recordings and types, for professional website

[flashyfingers]

Hi! I am working on completing my website. I am thinking of what would be the best way to record a good bit of repertoire, this summer.

Would a video with good quality sound be more truthful, as far as visual performance goes?
Where would be the best place to record with video and/or sound recording technology?

what do you expect to see on a pianist's website?
obviously, the music samples are a must. I can talk about what repertoire I know, all day long. But it doesn't matter, unless I have something people can listen to.


Also, I am still in college. I've only been studying piano at college level, for a year now. Before now, I had only been playing piano for 2 years!

[awesom_o]

The best way to record your repertoire would be in a big hall, in surround sound. Of course, this requires a professional audio engineer, and will cost you thousands upon thousands of dollars.
If you want the absolute best result, in terms of sound, that is how you have to do it.

Video with good quality sound is a rare combination, unless you record the audio separately from the video and sync them together afterward. Even if you do take this extra step, it will not sound as good as high-quality, audio-only recordings made in surround sound (unless your budget is truly extravagant).

You could get decent audio, with low-quality video, using something like the Zoom Q3 handheld video camera. It is geared specifically toward musicians who want better audio and don't need the video to be great.

Or, you could get high-quality video, with low-quality audio, using any handheld HD camcorder.

Personally, what I expect to see on a pianist's website is:
-a predictable list of 15 or 20 concertos
-a bunch of cheesy, cliche photos
-self-inflated biography
-no original compositions
-video clips, usually embedded youtube links

[flashyfingers]

HAHAHAH

well, my budget is nowhere near extravagant. I figure I would opt for one terrible quality video, and a couple of clean studio recordings...


I certainly do not have 15 concertos that I have learned since I started playing. Maybe 2 or 3 if you count the one I am working on right now.

I do have original compositions.

[awesom_o]

Don't worry, you don't actually need 15 concertos!

Definitely put some performances of your own compositions on your website.

Check out the Q3, by Zoom. Pretty good quality for the money.

I'd love to hear your performances of the Chopin E minor Concerto and the 4 Impromptus-I've been working on those quite a bit myself lately!

I would also be interested to hear your compositions.

[flashyfingers]

Don't worry, you don't actually need 15 concertos!

Definitely put some performances of your own compositions on your website.

Check out the Q3, by Zoom. Pretty good quality for the money.

I'd love to hear your performances of the Chopin E minor Concerto and the 4 Impromptus-I've been working on those quite a bit myself lately!

I would also be interested to hear your compositions.

Cool! Well the pieces I am actually recording are the Berg sonata, the Liszt Rigoletto, and some Bach!

Here is one of my compositions. I can't play it well, honestly. The chords are very thick, and too many weird arpeggios. You can listen to it here! It will be a set of 5 short preludes.

https://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/6d8b40d005516167a8807c5d80738314a06f913d

[flashyfingers]

Z

[flashyfingers]

also, about the Chopin concerto. we can always discuss it, at any point! I would love to offer my 3 cents. I had the polish edition, with no fingerings. So I have all my own fingerings.

[awesom_o]

Have you ever tried composing without using notation softare?

[flashyfingers]

yes, I compose at the piano, without notation software, also. It's hard to have the computer next to the piano, anyways. So I feel like you can only do one or the other. I don't have perfect pitch...If I did, I would know exactly what stuff written down would sound like. That would be nice...

[flashyfingers]

hahah, this is a part of another prelude I am writing. It's hysterical.

https://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/ff163617e1abd087dc1006b9c1878ebadfaeb923

[flashyfingers]

Z

[awesom_o]

Composing away from the piano, without the computer, is where the real magic happens!

Do you mean to say that you cannot look at a piece of music and hear it in your head, without first playing it?

[flashyfingers]

Composing away from the piano, without the computer, is where the real magic happens!

Do you mean to say that you cannot look at a piece of music and hear it in your head, without first playing it?

not always. I understand rhythm very well. But music can be played in so many ways...When I look at a piece of music, I have to simplify it first. Find the melody, chord progressions, repeats, whatever it takes...

