Multi-Channel Orchestral Anechoic Recordings for Auralizations

Multi-channel orchestral anechoic recordings were obtained at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in June 2005. Every orchestral part of specific movements of two symphonies, Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, 3 rd movement, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in g minor, 1 st movement, were digitally recorded using five 0.5” DPA microphones, with four surrounding the musicians in the horizontal plane and the fifth directly above. The recordings were made in DTU’s large anechoic chamber, which has free space of about 1000 m 3 and a lower frequency limit of 50 Hz. Each musician was recorded individually, and to assist with overall synchronization of all recordings, the musicians listened to the piece over headphones and viewed a video of a conductor while playing. In general, for the string parts, two to three individual musicians were recorded, and only one instrumentalist was recorded for the remaining brass, woodwind, and percussion parts. These recordings have been edited for use in room acoustics modelling software programs to create auralizations that include some of the directional characteristics of each instrument, as individual instruments, small ensembles, or an entire orchestra.