<p>I completely agree that this forum on CC has been incredibly valuable as we begin to negotiate this field. With two college students already in our family, we thought we understood the process...until D3 announced that she was interested in pursuing music. </p>
<p>As a nontechie parent, it seems to me that a DVD format would be more user friendly for the prescreen recording.</p>
<p>My take on the Handycam setup is that it is hard to get good audio with them. I realize that schools are not looking for absolute top fidelity on the pre-screening recordings, but at least those who are not Low Information Applicants (LIAs) want to put their best foot forward at all times. (Yes, I realize that makes it very hard to dance, but there you have it.)</p>
<p>Most consumer grade video cameras are not designed for recording music. They quote very impressive specifications for the audio recording format that they use, then render those specifications meaningless by adding a mediocre at best microphone and installing an Automatic Gain Control (AGC) circuit that is designed to keep the volume level on the recording relatively constant even when the source intentionally gets louder or softer. This works reasonably well for the intended use of capturing conversation or narration, but can make music sound very different from what was actually played. Some models allow the user to turn off the AGC (if the user bothers to read the manual) and some do not. Most are monophonic unless one uses the external audio input. The general result is a decent picture (if you can keep the operator from excessive panning and zooming) but sound that has no stereo image, does not capture the true sound of the instrument and greatly reduces the dynamic range of the performance.</p>
<p>All of this may not make much of a difference in a prescreening recording, because the people listening to it are mostly looking to eliminate those who are clearly not in the running for admission. The recording is not going to make someone sound as if they are playing in time and on pitch (barring illegal processing) if they were not playing that way in the first place. It is not going to make Suzuki book 5 sound like the first movement with cadenza from a standard concerto for your instrument (barring a miracle.) Unfortunately, it is also not going to sound as good as a recording made with equipment and techniques that have been expressly designed for recording musical performances (barring a series of miracles.)</p>
<p>While the LIAs may be content to plop down in front of the Handycam, play their piece, send it in and hope for the best, higher information applicants tend to obsess over every last detail and want to send in only the very best. Those are not terrible qualities in a musician, no? Parents waiting to pick up their kids from youth symphony rehearsals compare notes about college applications, and an arms race ensues.</p>
<p>It is very helpful when schools make known what is expected in a prescreening recording, and what is not. The blog that N8Ma references is a good start along those lines but even there, when I see phrases like looking for "evidence of musicality, a sense of tone, phrasing, and an overall feeling that the applicant has matured" I start to wonder whether the technology used in consumer grade video cameras is going to allow someone to demonstrate those qualities. The answer may well be that it does so sufficiently for the purposes of this particular recording, but that is not the message that is being received by the people making the recordings. Without knowing where the line is going to be drawn in the prescreening round (and it can be hard for anyone to know that in advance), the natural tendency is to err on the side of providing better quality than may be needed, even if that comes at the higher price of hiring professionals to make the recording.</p>
<p>Most students I know have booked "expensive studio time" when a DVD recording was required for precisely the reasons that BassDad has mentioned. Many can manage a good CD recording on their own as they already own good recorders (Zoom H4, etc.). But, even those using their own equipment often record in facilities with good natural accoustics (churches, auditoriums, etc) and pay for the privilege. N8Ma, I'm sure there are many out there that would be very grateful if you can find an inexpensive answer that meets your requirements and the concerns of the applicants for a good presentation of their skills!</p>
<p>BassDad, i echo your concern about the downright lousy audio recording capabilities of even the high-end of consumer video cams. This is really a problem with jazz recordings, where you are trying to balance a drum kit, bass, possibly piano or guitar, and maybe a horn. This issue was driven home to us recently when we concurrently recorded each song on video for those schools requiring DVD, and audio with the Zoom H4 Handy Recorder (an awesome product which I highly recommend--two built in stereo mics) for those only requiring CD. On the same take, the video sound was awful, whereas the sound recorded by the Zoom simply placed on a low tripod between the musicians, was remarkably clear and well-balanced. Too bad I have no idea how to syn the audio recording to the video--I know it's not easy or even possible without pro equipment.
So, quality of sound is a real concern if more programs begin requiring DVD. I really believe that those who do not pop for the pro video recording will be at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>For S2, we actually did studio recording for his jazz pre-screens that his instructor arranged. I then videotaped my son with our camera, and was able to sync the audio and video using my Mac and iMovie for those few applications/scholarships that required video. We resorted to this "method" after several failed attempts in many different places to get balanced acoustics with a combo (drums, piano, bass, horn) playing.</p>
<p>Though it took some time to get the songs done, it wasn't hard to do, and I have to admit I enjoyed the process. My biggest regret is that I only videotaped the songs he needed a DVD for, and I wish I had done them all. I had to keep careful notes regarding "takes" and which one was the final one used etc. There also was no doubt that nothing had been edited.</p>
<p>So far I've passed pre-screening for MSM and Peabody. Now i'm just waiting on Eastman. One problem though. I realized that I scheduled my "potential" Eastman audition on a day that won't work for me. Should I contact them now or wait to see if I even get an audition. Eastman gave me three choice dates for auditions. If they offer me a slot in my first choice date I can make it, but not my second choice.</p>
<p>A note about synching together audio and video simultaneously recorded on different devices that are not linked together for timing purposes:</p>
<p>On longer recordings (a few minutes and up on a single take) you may start to notice some drift between the audio and video. This is unavoidable, particularly if one of the recording devices was not of professional quality. Unconnected devices cannot be made to record at exactly the same speed unless they share a common clock signal. Professional grade equipment usually has provision for being able to take synchronization from an external source, while consumer grade equipment rarely if ever has this capability.</p>
<p>If you get the synch spot on at the start, you may notice that it is off by the end. Usually, it will only be a little bit off, but I have seen longer recordings (an hour or so) dubbed to a VCR get as much as a second or two separated between audio and video with comical effect. When submitting a prescreening tape, you normally do not want comical effects and you certainly do not want those watching it wondering why the notes they are hearing do not match the fingering they see on the instrument. If you do as SJTH suggests, make sure you watch your finished product very carefully from start to finish before sending it in, observing for drift at all times.</p>
<p>I guess because the songs were only about 5 minutes or so at the longest we didn't experience any "drift." They were synched perfectly from beginning to end, but we had professional recordings and admittedly amateur video.</p>
<p>My son did his prescreen using his macbook alone. I was surprised how well it turned out.
