Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1487666
52 W I N T E R 2 0 2 3 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y You have won a handful of Grammys for the BSO recordings! Yes, the orchestra is playing well, it's a great hall, and they've really sort of stepped up their whole recording infrastructure and staffing. They want to do it right, which is great! Are you recording in multichannel for them? Yes, we use the Pyramix system (by Merging Technologies), like most orchestras. They like it because of the editorial capability. Has any of it been released in Atmos? Just recently, Deutsche Grammophon has asked for Atmos mixes of some of the material because of their deal with Universal Music through Apple. We did Atmos on the Strauss set that we released with Leipzig. I think we're going to wind up going back on most of the Shostakovich recordings to release those in Atmos. They have been available in high-res stereo. When you're working in Symphony Hall, do you use mostly the natural acoustics, or do you ever have to expand the reverb or anything? [When the hall was built] the technical specifications didn't call for seats which mimic people acoustically. So, when the hall is empty, it's pretty reverberant. When the hall is full, depending on the configuration, it can dry out quite a bit, depending on the material and depending on the audience. We have some devices which you are familiar with that mimic the hall and help us bring back the acoustics more like when it's empty. Did you ever do the Esplanade Concerts (for July 4) live? No! I brushed against it a few times, and I should say I'm happy I never did. I've been to a number of them. And yes, the acoustics there aren't designed for an orchestra, especially with a large audience. It's a gigantic audience, and it's a tiny, tiny stage. My good friend Steve Colby has been the audio person on most of those shows, and he does a great job, and he copes with those deficits pretty well. I leave it to him and his expertise. How did you make the transition into films? I was primarily working in TV until about 1980, although I did work on a few pictures, mostly as a secondary scoring mixer.