A Far Cry - Encore

I can't help but post the vivacious encore from A Far Cry's (15 member unconducted string group) encore at St. Paul's Church.

(Use Headphones for All Recordings)
Encore:


Binaural Recording Info:
Microphone Setup: Ultra Hi-Fi Binaural Manikin Head
Master Recording Format: 5.6MHz/1bit Direct Stream Digital
Streaming Format: mp3 LAME 3.97 variable bit rate ~240 kbps 44.1kHz

If you liked this: check out my other binaural recordings of them playing Dvorak's Serenade for Strings here.

By the way, notice how close the violins on the left sound. Compare this to the violas on the right that are the same distance away. This difference is because the violins have a lot of lead lines and their instruments' strongest acoustical projecting side is pointed at the binaural manikin head. Instruments are directional like headlights on a car (for an exaggerated example). They're really bright when you stand in front of them but if you're in back of the car, you might only see the reflected light of the headlights illuminating objects rather than the direct light. This is analogous to the directionality of both instruments, speaker drivers, and other acoustic radiators.

For the specific case of violins (as well as the rest of the classical bowed string instruments: violas, cellos, and double bass which all have similar acoustic design) the "f-hole" (technical term, not a dirty word) on the violin is the most dominant directional source. The f-hole is similar in function to the open circular hole in an acoustic guitar and when it is pointed at a set of mics and another similar instrument is pointed away, much more of the facing instrument's sound reaches the mic and it therefore sounds more present and close, just like in this recording. To tie in my previous analogy, imagine a car headlight coming through the f-hole on the violin and the light being acoustic energy AKA sound. Now imagine how much more bright/loud/present it will be at the binaural manikin/your ears due to the violins facing you, compared to the violas facing away from you. It's pretty amazing how directional sound can be.

Aaron

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Megapolis - Audio Art and Documentary Festival

The Megapolis Festival promises to be a unique and fascinating event for anyone who loves sound. Here is a more comprehensive description from their website: www.megapolisfestival.org

The Megapolis Festival is a weekend-long celebration of the craft of DIY audio creation. Artists, documentarians, musicians, and fans come together to share secrets on producing and presenting challenging audio works online, on-air, and on the stage.

A few of the happenings for our inaugural festival include: a featured presentation by audio legend Gregory Whitehead, a circuit-bending workshop for building your own weird instruments, an audio-based slumber party that may or may not include “Seven Minutes in Heaven with a Microphone,” a bicycle-powered 8-track player, a performance by a typewriter orchestra, a Max Neuhaus-inspired radio station created by you, and lots more. Read the schedule for the most up-to-date listing of events.

When: Apr 24-26, 2009
Where: Cambridge, Somerville & Boston, MA, USA
How much: $45 (regular), $30 (students)

I'll see you there.

Aaron

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Audio and Video Description of 3 Binaural Techniques

This is a really great side by side comparison of 3 variations of binaural recording techniques. The first method with the manikin is similar to my ultra hi-fi setup while the other 2 mimic the biology of humans less and less. Listening to the short video allows you to quickly understand what binaural is by hearing the moving ringing phone sound source while seeing its location in reference to the microphones. Great thanks for this video go to Bird vs. Alligator and Rafael Sentoma. I put it permanently in my "What is Binaural?" section. Check it out:

Binaural Technique Demo - Rafael Sentoma from Bird vs. Alligator on Vimeo.

Aaron

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A Far Cry - 15 Member Unconducted String Group

Preconcert Sound Check. Manikin is in middle of aisle ~3 rows back.

It is not everyday that you experience the novelty that is a 15 member unconducted string group. But this fact belongs only as a footnote in the compendium that deserves penning for the passion, precision, and soul that this group seems to effortlessly breath into their musical art. This group of professionals reenergizes classical music by transforming groups of notes into stuning statements of elegant meaning. This is the aptly named: A Far Cry.

