The "Recording a Concert" project, which was realised in the "Audio Production" seminar by Tonio Vakalopoulos with students from the Digital Storytelling degree programme at Ostfalia campus Salzgitter, shows just how diverse and practical teaching can be at Ostfalia.
In the seminar, students learn about the production of podcasts and other voice-based audio formats. A special component of the course is the recording of more complex productions such as a classical concert with choir and orchestra.
Cooperation with the Braunschweig Cathedral Singing School
The Braunschweig Cathedral Singing School was won as a project partner for this part of the seminar. The youth choir performed the Magnificat by British composer John Rutter together with the cathedral symphony orchestra. This posed a particular challenge for the students: they developed a concept to provide professional acoustics for the singers and musicians. To do this, they transformed the performance venue into a temporary recording studio.
"The tasks were divided equally among the students. We set up and wired up countless microphones in the orchestra and choir," reports student Levin Meyer. The next task was to level the individual instruments and voices correctly: "With the help of the musicians, we levelled the individual instruments to the same volume. This allowed us to adjust the individual instruments in the mixing console to create a full and balanced sound."
Working under real production conditions
A total of 26 individual audio tracks were created during the recording. These were then further edited, mixed and mastered by the students in post-production. "In post-production, we edited this sound to create a perfect sound using various tricks," explains Levin. All students worked on different aspects of the production - from mixing to final mastering.
The project also brought the students into contact with typical practical challenges: "The time pressure was challenging. We had to work in such a way that the orchestra didn't lose any time because of us. So we had to be very fast in everything." But the effort was worth it: the result is a professional yet pleasantly light sound that will appeal to classical music lovers in particular. An excerpt of the recording (external link, opens in a new window) can be heard on SoundCloud (external link, opens in a new window).
To be continued next term
For Levin, the learning effect remains above all: "The project has given me many insights into the world of sound. Recording an orchestra is not a particularly easy exercise. I'm all the more confident now on set, with less demanding recordings."
The success of the project speaks for itself: due to the positive response from students and the Braunschweig Cathedral Choir School, the project will take place again in the summer semester - with a new musical performance and a new group of students who can test their audio production skills under real conditions.