About
The Physical World recording studio is available to selected musicians whose focus is on acoustic music. Otherwise, its purpose is to provide a musical home for Delta X. The studio has two major components: Live recording and creation from samples and synthesizers. The two aspects are often combined.
Productions
Buy our CDs Description
Live recording:
Our small studio has a "warm" sound. An extensive microphone collection (large and small diaphragm condensers, ribbons and dynamics), selection of pre-amps (Millennia, Amek and Hardy, among others), and pre-recording treatment (FMR, dbx, Behringer) bring the analog signal to digital tape recorders. We cannot record direct to hard drive because the control room is not separated from the performing area. This intimacy is part of the characteristic warmth of live recordings made in this space.
We never approach our 24 tracks-at-one-time maximum. Total number of tracks is unlimited. Mix-down is in Pro-Tools where, with Waves and other third party plug-ins, sound can be modified at will. Our recording philosophy is to stay as clean and simple as possible, but one does not actually want to hear "live" instruments on a recording. The best sounds are subtly enhanced. From microphone choice, placement, and pre-recording treatment through mix, we aim for a crisp yet intimate sound. Yes, we add reverb, but only to enhance, not to pretend the recording was made in a large hall.
Computer creations:
By and large, we write out parts in piano-roll notation, which we find more precise than musical notation. Parts are then realized from samplers or synthesizers. We have also added parts to initial live tracks, using sampled or synthesized sounds played from a keyboard. A computer driven track has to start any piece that will have computer-driven parts on it, because people can coordinate their timing to pre-recorded music, but the computer cannot adjust to human variation. However, if there is just one such track at the beginning, others can be added later.