I am still learning. Eventually the magic will happen. Right now, I am desperate for some magic. lol

[quantum]

I'd recommend doing practice recording sessions on your own piano first before you go into studio.  Recording in studio is very different to playing live.  Use whatever you have available to you, webcam, etc.  But try to keep as close to the studio workflow as possible.  If you intend to do splices, practice doing that.  Observe what it takes in order to record over a spliced section and make it sound seamless. If you want to record entire pieces without splices, give yourself an idea of how many you takes you tend to do before you decide you are satisfied.  If you are doing video, act for the camera.  Make sure you are aware of what the camera is seeing you doing.  Once I recorded a pianist that had a tendency to jump off the piano bench as soon as as the last note finished, it didn't look too good on the video and several great takes were ruined by this. 

Time flies in the recording studio, and it would be beneficial if you had a feel of what you need to do before you go in.
  

[flashyfingers]

I'd recommend doing practice recording sessions on your own piano first before you go into studio.  Recording in studio is very different to playing live.  Use whatever you have available to you, webcam, etc.  But try to keep as close to the studio workflow as possible.  If you intend to do splices, practice doing that.  Observe what it takes in order to record over a spliced section and make it sound seamless. If you want to record entire pieces without splices, give yourself an idea of how many you takes you tend to do before you decide you are satisfied.  If you are doing video, act for the camera.  Make sure you are aware of what the camera is seeing you doing.  Once I recorded a pianist that had a tendency to jump off the piano bench as soon as as the last note finished, it didn't look too good on the video and several great takes were ruined by this.  

Time flies in the recording studio, and it would be beneficial if you had a feel of what you need to do before you go in.
  

Thank you!!

Z

[awesom_o]

When I look at a piece of music, I have to simplify it first. Find the melody, chord progressions, repeats, whatever it takes...

I am still learning. Eventually the magic will happen. Right now, I am desperate for some magic. lol

We are always still learning! That is the joy of being a musician. The learning never stops.

"Hear with your eyes. See with your ears."

That is what true musicianship entails. It means that you can hear any piece of music inside your mind, simply by looking at the score.

By the way, quantum has given you top-notch advice about recording!

[flashyfingers]

I decided that I would rent some recording equipment, such as an interface and a couple of high end microphones for a month. It will cost the same as/less than the recording studio. I have engineering experience, so I am positive I can record with quality and I will have more control over how long I record for, in a single day. Also, I would have the flexibility to record on multiple pianos and see which sound I prefer in the end!

[richard black]

You absolutely don't need a budget a thousands to record a decent demo, audio or video. You do need a reasonably nice-looking venue with a decent piano, but some of the all-in-one audio recorders can manage very good sound and if you can rent a pair of microphones you'll get results as good a the professionals if you only put the mics in the right place. My current favourite among all-in-one recorders is the Olympus LS-100: its built-in mics are very good and its inputs for external microphones are also impressively capable. A mid-range full-HD video camera, costing the equivalent of a few hundred US$, will give perfectly adequate results, then all you need to do is sync the audio and video using any standard bit of software (I use Serif MoviePlus). A second pair of ears is incredibly useful, so get a friend to come along an produce for you. That's about it, really. If you want to know where to put microphones, get someone else to play the piano while you walk around and listen to it - doesn't take long to find the 'sweet spot'. The only thing to bear in mind is that you want the microphones a _little_ closer than you would be for normal listening because the listening room will add some ambience to that of the recording venue.

[flashyfingers]

excellent advice! I am going to have no help in recording on site, with the rental equipment that I have an eye on. The radial tube 3-channel preamp and some nice microphones, perhaps one that has directional switch, so I have a little flexibility with the image I record. Also, I did find free recording services. Someone who is simply working on their portfolio. They will give me 4 hours. I will find out soon what is the piano that their studio has.

[flashyfingers]

Z