Debbie Wiseman conducts the National Symphony Orchestra and mezzo-soprano Rosie Middleton for this tribute to Spain. The album includes compositional works by Chabrier, Bizet, and Rimsky-Korsakov. Rehearsed, mixed and cut directly to vinyl in one day by Mike Valentine, owner of Chasing The Dragon Records.
Features:
- Audiophile Demonstration Album
- Direct to Disc (D2D) live recording
- Mastered at Air Studios in London
- Produced/Engineered by Mike Valentine & Francoise Valentine
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Inside Track: Recording On Location"Apart from getting the performance right, the main challenge when making live recordings is to capture and reproduce all the ambience of the environment without letting it detract from the performance. Failing to do this would result in something that might just as well have been done in a studio. Capturing this along with the instruments requires not only considerable skill but also the best in audiophile equipment for the recording chain – including microphones, cables, amplifiers, power supplies, and the recorder itself. This combination of skill and quality equipment should result in a listening experience that's much closer to a live performance and can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home." |
"The orchestra rehearses downstairs while upstairs the mastering room engineers record and playback a test lacquer. Finally, it's time for a recorded take of the "Carmen" excerpts with Mezzo-Soprano Rosie Middleton. The tension is palpable in both the control room and upstairs. It's quickly clear that the free-spirited rehearsal has given way to a darker, more constrained performance that satisfies no one, especially Ms Middleton. The second take is better but is still missing the required "magic". Take three is "the one". Everyone is relieved and it's technically perfect."
"Then, after a lunch break, it's on to the Chabrier "España". After a recorded rehearsal playback, it's time for a take. The first performance is spirited but an orchestral crescendo causes the cutting stylus to crash through the groove wall into an adjacent groove, requiring a second take. There's another great performance, but higher drama could be found in the mastering suite, all of which is captured on the video. Quick, decisive thinking and gutsy actions by mastering engineer John Webber saves the lacquer from disaster (as you'll see) but a third take (not shown) proves to be by far the best and it will be the one you'll hear on the final vinyl record. Please keep in mind the sound you hear on this video was captured by an Audio-Technica "shotgun" microphone attached to a camcorder and is not the actual recorded sound (given what it is, though, it's pretty good!)."
- Analog Planet
Chasing The Dragon have become known as one of the leading producers of audiophile recordings. The UK label owned by Mike Valentine offers Direct Cut LPs. Audiophile LPs, CDs, and Master Tapes which will demonstrate the potential of your Hi-Fi system.
Chasing The Dragon's releases are so detailed, if you take the time to familiarise yourself with the subtleties of these reference-level recordings, the next time you make any changes, big or small, to your Hi-Fi system, the differences will be notable.
| Model Number | VALCD004 |
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| RRP | 59.00 |
