From left to right: Closeup of Pine Tree and Little Pink Flowers. © 1995 Ben Hubbell. Both photographs were taken near Lower Cathedral Lake in Yosemite National Park.
I’m too much of a dancer to ever be a taper, but I’m a talented audio engineer who specializes in the restoration of concert recordings.
I prefer audience tapes to soundboard tapes, because audience tapes capture the acoustic signature of the concert hall. Another factor in my preference is that concerts are community events with crowd noise, and soundboard tapes convey an artificial atmosphere of privacy.
I began working with dynamic range expanders in 1981, when I learned that most LPs were processed with dynamic range compressors in order to fit both the loudest and quietest sounds in the music into the limited dynamic range of the LP format.
I have found that modern digital recordings have compressed dynamic range too. This is because microphone diaphragms are subject to inertia, just like any other moving object. Furthermore, the amount of inertia varies with frequency.
Thankfully, I have sophisticated dynamic range processing software at my disposal. This software has equalizer-like control over the settings for threshold, attack, release, and expansion ratio. Even though I have thirty years experience working with dynamic range expanders, my skill at using these tools is still improving.
Another problem with recorded music is that the timing between left and right channels is usually not perfectly synchronized. Another timing problem is called phase shift. Phase shift means that different frequencies are delayed by different amounts of time. I also have software that can correct these timing problems.
It takes a lot of careful listening to each recording to identify its dynamic range and timing problems. If I am working with a series of concert recordings made by the same taper with the same equipment, the dynamic range settings will be almost identical for all of the recordings. However, the timing problems will always be different for each recording.
I enjoy the process of making good recordings become awesome recordings. I hope that you enjoy the fruits of my labor as much as I do.