I don't think you are talking about the classic "Decca Tree",are you? I don't think it was used on the early Decca digital recordings.
I have a copy of LDR-10001-2 ("New Year's in Vienna!") right here.The cover shows two microphones,at the ends of what must have been very long cables,that snaked back and forth over the orchestra.They were so low,that a flautist,and a clarinetist,might have hit their heads on them,if they were not careful when they stood up.Almost like a two microphone twist,on the Mercury single microphone technique.
Roger
________________________________
From: Goran Finnberg <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 11:48 AM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Dawn of Digital update -- at long last, clarity on Philips' digital first
Tom Fine:
> A former Soundstream employee finally set the record
> straight on this. Philips' first all-digital release
> on LP was John Williams "Pops In Space," 1980. The
> original LP has a banner across it stating "FIRST
> Philips Digital Recording." Philips' engineers wanted
> to use a digital recorder they had developed, according
> to this person. But the record's producer, George Korngold,
> had used Soundstream the previous year to record the
> soundtrack to "Kings Row" and requested Soundstream be
> used on the Philips session.
http://www.mancini99.freeserve.co.uk/Michael_Mailes.html
DECCA recording engineer Michaels Mailes says:
Interesting perhaps to note that in 1980 John Williams
became musical director of The Boston Pops orchestra.
I had made recordings with Arthur Fiedler/Boston Pops
and had experience working in Symphony Hall.
Philips made a contract to record J.W and found that
they didn't have equipment or crew in America at the
time of the 1st proposed recording date. Decca had
recording equipment in the States having made contracts
with several orchestras. Logical conclusion! Ask Decca!
Together with Stanley Goodall (Recording engineer) we
made J.W's first recording; 'Pops In Space'
recorded on the Soundstream system.
-----------------------------
So it would seem that this disk was not only done on the Soundstream system
but was also engineered by Michael Mailes and Stanley Goodall of the
DECCA/London company using their Neumann M50 tree technique and equipment
feeding the Soundstream digital recorder.
> Philips' engineers wanted to use a
> digital recorder they had developed,
I really do not think that this is correct.
Philips recording centre never had any plans making their own digital
recorder as did DECCA/London.
http://www.mancini99.freeserve.co.uk/Decca_1.html
Philips used the Sony 1610 converter with a suitable video recorder in the
very beginning as did most everyone else.
Later on they moved on using the dcs 900 converter.
--
Best regards,
Goran Finnberg
The Mastering Room AB
Goteborg
Sweden
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Learn from the mistakes of others, you can never live long enough to
make them all yourself. - John Luther
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