Recording a Contrabass and a Clarinet for the first time.
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My Experience as a Recording Engineer at Rimon School
Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to work as a recording engineer for a course at Rimon. As someone training to be a recording engineer and music producer, this experience was both challenging and rewarding, offering me a chance to work with fantastic musicians and unique instruments.
The Opportunity
The course focused on writing music for media, providing students with hands-on experience in composing and recording music for various formats. I was thrilled to be invited, especially knowing I'd be working with a contrabass and a clarinet.
The Setup
Recording these instruments required careful planning. For the contrabass, we used a Royer R-121 ribbon microphone placed in front of the F-hole to capture its deep, resonant tones, and a Universal Audio SP-1 for the strings. For the clarinet, we used an acoustic wall to separate the sound from the contrabass and reduce bleed. We positioned a Neumann TLM-103 microphone at the bell to capture warm tones and another Universal Audio SP-1 for their presence and clarity.
The Recording Session
We began by recording the clarinet parts first, as not everyone wrote for both instruments. After a break, we set up the contrabass. I had already set the gains at the beginning and monitored the session closely.
Challenges and Solutions
The main challenge was time. We had only about three hours to complete the session, including setup and tear down. This required efficient setup and quick decision-making. Despite the tight schedule, the session was intense, crazy, and fun, and we successfully captured high-quality recordings.
Reflections
After the session, I tore down the setup and sent the files to everyone involved. This experience was an invaluable learning opportunity, improving my technical skills and deepening my appreciation for recording. Working with the contrabass and clarinet pushed me to think creatively and adapt quickly.
I'm grateful for this project and look forward to more opportunities to refine my skills as a recording engineer.