Good point, Exult.... I don't have any one answer, but indeed, this forum is a good place to start. It's obvious we're all in a similar sitaution, and it's nothing if not a relief to find so many kindred spirits in one oneline place. (Sure beats the heck out of comic book conventions, any day! ;-) )

But seriously, if you're going to be anywhere near NYC next fall, the AES convention might be a good place to visit. From the sound of things, a lot of us are going and will probably be hanging out. Last fall, I had the honor of meeting and attending a pipe organ recital/location recording /seminar, run by Ron Streicher. (He's also the outgoing President of AES.) It was an eye opener for many reasons, and almost worth the price of the show alone, for ME, anyway. Great place to see/hear/learn first hand about how someone ELSE does things.

Which reminds me....I know a lot of folks have already posted on the "Roll Call" list, but it's tough to keep track of who's-from-where, and while my memory doesn't hold a lot of day to day "Ram" info on everyone (at least till we all get to know more about each other), it sure would be nice to read more about a poster in their RO Profile. It really is safe enough to put general information there, along with you city, main occupation, etc.

This way, folks can find out who's nearby, who's on the other side of the country (or the world!), and what's feasible to suggest.

Anybody that is in Los Angeles, feel free to drop me a line if they are interested in hanging out. My way of doing things is by no means the only way, but if somebody wants to see a way of approaching a concert I can occasionally bring somebody with me. I cannot promise great work or pay for that matter, but I can promise a vantage of one approach to recording. There will be a set of ground rules involved, but as you can see, I enjoy talking shop when it comes to the music I love.

--Ben

Ben, I would take you up in that in a second if I could! You're recordings are smokin'.

Very glad to hear you say that...it confirms my opinion that this is a very cool forum I've just stumbled on.

Do you have any contacts in Hawaii that are willing to do the same thing? I'm military stationed out there, been playing RnB, blues, and gospel sax for a little over 20, and teaching myself recording over the past 4 years between the family, day job, deployments and gigs. I've learned quite a bit through trial and error as well as from similar forums, but really need to get hooked up with someone who is a) qualified and b) willing to teach about the finer points of recording and studio building/operation.

Finding a mentor/teacher has been kinda hard, especially when you move around so much and most of your work circle is decidely non-musical. And being on Hawaii has its own special drawbacks (advantages too, but not normally of the musical kind) 8)

So...back to the original question: do you or anyone out there know any gurus at the top of the Hawaiian mountians? If so, will they be there in 2 months (I'm in Afghanistan right now, but should be home soon...)

Thanks!
-Chris

..it confirms my opinion that this is a very cool forum...

You bet your ass! :) Welcome to RO Chris, and if you see Osama, give him one right in the nads for me. ;)

I'll tell him you sent it personally!

:lol:

Exsultavit wrote: Does anyone here know of ways to study/ learn from senior engineers, face-to-face? I'd be thrilled to second/ assist some of the real masters of this field, but have no idea how to approach the subject.

I would highly recommend the audio program or internship at the Aspen Music Festival as the finest out there for folks interested in recording. You'll work with guys like John Eargle, Ron Streicher, Juergen Wahl and other notable guests (Sydney Harman and David Josephson stopped by a few years ago). Plus you're recording the finest musicians in the world with some of the best mics and equipment. Pretty nice to have Gil Shaham on the other end of your microphone experiment! This is probably the easiest way to do exactly what you're looking for.

leonardkravitz wrote: I would highly recommend the audio program or internship at the Aspen Music Festival...

I'll second Lenoard's recommendation. Aspen has a lot to offer. In addition to daily opportunities to listen and learn, our class group in 2002 got to setup a special recording using 48 tracks to compare/contrast a variety of microphones and techniques. The performance was for a conducting final and included a variety of excerpts for full orchestra. As part of the rig, we got to try out the Neumann D1 digital mic.