And those are good seats.  But, they're usually, not always, above the 
orchestra and double as the chorus seats.  They need to issue safety 
glasses for some concerts (flying lacquer flakes).  Point is, a Horn has 
to have some blending with the hall sound before it has its 
characteristic tone.
Phillip

Charles Lawson wrote:
> phillip holmes <[log in to unmask]> writes:
>
>   
>> I can't stand most modern recordings.  I worship at 
>> the alter of Decca and Mercury.  One thing that is an absolute truth is 
>> that some microphone techniques are stupid to the point of moronic 
>> imbecility.  No concert goer, anywhere, is going to here a French Horn 
>>     
> >from two feet behind the bell.
>
> Well, now, that is not entirely true.  Many halls in Europe and the US
> (and probably elsewhere) have seats behind the orchestra (nominally for a
> chorus) that are often sold to the listening public.  You don't have to be
> two feet from the bell of a horn to be blasted backward by the sound. 
> However, this does not meet my definition of "best seat in the house."  ;-)
>
>
>   
>> I've seen jackass recording engineers 
>> put their microphones behind the Horns, pointed at the bell.  The things 
>> don't sound like Horns when they're recorded that way.
>>     
>
> Well, those "jackasses" include some of the folks you probably worship:
> Kenneth Wilkinson, John Dunkerley and Simon Eadon...all ex-Decca.
>
> Making good loudspeaker music means occasionally placing microphones where
> they *look* ridiculous but where (when mixed in judiciously) they *sound*
> marvelous.  The fact that you worship Decca recordings means that you
> appreciate having a mic in the horn section three feet high pointing at
> the bells.  I have attended sessions with the Decca folks where this was
> regular practice and I was at first horrified--only to become a convert
> after I heard the results.  You absolutely cannot judge what a recording
> will sound like by gazing at the placement of the microphones.
>   
>> Brass players are successful arrangers because they use more brass 
>> instruments.  Brass is more "awesome" than the other instruments.  When 
>> you add all the various mutes to your tonal arsenal, a full brass 
>> section can produce whisper soft sounds all the way up to something like 
>> a freight train running over a jumbo jet.
>>     
>
> Absolutely true!  My favorite orchestral pieces are those that attempt to
> use the full palette of the brass section.  However, depending on the room
> in which the recording is taking place, the tonmeister may have to do some
> pretty weird-looking things to get the proper sound on whatever medium for
> playback.  One absolutely cannot make judgements about the "jackassedness"
> of a recording engineer by watching where he or she puts the microphones. 
> One can only make that determination by listening to final product.  In
> the Decca and Mercury cases, I see that you agree with me that what might
> look weird sure sounds great!
>   
>
> --
> Charles Lawson <[log in to unmask]>
> Professional Audio for CD, DVD, Broadcast & Internet
>
>