Classical Music Recording & Post-production

Mike Beville

took early retirement in late1995 from Audio Design (Recording) Ltd the company he had formed back in the sixties. This was originally set up in 1967 to incorporate the recording business Mike had been running since 1959. By the early seventies however, it had evolved into a manufacturing operation, producing professional recording products and by 1976 had established a subsidiary in Chicago, later moving to Seattle. The company became internationally known for a whole range of audio processing equipment.

Such system names as F769 Vocal-Stresser, Transdynamic, F760X Compex, F601 Super-dynamic, SCAMP, ProDat, ProPak, ProBox, SmartBox, were widely used in the studio and broadcast business. The 1988 SoundMaestro digital editor was the first to use a waveform display and is still use for detailed editing work by Athene Records. The first generation of professional Ambisonic surround sound UHJ and B-format coding equipment was also produced by the company in 1984 in association with Drs. Michael Gerzon and Geoffrey Barton.

Mike spent over twenty five years on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Recording Studios (APRS), and was elected chairman from 1983-1986, after which he retired from the Association. During his time with APRS, he took a particular interest in staff training for studio members and was closely involved in both the initiation and publication of its first studio training manual - The APRS Handbook (a very successful Oxford University Press publication in its 'n'th edition) and the organisation of the internationally famous annual APRS training course held for many years at Surrey University. He also took a lead in supporting the establishment of the APRS Exhibition, which became an important annual focal point for the industry and a very successful equipment show for over 25 years.

The Athene Connection

In 1988 he became great friends with David Turner and Joanna Leach when they purchased a SoundMaestro digital editor, manufactured by his company. He worked closely with David on several recording and other projects and when David died in 1994, he took over the role of technical director and recording engineer of D&J Recording, joining Joanna as her business partner in Athene Records.

Recording Approach

ATHENE recordings of period instruments have normally been made with a stereo pair of Neuman TLM170s, usually arranged in MS (mid-side / sum & difference) configuration (one switched to figure '8'; the other to cardioid or omni pattern). The signal is decoded to L/R stereo through an Audio Developments mic-preamp and recorded to DAT at 44.1kHz (CD sample frequency). MS recording ensures there is a good coherent positional signal with flexible control of the image width.

The Soundfield MkIV and now the Mk.V is now also used as this is Mike Beville's favourite microphone. The Soundfield mic is unique not only in that it comprises four capsules in a tretrahedral array, but also because it is truly coincident to 10kHz. and produces smooth and extended bottom frequencies. Stereo imaging is precise with excellent perspective. The control box creates from the tetrahedral array the output signals of effectively three mics with a Figure 8 pattern (X - forward/back facing; Y - left side/ right side facing and Z - Top/bottom facing), plus an omnidirectional component called W. These signals are known as the four channels of B-format. From a B-format signal, not only full horizontal surround can be created (using X, Y and W signals), but height information giving 'periphonic' surround is possible when the Z signal is added! Periphonic sound is truly a remarkable experience, in fact it is unremarable in the sense that it is what you normally hear - but remarkable since it is artificially reproduced! Probably the best periphonic system is to be found at BT's research centre at Martlesham Heath where it is built into a large anechoic chamber, with space below as well as space above. Unfortunately bang in the centre at the ideal listening position is a BT phone box! So accurate is the reproduction that BT discovered that they could bring the location sounds to the research centre, rather than having to test their boxes at particular locations!

In general the label favours an intimate ambience for these early instruments; since it was largely in a domestic setting that they were played and listened to. The listener is typically seated about 10 - 12ft from the instrument. The pianos have their own subtle acoustic 'reverb' generated by the sounding board of the instrument. It is all to easy to loose important detail when swamped with a reverberant acoustic.

However to achieve our acclaimed 'five-star' modern Steinway recordings we use three stereo arrays which are mixed together to achieve an effective balance that combines crystaline detail with atmosphere and depth so as to create a convincing sound stage when reproduced on two speakers.

Mike's CD releases are currently 16; 11 of which were recorded by him, the others involving considerable post-production work.
Martin Anderson writing recently of his Shostokovich release with Raymond Clarke, ATHCD18 in Fanfare magazine (USA), said: "Athene-MINERVA has given him just about the best piano sound I have heard on CD, with enormous presence and a striking sense of perspective".

Mike's other 5-star recordings include Raymond Clarke's Havergal Brian: The Complete Piano Music ATHCD12; and the Mathias/Pickard Sonatas ATHCD15; Ronan Magill's Titanic 10th - 15th April 1912 ATHCD13; and Andreas Boyd's 'Pictures & Reflections': Mussorgsky - Pictures and Ravel - Miroirs, ATHCD17.

Currently working on a 3-CD set of Chopin played by Bernard d'Ascoli the French pianist and a CD of Stephan Loges (baritone) with Alexander Schmaltz (piano).

ATHENE and ATHENE-Minerva releases are now handled by the Divine-Art Record Company.

To contact Mike Beville or Joanna Leach e-mail to:

mikebeville(at)aol.com
[antispam - change (at) to '@']

My Favourite Links:

Athene Records
Divine-Art Record Company