gaQdan is an orchestra specializing in recordings.
The development of digital music has now matured, and orchestral sound sources are once again in the spotlight. In addition to the soundtracks of movies, TV dramas, and TV programs, for which orchestral sound have been widely used in the past, orchestras are now needed more than ever for electronic games, online commercials, and other content. However, orchestral recordings, which require a large number of musicians, do not match the needs of music production, which have changed with the times. With the development of electronic equipments and softwares, the cost of music production has decreased to less than 10% of that of the analog era. Orchestras with large numbers of people have become even more of a hurdle due to the cost of labor and the associated large studios and other expenses.
Good performance is not enough to make a recording.
Unlike a live performance, which can only be heard once, a recorded performance is listened to over and over again, The recorded performance needs to be listened to over and over again, and to be moved each time. A performance to be recorded is a performance to record an impression, It is a unique performance that is not an extension of the performance skills that can be learned in general.
In music content production, an orchestra is treated not as a symbol of classical music but as a single tone, and is recorded on the premise that it coexists with various electronic instruments. In other words, beyond conventional playing techniques, accurate performance comparable to that of machines is required. In order to meet the needs of the modern age, gaQdan conducts scientific training that is unprecedented in orchestral training, effectively incorporating video and audio equipment such as monitoring all instruments with small microphones and computer analysis of individual musicians’ playing techniques. Therefore, gaQdan is an orchestra that excels in today’s music, such as fast riffs with a lot of staccato like in Hollywood movies, and tension built up by phrases that do not change for several minutes.
The value of daring to record an orchestra, which can now be reproduced infinitely with electronic instruments, lies in the human touch added by the live performance. Recording live performances is an effective way to give added value to the original music, which is becoming less and less valuable as a product. Therefore, the expressive power required of a recording is its ability to persuade the people involved in its production and the people who buy it. Intention is the key to persuasiveness, but how to record it in a way that is easily conveyed to the audience is the tricky part. At gaQdan, every training session is practiced with microphones and headphones, just as in a studio recording. As an orchestra established by a music production company, we work together with writers and technicians from the production company to conduct recording training on a wide variety of music. By having all members confirm and experience the sensitivity to interpret music in a few takes, to match the response of the performance with the recorded result, and the effect when combined with songs and other elements, the orchestra is engaged in recording with a level of awareness unprecedented for an orchestra, refining the playing techniques and expressions that will most effectively express its intentions as a result of the recording. In June 2011, the gaQdan conducted a joint recording session with the CNSO based in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, where they performed for two days with a full orchestra of 84 members. By playing with the world’s top orchestras, we were able to set a clear standard by experiencing their playing and feeling their sound in the orchestra. The gaQdan is made up of young musicians who are highly adaptable, and we are working hard every day to become a world-class orchestra by performing with the precision and skill that only a skilled Japanese can provide.
Unlike singing or guitar recordings, orchestral recordings are difficult to prepare. Even orchestral groups work by coordinating the schedules of their players individually. Because of this, it is difficult to accommodate last-minute bookings, and in some cases, orchestras require scheduling several months in advance. However, most music productions need to be completed within a few days to a dozen days from order placement to delivery. gaQdan holds regular recording sessions every other Thursday. At the regular recording sessions, we record the entire day at a large studio in Tokyo that we are affiliated with, using the usual settings. By registering on the gaQdan website or by phone a few days in advance of the event, you can record your orchestra simply by showing up at the studio before the start time on the day of the event, without having to make any complicated arrangements with the players or studio schedule. If you send us the scores and parts necessary for recording in PDF format in advance, we will print them out for you by the time of the event. As an orchestra specializing in recording, gaQdan has its own recording engineer who determines the sound and supports the recording as one of gaQdan’s musicians. The multidata of the music recorded by these engineers can be downloaded from the gaQdan homepage the following day, and the material recorded with dozens of microphones can be easily processed in the subsequent process (On Mic stereo track, Off Mic stereo track, recommended orchestral stereo mix, recommended reverb We can also provide you with the recorded material in an easy-to-use format (On Mic stereo track, Off Mic stereo track, recommended orchestral stereo mix, recommended reverb stereo track) in the subsequent process. Of course, content that makes full use of the tone of the live performance has a high-class feel, but the power of the orchestra is further enhanced and the effect is more effective by creating a sound that is slightly exaggerated, as in a Hollywood movie. The revolutionary system for orchestral recording, regular recording, makes it possible to record an orchestra in as little as one week from application to completion of mixing, which previously required extensive preparation and time. In addition, gaQdan can handle all tasks related to orchestral recording, including the preparation of musical scores, on behalf of the client. From productions that head to Eastern Europe every time an orchestra is to be recorded, to those who once wanted to portray their own image in orchestral sound, gaQdan can make it sound.