San Francisco, CA – June,
2014… West Side Story, the timeless musical
set in the Upper West Side neighborhood of New York City that explores the
rivalry between two gangs—the Jets and the Sharks—while drawing inspiration
from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, was recently recorded by the San
Francisco Symphony for release on SACD and digital download. To be released on
the SFS Media label in June 2014, the use of wireless microphones in the
recording of this project is believed to be the first time this work has been
captured in this fashion. To ensure the best possible wireless system
performance, Digital Hybrid Wireless technology from Rio Ranch, NM-based
Lectrosonics was utilized.
San
Francisco-based Jack Vad, whose pedigree includes over 200 commercial classical
releases for prominent labels including BMG Classics, Nonesuch Records, and New
Albion Records in addition to projects for SFS Media, serves as the producer /
engineer of the San Francisco Symphony. For the West Side Story project, Vad worked with audio engineer Denise
Woodward, whose resume includes being Head Audio Engineer at San Francisco’s
Shorenstein-Hays Nederlander’s Curran Theater and who also provided engineering
support for the San Francisco Symphony’s 2012 Grammy® Award winning production
of John Adams’ Harmonielehre - Short Ride in a Fast Machine. Together, Vad and
Woodward utilized a considerable amount of Lectrosonics products for the West Side Story project, including 18
SMV, 2 SMQV, and 16 UM400a transmitters along with six Venue receiver
mainframes stocked with Lectrosonics’ VRT receiver modules. They discussed the
challenges of the project.
West Side Story was
recorded at Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, home of the San Francisco Symphony,
in late May and early June of 2013. When queried about the challenges of the
project, Vad offered the following, “Since we had to capture everything from
the live, semi-staged performance, the main challenge was trying to get a
studio-type sound from the moving, acting vocalists. Although there are many
fine wireless systems that are adequate for live sound use, most are not
acceptable for high resolution audio reproduction. The Lectrosonics equipment
provided us an audio chain that was both high quality and suitable for our SACD
release.”
Because
of the venue’s location in downtown San Francisco, there was concern about RF
interference—though it proved not to be an issue, as Woodward explained. “Our
recording/live performance was scheduled during San Francisco’s Gay Pride
celebration,” said Woodward, “a huge event with, according to some estimates,
over a million attendees and extensive media coverage. The main stage for this
event was at San Francisco’s City Hall—right across the street from Davies
Symphony Hall. We constantly monitored the challenging and ever-changing RF
environment, and were pleased with the RF agility of the Lectrosonics
equipment. We experienced solid, drop-out free performance.”
When
queried about those attributes that made the Lectrosonics equipment the best
choice for the project, Vad offered the following, “We used DPA 4088 cardioid
electret condenser mics with the Lectrosonics equipment and, together, they
made a great choice for capturing the vocal performers. With Lectrosonics’
Digital Hybrid Wireless design, we were able to achieve a greater, cleaner
vocal dynamic range than traditional wireless options. The audio quality of the
Lectrosonics system competes well with traditional studio-type microphones that
are typically used for this type of recording.”
The
Lectrosonics equipment used for the West
Side Story project was arranged through Bexel, a leading provider of audio
and video equipment for the broadcast market. “Bexel provided superior
technical support for our project,” said Woodward. “In preproduction, our
requirements changed constantly as the project developed and the changes
continued right up to shipping date. Rod Allen of Bexel pulled together a
package for us and provided for everything that was required. On site, we were
assisted by the extremely talented Ted Marvin of Bexel, who helped facilitate
the setup and handled frequency coordination for us.”
As
the West Side Story recording nears
its release, Vad and Woodward reflected on the project. “I find that most
listeners are amazed that the vocals were recorded with wireless systems.
Everybody at the San Francisco Symphony is extremely happy with the results.”
Woodward shares Vad’s enthusiasm, “The sound quality of the Lectrosonics
transmitter/receiver systems was absolutely pristine. This was a truly exciting
and unique project and I am so grateful that I was able to be part of it.”
#jsLoginContent { height: 250px; overflow-y:auto; position: relative; }
