German specialist classical recording company Aeolus has been recording Johann Sebastian Bach’s complete organ works in surround and stereo for Hybrid Super Audio CD. Played by Ewald Kooiman, a renowned Dutch organist and Bach expert, the performances have been captured using DPA 4006 omnidirectional mics. All organs are located in historic churches in the Alsace and built in the 18th century by father and son team Andreas and Johann Andreas Silbermann.
“There is no complete Bach Organ Works recording in Surround Sound played on historic organs on the market,” says Aeolus producer and recording engineer Christoph Frommen. “For our recordings we use two completely independent setups: one surround setup with five discrete channels, and an additional two-channel stereo setup. We sometimes use two or four more channels for capturing additional ambience. The microphones we use are all DPA's famous 4006 omnis, of which we own 13, with three of them being the TL (transformerless) version.”
Frommen uses a surround microphone installation known as the 'Polyhymnia pentagon', which draws on the proportions of the surround pentagon defined for loudspeaker installation, while an AB setup was used for the stereo recording.
The DPA 4006 - a small diaphragm omnidirectional studio condenser microphone – has become a standard and reference for many classical recording engineers; Aeolus bought its first pair in 1993 and has been using them ever since. “Hardly any other omnidirectional microphone is able to match the clearness and the undistorted sound of a small diaphragm microphone like the 4006,” says Frommen. “Its fidelity in reproducing the acoustic ambience of the recording environment is, in my opinion, unsurpassed. The possibility to choose – depending on the recording situation – from the five different grids we have, and also to use four different sphere accessories, makes the 4006 the most versatile omnidirectional microphone I know.”
Aeolus has already released 22 SACDs, of which 12 are organ music in surround sound, using the DPA 4006s. All of them have met with critical acclaim. The upcoming edition, consisting of at least 14 Hybrid SACDs and an extensive four-language booklet, will be released in late 2009, and more baroque music and organ recordings are planned throughout the year.
Contact: www.aeolus-music.com