My next career will be that of a Classical Music Recording Engineer. I
already have a 9-foot Steinway in my living room and that should count
for something. I record directly into my PC using Audio-Technica
4033a, and C87 microphones and the quality is really quite good. But
here's my problem (and my question). I find I'm making quite a number
of audition CDs for College graduates who are looking to enter a
Masters program in music performance. The Institutions/Universities to
which they are applying include Julliard, Eastman, Curtis and The
University of Michigan and The University of Indiana. So you can see
that I really don't want their audition CDs to suck. I have an
unlimited number of options available to me using the digital
recording software that I own, and I can create CDs that sound like
store-bought ones. But I don't think this is right somehow. I think
that I should not alter the sound at all (reverberation, compression
and like that) because the listeners can tell that I've done this and
they might think that the performance, itself, has been altered too
(fixing wrong notes, putting multiple "takes" together to make a full
performance). I seem to think that I should highlight the soloist more
than usual by lowering the volume of the piano accompaniment in order
that not a wisper of sound by the soloist be drowned out. Do you
agree? Is there somewhere on the web that I might find hints on how to
create audition CDs? Or is it possible that everybody "doctors" their
audition CDs (and yes, I know that Julliard wants a "standard
audiocassette", but CD is easier to type) to make the soloist sound as
good as humanly possible? I'll play along if this is the game. Please
let me know soonest, because the deadline for Julliard is November 1,
2002 and I have another recording session before I can start to create
the final CD.

hello beauregard,

Wow - that is a great multi-part question. I have read it several
times to ensure I could highlight each point that you proposed, and to
answer each question. I decided to answer this question due to the
fact that I too am a musician ( blues guitarist 12 + years ), and I
think I can answer it from a point of view that will be useful to you.

Please ask for clarification if you need it, as our ratings as
researchers are based on how well we answer questions, and not so much
on our observations.

The first part of your question that needed an answer is:

"I seem to think that I should highlight the soloist more than usual
by lowering the volume of... Do you agree?"

I would have to agree with you on a level. I would take a different
approach to making the student stand out though. The performance in
question should have an emphasis on the student and their music
abilities overall, as they are the one auditioning. I would not
propose altering the volume after the recording has been done, rather
playing the standard composition at hand, and playing dynamically (
soft -vs- loud ) at predetermined intervals. ( Typically the solo
areas ) This offers three advantages over adjusting the levels with
your
recording equipment :

- It shows the students ability to adapt and improvise.
- Provides the reviewing board the opportunity to scrutinize the
students
  timing and phrasing in the students environment ( where they are
more
  comfortable playing ), as opposed to the student 
  putting themselves in the position to be examined solely on a
standard
  'plain-jane' performance.
- When the student plays live at the school - the review board already
has
  a realistic view of how well the performance will sound i.e.
unprocessed
  control of the instrument.

"Is there somewhere on the web that I might find hints on how to
create
audition CDs?"

Here is an article on Mastering CDs, with some great tips.
Specifically the section ("Seven Reasons Why Mastering is Needed.
Can't I just mix..."), that mentions how things sound different
through monitors etc...
http://www.digido.com/cdmastering.html

I found a couple of resources that may aid you in your research. Most
are about creating CDs, with an emphasis on the musician side. The
best way I could find such sites was to search for "creating demo
tapes", vice "creating audition CDs". The first site on the list is
something of a library. I found it to be very useful.

Audio Amigo
http://www.audioamigo.com/

The Recording Website
http://www.recordingwebsite.com/forums.html

About.com has an extensive collection of tools
http://homerecording.about.com/



I also thought you might make good use of this site, that has tons of
free/share/trial software for the "at home" recording musician. At one
point I used it on a daily basis.

ShareWare Music Machine
http://www.sharewaremusicmachine.com/

Now let me address the next part of your question :

"is it possible that everybody doctors their audition CDs (and yes, I
know that Julliard wants a standard audiocassette, but CD is...?"

It is highly likely in my opinion - that many do. While I am certain
that quite a few do not, most musicians forget to impress the
uniqueness of their music - and conform to worldly standards. Here is
an excerpt taken from the Juilliard website:

Juilliard site reference
"..but a broad and thoughtful interest in the world of classical
music, including its historical traditions and contemporary trends"
http://www.juilliard.edu/admissions/musicaudition.html

I understand that to say - each musicians 'thoughtful interest' is
their musical individuality, and those are the students that will be
accepted. Take a look at these statistics of acceptance at Juilliard
for the 2000-2001 year:

http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:UycREMl8ZdMC:www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/dradmiss_2742.htm+juilliard+admission+rate&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Only 8% of those who applied were accepted. I would have to say with a
certain degree of faith - that Juilliard weeds out most submissions
that are just plain electronic reworks, and now has a detective ear
for such recordings. Then again - that is just my opinion :-)

I wouldn't mistake quality for the advice I gave though. A good CD
still needs to be made, as the ability to do so has gotten very easy
these days. I just think I agree with you on a very high level - The
musician is what matters in this instance, and not how well the
recording was processed.

One more excerpt from Juilliard -
"...students who attract the most attention are those whose work is
imbued with the kind of emotional spirit and artistic creativity that
sends an exciting message to audiences"
http://www.juilliard.edu/admissions/college.html

I hope you find this answer/input useful. If you need clarification
before rating, simply ask and I would love to assist in any way I can.


To find more resources for this answer I searched for :
"home recording creating cds" :
://www.google.com/search?q=home+recording+creating+cds
"home recording":
://www.google.com/search?q=home+recording


Thanks for the great question!
SgtCory

---

Clarification of Answer by sgtcory-ga on 22 Oct 2002 18:06 PDT

Please excuse the zig-zag of the sentences. My word program posted
extra spaces into your answer. Should you need me to repost, or need
more clarification - please ask and I will get it for you.

Thanks again -

SgtCory

Dear sgtcory, you have clarified my thinking with your extremely well
thought out answer. I visited some of the sites you mentioned and
found the ones relating to mastering the most interesting, even if the
deliverable for this project is an audio CD (implying that mastering
has already been completed). I am going to use the audio files that
are the most pure, eschewing the temptation to compress or add
reverberation. I'm also going to learn to spell Juilliard (that pesky
first "i" slips by me most times). Again, thank you very much.