He had been using it for that sort of thing alot and so I guess he knew where best to
place it in the room.</p>
<p>Peabody letters seem to have gone out. I got mine today (and it was positive!)</p>
<p>Congrats juggleaddc! I hope we get my son's audition date/time soon (no pre-screen) so I can book a flight!</p>
<p>Hello everyone - I got an e-mail from Juilliard stating that I'm invited to a live audition. I am very pleased indeed!! I'm travelling from Northern Ireland so you can imagine the expense of auditioning. I've been accepted to the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music in London but naturally Juilliard is my first choice so fingers crossed.
I'm a baritone applying for the BM.
I'd be great if anyone could offer me advice as I'm new to the American education system.
Thanks!</p>
<p>We didn't worry about stereo recording. Now we could do it at the time, but we recorded S2s prescreens in one of the the university ensemble rooms through his private teacher. Since it was jazz, I recorded it in every way possible. I had a very good mike plugged into my laptop. I videotaped it using my Sony mini-DVD camera on a tripod (no zooming). And we recorded it on a Zune with an external mike. We ended up using the sound from the videocam as the best. Certainly, acoustics were a big help, and perhaps the placement of the camera as opposed to the mikes.</p>
<p>Just to add my $.02 on recordings, I have a Canon SDHC camcorder with a mic port. It's about the only lower-cost unit I could find that had one. I used it with a three mics and 3-channel mixer for my D's NFAA recording. We liked the sound so much I just pulled the the audio from those videos and sent them.</p>
<p>Last year, at a local music conservatory, my son recorded an audition CD. They had audio recording, and I used a video recorder. It was nice that they separated all the takes onto separate tracks. I used Windows Movie Maker to put the CD track onto the video. I noticed that for a 4 minute song, they were out of sync by about 1/10 of a second. I moved the audio track to split the difference (a little late at the beginning of the song, a little early at the end). You can't tell that short a differential on the video.</p>
<p>I was having trouble booking time for this year's prescreening CD's, so I did it at my church. I am one of the guys that does sound on Sundays, and we record the service. So I figured, why not. It took me a while to get the balance (piano, voice) and sound level just right. I didn't have the fancy software to edit the tracks before I took it home. But, it all worked out in the end. Best of all, it was free. Good enough for screening CD's and youtube, but definitely not professional quality.</p>
<p>Re: 2 auditions in one day?
Thanks for all your responses- this forum on CC has been super helpful!
After thinking about what you all said, I decided to audition on separate days, though it means 2 trips. But I think it will be less stressful that day, and I can take my time at each school, take a tour, etc...</p>
<p>and btw, Boston is for Boston Conservatory & my voice type is soprano...</p>
<p>my son (violinist) passed prescreening at Juilliard and NEC and has audition dates lined up. He has to do a fast turnaround for NEC in order to make a mandatory concert with his string quartet and play an audition for the teacher whose studio he hopes to be in. Since he's in a full day precollege program the day before the audition, he'll have to get up to Boston in the evening (hopefully getting in before midnight), grab a very few zzzs, warmup as much as possible before his early morning audition and then zoom back down the coast for his concert. We're trying to decide now between car or train. He is not a morning person (understatement) so this will probably be his biggest challenge.</p>
<p>In answer to the question about composition at NEC, my son also submitted a composition portfolio there, but it's our understanding from the website they don't invite composition students to interviews. it's just the portfolio evaluation.</p>
<p>stringkeymom, we have had occasion to ride the Boston/NYC Amtrak route several times over the past few months, and the trains have been delayed/late (sometimes significantly) every time, so unless serious snow is forecast you may want to lean towards driving.</p>
<p>Son passed NYC Steinhardt & USC Thornton prescreen (we will see jazzguitarmom and her son in hopefully warm and sunny CA next weekend) and already had his Berklee audition, also has a few more lined up in the coming weeks.</p>
<p>Anyone else heard positive results today from UCLA, only to discover that they changed the audition schedule from 2-14 to 2-6? D ALREADY booked auditions and flights back east on that date :(</p>
<p>Hello all, I'm brand new to this site. My son's instrument is piano, and so far, he has an audition already set up for the University of MD, Peabody, Oberlin, and Juilliard. The only one we haven't heard from yet is Eastman, and I know that the only two audition dates available for piano are Feb. 16th and Feb. 27th--coming up soon. Is there anyone out there who has heard from Eastman yet?</p>