Another 5 stars? t.c. 6K & Vocal Services

10/01/08

Over the past year or so URM have been developing some subtle and sophisticated mastering techniques designed to bring out the very best in classical, or any acoustically based, recording. The reaction to one of our recent professional uses of these techniques was entirely positive and (we like to think) entirely typcial:

"I think you've done a splendid job opening up [the soloists] voice ... it's sounding clearer and more focused but the piano and voice balance are still excellent -- everything is as clear as a bell ... Again with many thanks, well done, another five-star CD in the making!"

Siva Oke, Producer, SOMM Recordings

URM Audio is now pleased to announce that it is setting up a specialized section of its audio post-production facilities, to be dedicated to non-classical vocal comping: the composition of a glitch-free vocal line from numerous takes. Because of our extensive experience of fine editing in the ultra-critical classical music world, we can absolutely guarantee seamless vocals editing, at any level of complexity - not merely word-replacement, but even entirely natural sub-syllabic edits!

Fine editing like this is not simply a matter of cutting and pasting - it requires musical talent from the editor too. The human ear is very highly attuned to the human voice, so listeners can feel discomfort when presented with edited material, even though they cannot hear the actual edits themselves. The reason for this is that even micro-seconds of change in the edit point or fade can make all the difference between a musical or a natural edit and one that - though technically perfect - interrupts the music.

Classically trained music editors are alive to the nuances of micro-timings and micro-dynamics which can make so much difference - and URM Audio editors have been highly praised for this very quality, not only by classical musicians themselves, but also by experienced reviewers of classic music. Misha Donat is well aware of how much editing is now the norm in professional classical music CDs, which is why in a recent BBC Music Magazine review of a URM-edited CD he felt that he had to draw attention to the fact that the editing had not drawn his attention!

It is a myth that editing destroys the music. It certainly can do, but it's not heavy editing that does the damage, it is heavy-handed editing.

The result of URM Audio vocals editing sounds entirely natural - with no sonic degradation from any signal processing whatsoever - and in an acoustic setting a skilfully edited, un-processed, vocal line is generally found to sit more easily within the overall mix.

For "exposed" vocals, or for any subtle or fragile instrumental line, there really is no better option.

Full implementation of the techniques we have developed to produce the finest mastering of acoustic music requires state of the art technology. After extensive trials we are pleased to announce that we have fulfilled our technological requirements at a stroke by investing in the t.c. electronic Mastering System 6000!