I often have trouble with the 720P version, but I noticed the entire Internet seems really sluggish this Christmas. Just loading most web sites was agonizingly slow, so I think it's congestion, plus possibly more Youtube users online than usual.
I wish y'all could hear the 24-bit master. The Youtube video is a vague facscimile of it, which, by itself, doesn't sound too bad.
"Balanced" is the most frequent comment I hear from string players in the violin section, who've been here to watch/listen to the preview on Blu-ray disc. My unique miking technique allows me to place the array where the balance is natural (from an audience perspective), yet have the 'reach' to sniff deep into the orchestra, reject hall ambience, and pick up the smallest sounds coming from the stage. The neat thing is that with as little as a 10° tilt on the center channel mic, can make the difference between a cello solo that is 'in your face' and one that gets lost in the mix. These Youtube videos are a mix of the three front channels. The surround version really puts you in the hall and there's an almost disturbing sense of space and people all around you, on a subliminal level.
I'm looking forward to getting our holiday concert done and online in the next few weeks. That turned out even better. I had exposure and backfocus problems and some rather nervous editing on this November concert due to being out of practice and not having enough time to get setup. Also, we got the mic anchor cables higher up in December, so there's more freedom for the balcony cams to get better views than shown here in this November concert. And.. the music's much more interesting.. Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. Can't wait til it's approved and online!
