Frank Filipetti discusses negotiating with the stage manager to allow him to place the 160 mics required for the outdoor New York Philharmonic concert featuring Andrea Bocelli.
This week's guest lecture was sponsored by Avid and featured Frank Filipetti. Frank discussed the details for a concert featuring the New York Philharmonic, Andrea Bocelli, 100 voice choir, and an array of special guests. The set up included 160 mics, the majority of which which had to be hidden from view because of a "request" from the video broadcast producer. The audio truck was 1000 yards away from the stage with wind and rain inundating performance. Despite all of these obstacles, and with significant help from some diligent assistants and Izotope RX, Mr. Filipetti created a phenomenal mix with an excellent signal to noise ratio.
As for other projects, he played a more experimental 5.1 mix of The Inca Roads by Frank Zappa. The discussion was focused on surround panning and psychological responses of audiences and producers. This song contained ambient noises and synth sounds which moved around the room. Supporting vocals were panned to the rear while Frank's vocals were in the front.
Mr. Filipetti also discussed the importance of people skills and carrying yourself with confidence. Maintaining the air of control is very important to the client and to maintaining a productive and efficient session. He also discussed hitting the record button as soon as your talent arrives. "You'll never know when you're going to get that magical performance. Always hit record!" Frank also made a strong case for digital mixing and staying in the box once you are converted to digital. Many advantages were discussed including setup time, recall, automation, and the accuracy and repeat-ability of plugins and playback from one day to the next.
Many thanks to John Whitcore for helping to make this event happen and bringing it to UML. Thank you also to Frank for making the time in his busy schedule to talk to our students!
