CE The Temple Church 16.ii.Xl

[Triforium]

Why is it, as Draco has pointed out, that the recording quality from the few foundations that web cast frequently sounds superior to that of CE? Surely the technical challenges of compression, streaming rate, etc. from those places is similar to the beeb's iplayer. Or is it just microphone/choir placement? One would have thought that over the years auntie would have developed a master list of preferable microphone placements for each venue.

[DracoM]

Yep, that's what I was puzzling about. Maybe they do, or does each sound team rock up and have a look and virtually start from scratch? Do they talk to the DoM and ask what kind of sound he/she is aiming at? Do they, as they seem to do or did do at Tolz, move singers around to create a differnt sound / balance? Not sure I'd like that as a DoM - kids would be used to singing next to certain others, such that to move them might upset cohesion and confidence enough to create nerves?

It's a fascinating issue.

[bach736]

Wouldn't it be a good PR exercise for the Beeb if Stephen Shipley could set aside his distaste for message boards and give us some idea of the technical problems a CE producer has to face week in week out and the ways in which they can be resolved.

[YorkTenor]

One wonders if Mr Byrd above was pulling our legs - and one further wonders why a London church was chosen for today instead of one of the numerous cathedrals that are dotted about Britain and who could do with the money and perhaps also the exposure that a CE broadcast brings..

S-S!

I am aware that I am very late in joining this dicsussion. However, I just re-listened to this evensong, and it is surely one of the finest I can remember for a long time, I am puzzled as to how it is racous, it is simply good singing, rather than trying to constantly hold back like a lot of choirs do in order to blend. This is the sound of the finest back row in the country, and I am simply stunned that people who regularly listen to evensongs cannot recognise this

[Magnificat]

I have often been stunned at what some people on this board and the old BBC board have considered to be good singing; but then, as always, beauty is in the ear of the beholder.

VCC

[DracoM]

Temple Church is a tricky shape / acoustic, and while the back row may well be the best in the biz, if the incoming BBC engineers decide on a particular set up that does not do them sufficient justice, then on air, balance / sound etc can be quite seriously different from what they sound like on site - a point IO thin k many of us on The Choir board are quick to accept. Now, of course, if a CD is being recorded for public sales, then from my experience elsewhere, I would guess that the sound engineering team's mindset would be entirely different to a team who come in for a one-off. They would have / make time to experiment, discuss with DoM and tweak as they go along, maybe change mic positions for different pieces, maybe suggest moving singers.

From what I gather, BBC CE teams simply do not have the time to do that kind of fine tuning, and as a result from time to time the results can be a tad variable. Temple Church has suffered in this regard, and of course we all remember last year's Ripon mishap - happily NOT repeated this year! It is indeed unfortunate, sionce a number of foundations really look forward to and indeed need the PR that can stem from the prestige of a BBC visit, such that if that goes wrong, then that 'wrongness' is heard by hundreds of thousands, and can have an unfortunate ripple effect on that foundations's reputation. The smaller the foundation, the more damage, of course.

The whole vexed question as to why the 'live' BBC tx from St John's, St Thomas NYC, NCO etc sound so different / make the relevant choirs sound so different to their regular webcasts can only be answered properly by Stephen Shipley, I'm afraid.