Zanggroep Nieuwe Gouwe 'In Session', Monday November 21st 2011.

Zanggroep Nieuwe Gouwe (Gouda), In Session.
Recorded: November 21st 2011, ‘rehearsal hall.
Tracks: Paint It Black (TK 1-2)/ I Will Follow Him (TK 1-2)/Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These) (TK 1-3)/Gabriëlla (TK 1-2)/The Lion Sleeps Tonight (TK 1-5)

. My first ever recording of a vocal group. As this choir prefers to be named a vocal group, I decided to record them in a less conventional way, I was having in my head for years. Instead of using two overall mikes, I put 4 mikes directly in front of pairs of choir members, recording their voices more direct. This made a far more direct sound, with sharper stereo panning possible, increasing the overall impact hugely. A great sound. Several versions of songs were recorded, deeming the last versions to be the best. ‘Gabriëlla’ however didn’t work, as both the guitar was too prominent in take 1 (Becoming out of reach of the mikes in Take 2, when the guitarist moved to the back of the rehearsal space) and some essential voices were not present, to complete the sound. ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ crashed, as there were some problems with keeping the rhythm tight.
The rehearsal room was a huge hall in the industrial area, with a big spinning fan on the ceiling as climate control. As it buzzed throughout the recording, I asked wether it could be switched off. Thev attempt didn’t work, as the fan kept spinning and buzzing and at the same time cooled down the hall. As it was a rainy November night, everybode wore coats near the end of the session.