Mistakes in Music CD

<p>I just recorded my audition cd for a school. It wasn't perfect by no means. In fact, I wasn't fully ready for it because I decided very last minute that I wanted to apply for transfer admission there. As a musician, I made a few errors of alignment with my accompanist as well as having certain takes which were better than others in terms of breath, diction, tone, etc. By no means was this my best performance; however, in spite of this, I did NOT edit/splice my cd. I listened to all the different track takes and then chose the ones that I felt were the most adequate. I did not blend any of them, though it would've helped make the recording more 'perfect' if you will. </p>

<p>I may not get accepted into the program of which I am auditioning for because of my errors or perhaps my level on the audition cd was not high enough. But I am ok with that. I would not want to be accepted for a cd that falsely portrayed my voice. The whole point of the audition is for the faculty to judge that you are able to contend at their school's music program and that you will be successful there. If I was accepted for a recording that was inaccurately 'perfect' then I might not be at the level of students at their school and would most likely struggle. Even if I improved to the school's level, I would still have taken someone else's slot that was accepted based on their 'perfection' the first time through. Even though I would be disappointed for not getting in, I would just have more motivation for the next time I auditioned to be more prepared. You're going to fail at least some of your auditions, best get used to it now and start working on picking up the pieces and moving on.</p>

<p>As I mentioned before, my recording is not my best performance. Yet, I would still not splice the tracks because you are auditioned based on your actual performance, not an artificial one. If you are using splicing as a crutch now, it will end up biting you later when you audition for an opera company or orchestra because you will need to nail that audition and you won't be able to edit your performance. It's better to start getting used to messing up now and then fixing it over time rather than at the end of your college study when you are auditioning for jobs. </p>

<p>Also, it would be good to remember that no music performance is perfect....ever. I guess I'd almost feel that you were taking away from the music of the piece by splicing it perfectly. Imperfection is part of what makes it music. Haha, feels free to tear me to shreds on that one college discussion members. It just randomly popped into my head but it kind of makes sense...I think.</p>

<p>Well, that's my two cents on the matter. I apologize if I seemed to repeat other peoples' comments....</p>

<p>Baritonevoce, Bravo.</p>

<p>Thank you bravo - it's nice to have a student chime in on this one. This conversation was beginning to feel "generational"! I am in complete agreement as is my son.</p>

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[quote]
no music performance is perfect....ever. I guess I'd almost feel that you were taking away from the music of the piece by splicing it perfectly. Imperfection is part of what makes it music.

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I absolutely agree. It is why I like live performances, and live recordings better than "mastered" ones.</p>

<p>Another unfortunate off-shoot of edited professional CDs is that our standards to up to near impossible levels. We are always reminded of this at live performances, when we hear internationally renown pros make mistakes.</p>

<p>My favorite recordings are still my old Glenn Gould LPs (yikes vinyl!!) I wonder if recording engineers today would leave on his humming and moaning.
Its those funny little nuances and ticks that endear those recordings to me.</p>

<p>Oh my goodness--jazz pianists are so loud with their humming--ever hear a Keith Jarrett or Herbie Hancock recording? I think it's easier for students auditioning with jazz because the improvisational nature of the form leaves room for all sorts of quirks. Classical players must feel more under the microscope!</p>

<p>Some schools now require DVDs to make sure there aren't edits-with ProTools you can do anything. Don't sweat mistakes, as Barbara Butler told me when I auditioned at Eastman "If you were perfect we wouldn't need to teach you."</p>

<p>(Stravinsky once said that modern recording techniques make people believe that french horns always hit their entrances).</p>