...lovely playing.

My only criticism is the fast 'stereo' panning. I'm not sure if this was intentional, but this effect is distracting & takes much away from this incredible performance...

Cheers,

Alf

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Thanks so much for your comments.

It's strange how this particular movement turned out, sound-wise. I'm trying to remember if I fiddled with the settings between pieces on this improv session.

I think what happened is that on this piece, there was more "clipping" because of the sudden bursts of loud playing. So I brought the volume down on each clipped note (in the loudest sections) and brought it back up after the loudest waveform of the note had passed. This, combined with the "classical" reverb setting on the Master track (in GB, by the way) may have produced the impression of "fast stereo panning".

Hopefully I've learned a bit about setting recording levels, and microphone placement from this experience.



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i love all the runs up and down the harp and you do sound as if you are letting something burst forth - thank you for posting here cam xoxoxoxox

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Yes, I was definitely "running" on the harp with this one, and was a bit out of breath afterwards! And the harp was smokin'.

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there s nothing wonderfull more than a live
performances .this piece speaks so sweetly
thank you for sharing these moments with us !

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I appreciate your kind words, thank you!

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This is indeed quite a cadenza, very captivating melodies, exciting glisses, and just as your breath is taken away from the zephyr, it slows, and evaporates... bravo!

I echo Alf's criticism of the recording. You definitely had some weird left-right-fast-bouncy-pan turned on through this... just listen to it through headphones, and you'll hear the harp oscillating between L&R about 3 times a second. Without headphones, it is probably not noticeable. Unfortunately this mars the piece a bit for me. But again, the playing and piece are stunning!

ttfn,
Drakonis

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Thanks for listening and commenting.

I've heard this piece so many times over my headphones that I've lost most of my objectivity.

I know what you're saying about the unintentional fast panning effect, and agree that it could unsettle some listeners, especially over headphones. Like I said before, I suspect what happened but am not totally sure.

It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Alf hadn't mentioned it in the first comment. Would other people (like you) have said the same thing eventually? (probably!) But it could have been like suddenly noticing a recurring flaw in a piece of fabric that looked fine to the viewer before someone called attention to it. ;-)

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Well, I heard it before I read Alf's comment (I always listen to a piece BEFORE reading others' comments for this very reason :-) )... and it seems not to bother other listeners enough to have them mention it, so it is not a large flaw in the musical fabric. And I try not to get too fixated on the flaws, and also point out the gorgeous artistry too, which is quite evident here... Lucky Caroline got to hear you play first-hand, what a treat! Maybe someday when we are on our way to Tahoe or Crater Lake, we'll stop in for a performance like this, we'll have to bring some home-made apple butter or blackberry jam as an enticement :-)
ttfn,
Drakonis

---
Deja vu - It's the next best thing to being there<br>
### Today's song:<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/28669">Dance of the Technoids</a>

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Wonderful Job, i enjoyed your 1st post of this and now this is more wonderful, beautiful playing and a very nice composing ! Keep up the good work !

Take Care
==============
Yeman Auf Al-Rawi

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I'm glad that you enjoyed this piece even more than the previous one. Please stay tuned for the next one, "III. Episodes" which I will submit here next week.

Thanks again for your nice comments.

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What a great find. The harp sounds fantastic, that is some really cool playing! I really enjoyed this, thanks for sharing it.

About that stereo panning thing, I have a theory, but it may be far fetched. Were you using multiple mics to record this? What if the panning is caused by destructive interference between the multiple recordings? I'm not a recording expert, but I remember audio engineers miking drumsets concerned about it. Well, just a guess, really:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_cancellation

I like that artwork too, fits the song nicely.

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Please forgive me what is going to be a lengthy reply.

Your comments and observations, along with your theory about what happened with the panning -- are greatly appreciated!!

I think you may be right. I did use two mics, one at the bass end of the harp and the other at the treble strings. They may have been placed in a way to cause the phasing. Plus, I wasn't very attentive about the recording levels between the two mics. I wasn't as careful as I should have been, obviously from the way this recording sounds.

I wasn't happy with the resulting single stereo harp track; the levels between the mics were unbalanced. (If you listen to the first submission from this improv session, "Leaving Bisbee Blues", you may notice that.)

Anyway, on the other three submissions, I converted the stereo track to mono, and then duplicated the tracks, and panned each slightly left and right of center. It seemed to work well enough on "I. Let the Night Begin". And I think that my NEXT submission (next week) "III. Episodes" will also sound fine. But something must have gone haywire on THIS piece.

I'm learning a lot about recording because of this improvisation session, and because of your observations and others'.

This kind of exchange of ideas between MJ members on a song page is one of the best aspects of this site for me. Thanks again.

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Dear Cam,

It was a beautiful piece, as was the other piece "Let the Night Begin."

I must add that I did notice the fast panning right away, without seeing anyone else comment on it. I was listening at work here on the speakers at breaktime. I thought you were trying to get the effect on purpose.

It is stronger at various points in the piece, at least upon first listen. But that's enough of that, the piece is beautiful and was a nice "moment" for me here at the office today.

Thanks for adding to the beauty!

Francesca

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It is so nice to see you here on MacJams! You and I go WAAAY back to the mid-1980s when violinist Rae Ann and I (on harp) improvised to your wonderful songs in various coffeehouses around Sacramento. I will always treasure those memories.

Anyway I'm glad you're here and that this piece brought you some joy at work!

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Kinda disappointing that the car was inaudible (to me) I went back over the initial 30 seconds and still couldn't make it out. Fantastic playing, you really lay into that harp man. Fab tune. Be fortunate.

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Thanks for stopping by! Sorry you missed the car! Apparently the "sound issues" on this piece made everything haywire, so perhaps it got obscured on your particular sound system.



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I absolutely love the runs up and down the harp. BTW, I didn't hear the car either.

God bless,

Rick


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I'm a sucker for any harp music but this one really takes me away. Lovely work! The little pauses are almost like catching your breath before careening through the next flow of the music. Thanks so much.
Keep well,
Doug

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I heard you play the harp on, this one does shimmer and seems to be more pronounced. You really seem to sing with this one. I think this if the fav of the two harps sounds. Because you seem so strong on the strings here. The swipes are very well done it seems, and the picking is quite nice. Again, really enjoying the attach! and how confident you are in playing this one. The other one above this one is nice to but it seems like this has (again) a great attack to the strings.

Thanks for sharing

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Coming from a very accomplished guitarist such as yourself, I am honored that you like my playing technique on this one.

It means a lot to me, because I am basically self-taught on the harp. I'm a professional brass player, rather than "string" player. So it is especially gratifying to receive such a favorable comment from another "string" player, of sorts.

I've taken a couple months' hiatus from the harp and you are inspiring me to dust it off today! Thanks again.

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Wonderful playing, I am overwhelmed with your lovely harp playing. Didn't hear the car but that's not important, it's live and really who wants to hear a perfect performance, it's the little interesting things that happen out of character which make every performance different!!

It was just the job and very clever Cameron, well done!

Regards Carol

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