ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the unusual recording environments. It discusses the search for special sounds. The chapter explains the negative effects of a containment shell. It also discusses the effects of the directional characteristics of loudspeakers and microphones. The chapter also examines the acoustic and electronic reverberation characteristics. In the early days of recording, when studios were expected to be able to handle any type of recording which their size would allow, live rooms were more or less unknown. In the Silo studios in West London, in the early 1980s, they had intended to build a large studio room with a small drum room, connected to the studio via a window. Smaller live rooms do at least appear to have one thing in common; recording staff must learn how to get the best out of each one individually. Orchestral music was designed to be performed live in front of an audience.