To add to this, classical music is probably the most optimal type of music for binaural recording since it is an inherently acoustic form of music that tends to be played in prime acoustic spaces. If it's great for our ears; it's great for binaural.

And they're playing Dvorak's Serenade for Strings!!!

A Far Cry
www.afarcry.org
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Brookline, Massachusetts, USA
2009, March 6, Friday, 20:00

Antonin Dvorak
Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op 22
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Mvt. 1, Moderato:


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Mvt. 2, Tempo di Valse:


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Mvt. 3, Scherzo:


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Mvt. 5, Finale:


Binaural Recording Info:
Microphone Setup: Ultra Hi-Fi Binaural Manikin Head
Master Recording Format: 5.6MHz/1bit Direct Stream Digital
Streaming Format: mp3 LAME 3.97 variable bit rate ~240 kbps 44.1kHz

A Far Cry will soon be releasing an album with recordings from the legendary Mechanic's Hall in Worcester, MA-world renowned for its ideal chamber music acoustics. In addition to my binaural recordings there were stereo and 5.0 recordings made by Jesse Lewis who is a really top notch audio engineer at Sound Mirror. This was tracked entirely at 2.8MHz/1bit and promises to be a very exciting release. I'll post more info as it's available.

Aaron

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Rökkurró @ Iðnó, Saturday 8pm (On-Venue)

Over my time in Reykjavik the frostline on the Reykjanes Mountains had dropped day after day and Saturday was the coldest day. It was crisp and clear as the temperature ducked below freezing and puddles became solid. Inside the airy and reverberant acoustics of the venue Iðnó, Rökkurró took the stage.

Iðnó during sound check:

Rökkurró
On-venue: Iðnó
Reykjavik, Iceland
2008, October 18, 20:00

Setlist:
1. [Not Posted]
2. [Not Posted]
3. Hetja á fjallinu
4. Í blíðu stríði
5. F. W. Murnau

Song 3:
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Song/Piece: Hetja á fjallinu (from their release Það kólnar í kvöld...)

Song 4:

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Song/Piece: Í blíðu stríði (from their release Það kólnar í kvöld...)

Song 5:
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Song/Piece: F. W. Murnau (from their release Það kólnar í kvöld...)

Rökkurró is currently headed on tour across Europe and will be featuring a choice selection of my ultra hi-fi binaural recordings of their Iceland Airwaves 2008 performances on a limited release special edition EP that will also include brand new songs. Check their site for info www.myspace.com/rokkurro If you have a chance to see them: do not miss it!

Aaron

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Israel: Sea of Galilee

Sea of Galilee:

I'm standing where the waterline has historically been. You can see that it is now hundreds of meters out due to 7 years of drought.

I stayed on the Sea of Galilee which is really more of a lake. It is a primary source of water for Israel. Though Israel is in the midst of a 7 year drought so the shores are vastly receded. Boats in Tiberias' harbor, which sits on the Sea of Galilee, sat on rock because the water level was so low.

However, this general area is in the more green part of the country compared to large desert expanses in the south. This means that there is abundant wildlife and plant life. Staying here for a few days I was able to take in the sounds at a few different times of day. It is amazing how different a place sounds throughout the course of the day.

Standing on shore, looking away from Sea of Galilee toward the sunset:

Track 1:
Evening, walking from shore inland toward trees
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Sunrise, looking through tree grove toward nearby Sea of Galilee:

Track 2:
Early morning Birds
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Track 3:
Early morning Birds (listen for individual bird calls in last few minutes)
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Binaural Recording Info:
Microphone Setup: In-Ear Microphones
Master Recording Format: 44.1kHz/24bit
Streaming Format: mp3 LAME 3.97 variable bit rate ~240 kbps 44.1kHz

Preview for next post:
The next stop is the Golan Heights and the sounds from a hike through a picturesque canyon/valley whose floor holds a stream that becomes a waterfall in a large bowl at the end of the hike.

Aaron

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