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On Thursday I had the pleasure of performing with a group at the venerable and beautiful Théâtre du Châtelet in the heart of Paris, and it was a marvelous experience. All of the audio engineers and stage crew were friendly, helpful, efficient, and massively competent, resulting in some of the best stage sound I've ever experienced and an easy, enjoyable performance for the band.
The group was an electric jazz quartet: the keyboards were run direct and the bass was DI'd as well as miked with a Beyer M88. The drums were miked with three Schoeps MK4 (what utterly luxurious overhead/cymbal mics for a live performance!!), and then some usual suspects: SM57 on snare, and what appeared to be the normal Audix choices for kick and tom. I was playing saxophone and flute, with an RE20 on tenor and a Beta 58 for flute – I was skeptical of that choice at first, but in the hands of these engineers it really ended up being a good choice. The concert was broadcast on the French national jazz radio station, and I'm hoping a recording of it exists somewhere too. If I find it I'll post a link.
After our set, we got to hear Tigran Hamasayan's phenomenal trio. I was listening from a comfortable dressing room backstage, and even on the piped-in sound it was absolutely stellar. I'm not sure how they miked the piano but I'm assuming it was more Schoeps, and the instrument was a gorgeous Yamaha that sounded perfect.
All in all, it was a career highlight for me and a thoroughly exciting and pleasant experience. I hope to be back there one day, whether to play or listen, I don't really care!
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The group was an electric jazz quartet: the keyboards were run direct and the bass was DI'd as well as miked with a Beyer M88. The drums were miked with three Schoeps MK4 (what utterly luxurious overhead/cymbal mics for a live performance!!), and then some usual suspects: SM57 on snare, and what appeared to be the normal Audix choices for kick and tom. I was playing saxophone and flute, with an RE20 on tenor and a Beta 58 for flute – I was skeptical of that choice at first, but in the hands of these engineers it really ended up being a good choice. The concert was broadcast on the French national jazz radio station, and I'm hoping a recording of it exists somewhere too. If I find it I'll post a link.
After our set, we got to hear Tigran Hamasayan's phenomenal trio. I was listening from a comfortable dressing room backstage, and even on the piped-in sound it was absolutely stellar. I'm not sure how they miked the piano but I'm assuming it was more Schoeps, and the instrument was a gorgeous Yamaha that sounded perfect.
All in all, it was a career highlight for me and a thoroughly exciting and pleasant experience. I hope to be back there one day, whether to play or listen, I don't really care!
