Is the Mehta/LA Phil/Holst/Planets multi or minimally miked?

[hifitommy]

Long ago i became aware of how great that recording is, even though I have never heard the original Decca. It never occurred to me that it was multimiked, the sound being so continuous and natural sounding. Does anyone know the truth of the matter?

I have heard from a couple of trusted sources, one stating minimal and the other multi. If multi, it seems that it was like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. I can accept that an accent mike or few were employed.

 

[astrotoy]

I don't have a definite answer to the question. However, I did extensive interviews with three long time recording engineers for Decca for my Decca book I wrote in 2013-4.

John Dunkerley shared with me some of his data sheets (Studio plan and Electrical Plan) which I included in my book. They were for his famous recording of the Arnold Dances on Lyrita (SRCS 109) with the London Philharmonic with the composer conducting. Decca did all of the stereo recordings for the Lyrita label. By the time of the Holst Planets recording in April 1971, just about all of the classical orchestral recordings used the three microphone Decca tree in the middle with two outrigger mikes to the left and right, all at the front of the orchestra. There were typically several highlight mikes placed strategically around the orchestra covering specific instruments.

What distinguished Decca recordings from most of the other labels was that all of the mikes (in the case of the Arnold Dances there were 17 mikes in total) were mixed to two channels and recorded directly to two channel tape recorders all in real time. They normally did not record to multitrack and then remix after the recording. So everything was set up optimally before the session began. The Decca Tree was developed by Decca engineer Roy Wallace in the mid '50s at the beginning of Decca stereo recordings. The famed Kenneth Wilkinson modified the tree and that became the standard, particularly after Roy Wallace stepped down from his role as an engineer. Jimmy Lock was the main recording engineer for the Planets recording at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus. I have one picture of the LA Philharmonic at Royce Hall with Mehta conducting which shows the Decca Tree, the two outrigger mikes and several highlight mikes, similar to the studio plan from Dunkerley. However, the picture doesn't indicate the year and date of the session nor the piece that is being recorded.

So my guess is that the Planets recording is probably simply miked (although that could mean 15 or 20 mikes in total), and mixed down to two tracks in real time, and not recorded in multitrack.

Larry

 

[Argonaut]

So my guess is that the Planets recording is probably simply miked (although that could mean 15 or 20 mikes in total), and mixed down to two tracks in real time, and not recorded in multitrack.

^^^^^^^This ^^^^^^^^ , The other very well regarded engineer that worked on the recording was Colin Moorfoot who was also part of the recording team with two time Grammy Award winner James Lock on the 1970 recording of Ravel’s Daphnis And Chloe 2nd Suite at the same venue and same Mehta / LA Phil collaboration SXL 6488 , which is also an excellent recording.

 

[Al M.]

I don't have a definite answer to the question. However, I did extensive interviews with three long time recording engineers for Decca for my Decca book I wrote in 2013-4.

John Dunkerley shared with me some of his data sheets (Studio plan and Electrical Plan) which I included in my book. They were for his famous recording of the Arnold Dances on Lyrita (SRCS 109) with the London Philharmonic with the composer conducting. Decca did all of the stereo recordings for the Lyrita label. By the time of the Holst Planets recording in April 1971, just about all of the classical orchestral recordings used the three microphone Decca tree in the middle with two outrigger mikes to the left and right, all at the front of the orchestra. There were typically several highlight mikes placed strategically around the orchestra covering specific instruments.

What distinguished Decca recordings from most of the other labels was that all of the mikes (in the case of the Arnold Dances there were 17 mikes in total) were mixed to two channels and recorded directly to two channel tape recorders all in real time. They normally did not record to multitrack and then remix after the recording. So everything was set up optimally before the session began. The Decca Tree was developed by Decca engineer Roy Wallace in the mid '50s at the beginning of Decca stereo recordings. The famed Kenneth Wilkinson modified the tree and that became the standard, particularly after Roy Wallace stepped down from his role as an engineer. Jimmy Lock was the main recording engineer for the Planets recording at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus. I have one picture of the LA Philharmonic at Royce Hall with Mehta conducting which shows the Decca Tree, the two outrigger mikes and several highlight mikes, similar to the studio plan from Dunkerley. However, the picture doesn't indicate the year and date of the session nor the piece that is being recorded.

So my guess is that the Planets recording is probably simply miked (although that could mean 15 or 20 mikes in total), and mixed down to two tracks in real time, and not recorded in multitrack.

Larry

You are basically correct, Larry. From the CD booklet of my XRCD of the recording:

"This April 1971 recording [was] recorded with an amazing array of nearly thirty microphones through Decca's custom-built STORM mixers directly to two-track Studer A-62 tape machines. Behind the STORM mixer a pair of young but immensely talented engineers, James Lock and Jimmy Brown, collaborated with Decca's producer John Mordler to capture one of Decca's most celebrated and exciting performances of Holst's orchestral masterpiece."

 

[tima]

I don't have a definite answer to the question. However, I did extensive interviews with three long time recording engineers for Decca for my Decca book I wrote in 2013-4.

Thank you Larry!

 

[adrianywu]

I find the Decca recordings with the LA Phil at Royce Hall not as well balanced as those recorded at Kingsway and Walthamstow in London or Victoria Hall in Geneva. Royce Hall recordings seem to have less depth, and the bass is often exaggerated. Some people love the Mehta Planets but others pan it. It certainly sounds spectacular in a hi fi sort of way, but it does not sound natural. Direct comparison with the Previn on EMI (Kingsway Hall) is quite illustrative. I also don't like the Decca CSO recordings made in the Medinah Temple. I feel RCA did a better job recording the CSO at the Orchestra Hall. I wonder why Decca didn't use that hall.