Recording

Tetrahedral Audio will record your concert or make a demo for you. Our experience is mainly with classical music, but we will consider other requirements.

Our philosophy is to aim to produce natural-sounding recordings without any artificial emphasis or misleading balance. This is generally achieved by using a single microphone of the 'soundfield' type placed carefully for the best balanced result; only very rarely have I found this to be insufficient.

Microphones can be positioned using stands or suspended on a rope - between pillars in a church often works well. The choice may be affected by considerations of safe access as well as appearance. It is helpful to be able to get the equipment set up in place during a rehearsal preceding the performance in order to verify that the microphone is well positioned. There have also been occasions (whisper it!) that it has been possible to repair a flaw in the performance from the rehearsal).

Sample tracks

Stereo tracks will play as expected; surround (quad) tracks will play through the left-front, right-front, left rear, and right-rear speakers of a surround setup. If you play a quad track in a stereo system, the browser will mix the surround to stereo in a manner of its choosing.

Vierne - Agnus Dei - Exeter College, Oxford:

Two organs play in this track; the chamber organ (supplied by Tetrahedral Audio) which plays with the choir is right-front, and the main organ that plays after the choir is behind:
Stereo:  Quad: 

Britten - Hymn to the Virgin - Oxford University Church:

The semichorus is in the left-hand aisle:
Stereo: Quad:

Anon - Hanacpachap cussicuinin - Holy Rood Church, Oxford:

The choir processes from behind to the front, by different routes: Stereo: Quad:

Hildegard of Bingen - Nunc gaudeant materna - Bartlemas Chapel, Oxford:

The three singers were around the microphone facing each other: Stereo: Quad:

Unheard Voices - Family Affair - Walthamstow Assembly Hall:

Choirs and percussion groups from half a dozen primary schools were arranged around all the walls of the hall; there were instrumentalists in front (as recorded) and a keyboardist leading from behind the microphone, which was placed in the centre of the hall: Stereo: Quad:

Maw - Jean Baptiste (excerpt) - Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford:

The microphone was under the tower; in surround you can hear that there is most reverberation from the right-rear, the direction of the Latin Chapel, but in the stereo version this comes from the left speaker as the reverberation has been folded over by 180°: Stereo: Quad:

Bruckner - Libera me - Salisbury Cathedral:

This is an older recording made before I had Ambisonic equipment: Stereo:

Venues in which I have recorded

Oxford

Christ Church Cathedral
University Church of St Mary the Virgin
St Michael at the North Gate
St Mary Magdalen's church
New Road Baptist Church
St Margaret's church
St Barnabas' church
Holy Rood church
Bartlemas Chapel
St Giles' church
Harris-Manchester College chapel
St Peter's College chapel
Merton College chapel
Exeter College chapel
Keble College chapel
New College chapel
Jacqueline du Pré Music Building
Magdalen Grove Auditorium
Holywell Music Room
Ashmolean Theatre
Denis Arnold Hall
Oxford Town Hall
Rhodes House
Jericho Tavern

London

Walthamstow Assembly Hall
Christ Church, Highbury
Union Chapel, Islington
St John's, Smith Square
St Giles, Cripplegate
Blackheath Halls
The Warehouse
Victoria Library
Purcell Room
Conway Hall
BMIC

Elsewhere

St George's, Brandon Hill, Bristol
Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham
Friends' Meeting House, Burford
The Friends' Centre, Brighton
The Corn Exchange, Witney
Amey Hall, Abingdon
Kettle's Yard, Cambridge
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
St Mary the Virgin, Charlton on Otmoor
St Thomas and St Edmund Church, Salisbury
Salisbury Cathedral
Music School Hall, Winchester College
QEII Theatre, Winchester College
New Hall, Winchester College
Winchester College chapel
Oslo Konserthus
Oslo Domkirke
Private homes