Tracking festivals

I just noticed that it's been a while since my last blog entry. I guess there was too much "real" work to be done :-)

In any case, having just finished recording six 90 min concerts and one open podium event at the International Jewish Music Festival 2009 in Amsterdam I'll share some thoughts on covering festivals. In this case I was not only in charge of the recordings but also fed the guys handling the sound reinforcement all channels requested by the ensembles.

• There has to be one, and only one person in charge of the overall procedure.
  
• Organisation is key. The mikes have to be placed, patched to clearly documented lines & tested for functionality, the gain is determined for optimal signals, then the levels for the SR are set before running an overall soundcheck.
  
• Prepare well in advance and still stay flexible.
  
• Collect the ensembles' set lists right after each performance, make sure they are correct, and perhaps even ask for the musicians' opinions regarding which titles they felt especially good (or bad) about.

Always remember: the recording comes first--at least that's my take on things :-) The record of the music is the one thing that remains and can be re-listened (to), and as such it is always good practice to keep the FOH volume as low as possible and avoid stage monitor bleed in your main mic setup.