.

**Consider reverberation:** He believed that reverberation played a huge role in academic music and recommended that it be recorded in a separate track to be able to correct it.

* Avoid emotional swings: * * He warned against excessive excitement and panic when dealing with sound and urged restraint and critical thinking.

Zakhvatkin also demonstrated his work with a digital remote, emphasizing the importance of sound control and the need to avoid “chemotic” effects that can distort sound. The main principle of academic music he called "do no harm".