“At Chasing the Dragon, we produce audiophile recordings, which are released on LP, CD, Download and Reel to Reel tape. Wherever possible, we use a minimalist microphone technique and when recording on location, we try to choose churches for their wonderful acoustics.
We recently spent a year recording the Bach Cello Suites, where I had the pleasure of using a pair of Flea C12 microphones, as a “spaced pair” separated by a Jecklin Disc. The beautiful sound of the cello was captured by these outstanding microphones.
Therefore, they were an automatic choice for our next audio adventure, which was to record Mendelssohn’s Octet in London, using the Henry Wood Hall and the renowned violinist Jack Liebeck, accompanied by a plethora of leading musicians.
At Chasing the Dragon, we are always interested in trying to present to our clients something different. The Octet recording would be the perfect opportunity to compare different stereo microphone techniques.
I used a spaced pair of Flea C12’s, next to which were placed a pair of DPA 4006 microphones. This would supply us with the opportunity of comparing directly on two tracks of the album transistor microphones versus valve.
On a third track, we recorded at the same time a pair of C12’s set to a figure of eight in a Blumlein configuration, again the listener could hear the differences of this microphone technique.
Lastly, I recorded the output of our Neuman Binaural Head, which would provide another listening experience.
Personally, I preferred the Flea C12’s for their warmth and sheer beauty of capturing Mendelssohn’s wonderful music.
Our next recording project will be to record Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and I certainly will not hesitate in buying more of these great microphones for this orchestral tour de force.”
