SOL Digital Projects

SOL DIGITAL PROJECTS

Our next digital project is a home recording of Delibes’ “Flower Duet” with singers Nadine Benjamin and Lea Shaw.

If you’d like to be involved please sign up using this form. Bursaries of £75 are available per player (up to a total of 40 players, with priority given to those currently without an income).

We encourage everyone to submit both audio and video, but if you’d prefer to just submit audio then that’s fine. If you have questions or need any help anything please drop Craig a line: craig@streetorchestra.co.uk or give him a call: 07541 991 897. Alternatively check in on the SOL Family! Facebook Group for news of the project.

Instructions

To begin download your part and the two backing tracks. The audio backing track is just the music. The video backing track includes directions to cue your moves! You can find these here: bit.ly/SOLdigital Once you’re familiar with the music follow the steps below…

When you’re finished recording please send your files via:
https://wetransfer.com
to: info@streetorchestra.co.uk

The deadline for submissions is midnight Sunday 31 May.

STEP 1: Audio Recording

You will need:

An audio recording device, e.g. your phone, iPad, Zoom recorder.
A play-back device & headphones for the Audio Recording backing track
Somewhere quiet & non-reverberant to record
Your instrument tuned to A=440

Simply record your part whilst you play along to the backing track (play this via your headphones). Aim for a high degree of rhythmic accuracy/ensemble with the backing track. If you have the last note of the piece, please hold it to the bar line.

Recording audio only: On an iPhone you can use the Voice Memos app or similar to record just audio. On Android you can use the Voice Recorder app. As a final resort, you can use your video camera for this purpose which will obviously capture both audio and video; when we receive the file we can separate these and only keep the audio. A voice memo however is preferable.

STEP 2: Video Recording

You will need:

A front door to record in front of (must be external & shut whilst you video)
A device to record the video, e.g your phone
A tripod/assistant to hold the camera completely still
A device to play the Video Recording backing track
Brightly coloured clothes

IMPORTANT: For everyone’s videos to match we need to all use the same settings. These are standard settings which everyone’s device should have, but they might look different on different devices.

iPhones: check this in Settings/Camera/Record Video.
Choose the setting: 1080p HD at 30 fps.

Android: Please check the Video Frame Rate in settings, and set to 30 fps.

Important Framing Reminder

Camera in landscape
Full door in shot, shut except for entrance/exit
Door is square on to the camera
Record at a time of day when there are minimal shadows around the door area

Relax: remember if you have bars’ rest, just remain relaxed and still.

Look no wobbles: if your assistant isn’t able to hold the camera steady, you can use a music stand set nice and tall to rest the phone on. Or a wheelie bin!

No assistant or tripod? Get in touch with Craig and he’ll see if there’s someone in your area known to SOL who can help.

Clothing etc: We’re suggesting everyone wears bright, flower-like colours – just a bright top is fine if that’s all you have. But feel free to respond to the theme of Flowers in other more imaginative ways! And if you’re using headphone for the backing track please make them very discrete, i.e. in-ear style with the wires hidden.

Remember, if you get help with this from someone else obey social distancing rules and use hand sanitiser/hand washing to minimise the risk of transmission. If your assistant is not from your household they should use their own phone to record you, thereby eliminating the risk of transmission.