Recording session

Its been a while since I've posted anything. I've been busy practicing and preparing for a recording session for a competition application.
The program I am submitting:
Paganini Caprice No. 24
Bach Suite 4: Prelude, Sarabande, and Bourrée 1&2

I undertook this application as a project to see where I was technically and musically after my undergraduate degree. I still have a lot to work on but I am satisfied with what I ended up with after my recording session and I will be uploading the recordings later this week.

I experimented with a couple microphones that my brother had on hand. Due to the lack of an actual studio or a concert hall I had to find something that worked in a carpeted, non treated room. I decided to use a pair of Neumann KM 184. (These were compared to SM-81s and Schoeps CMIT 5) The SM-81s just didn't have a lot of clarity and sounded rather dead. I liked the initial sound of the Schoeps but it also lacked clarity and had a bit of dullness to the sound. The Neumanns had the best clarity and although the initial sound was extremely raw and naked, it was a much more reliant form of reference in a recording session. I have to say that the Neumanns are an excellent pair of microphones to own if you plan to record any string instruments. The sound quality is fantastic and it picks up everything that one tries to produce on the instrument. (including any random scratches, breathing, missed notes, etc)

The microphones ran through a Focusrite pro Red 4 preamp. I've only recorded with a couple preamps in the past (Usbpre2 and focusrite 2i2) so I don't have a lot of input regarding the quality of the preamp in comparison to its price but it worked well and the sound quality is excellent. I would've loved to try this setup in an actual hall but thats all put on hold until COVID-19 is better contained in the states.