Orchestral Brass Ensembles GiGA

Team AI/CoBaLT | 2004/2005 | 15.89 GB

Orchestral Brass Ensembles (henceforth known as OBE) consists — perhaps unsurprisingly — of orchestral brass ensembles recorded in a 2500-seater concert hall, using players (uncredited, as usual) from an American symphony orchestra. Two mic positions were used, one 30 feet from the players, the second 100 feet back to capture the hall reverb (see diagram, right). This lavish use of space created a collection of big-sounding samples known as the ‘symphonic’ recordings. In order to offer users sonic choice, Kirk also recorded a second set of samples in the same hall, but first made some significant musical and acoustic changes; section sizes were scaled down, and huge baffles were positioned on stage and in the hall’s ceiling, creating a smaller, more focused room sound (the layout for this setup is shown on page 138). The second sample set, less reverberant and more present-sounding than the first, are called the ‘chamber’ recordings.