Cinematographic annual : 1930 (1930)

424 CINEMATOGRAPHIC ANNUAL rangement, no special experience is required on the part of the musical director. Samples of orchestra recording, made with this type of arrangement, can be listened to by purchasing any of the symphony orchestra records made in this country by the Victor Talking Machine Company, and issued since the summer of 1927. In scoring, as in ordinary dialogue recording, the dials should be operated as little as possible during a take. With orchestras of 30 pieces or less, it is scarcely ever necessary to touch the mixer dial during a take. However, with very large orchestras, a loudness range of 50 db is sometimes obtained, and this range is slightly too great to be handled with the present system. It is, therefore, necessary to do some manipulation. There are two ways in which this compressing of the range may be handled. The first is to permit the volume to rise fairly close to over-load and then begin cutting down on the volume control to avoid valve clash or the record cutting over. This method is probably the easier one for the untrained mixer, but unfortunately removes a great deal of the "punch" from the big crescendos. The second method requires some knowledge on the part of the mixer of the music that is to be played. When a crescendo is commencing, the mixer should start reducing the volume slowly before the loudness has approached the danger point, and having lowered it the requisite amount, leave it alone entirely for the remainder of the crescendo. In a similar manner the raising of the level for the very soft parts should also anticipate the actual pianissimo passage.