Why is this important?
Your end exam is the culmination of your studies. It's an important event for you not only musically, but personally. You've spent a long time practicing, rehearsing, and trying to organize other very busy people to be in one place at the same time. In many cases it may be the only time you get to play music with them, and if you're performing with special instrumentation or a large orchestra, it may be a long time before you get the chance to perform the music again. A recording is necessary, not only for your own recollection, but also for your professional development. Listening to a recording of yourself is an extremely important tool to learn about your own playing. You'll discover things you never hear as you're playing, and you can use this valuable insight in the future. In our modern times, recordings are also exposure. They're how you'll get noticed and you'll need them for auditions and internet presence.

What do I get?

• A highest quality stereo recording of your exam
• Optimized and mastered sound
• Individual tracks as high quality files, usually done within a few days after your exam.
• CDs available if desired

Doesn't the Conservatory record exams?
I have been recording CvA exams for the past 5 years, but it's true that the conservatory has just started doing some recordings as well. But they're awful. Really. These are made with just a pair of mics hanging generically in the hall, without any consideration for best placement for each particular concert, and are just recorded directly to CD using inferior equipment with no technician watching it. The chairman of the committee just starts and stops the recording, and hopes that everything went ok in the meantime. I've already seen many that have been messed up in some way, and nobody knows until the end. And even if there were no technical malfunctions, the quality is really bad. The best you can hope for from them is a CD with just one track of the whole concert, recorded in bad quality. With my recordings you can be sure it will be perfect, professional quality every time, with each track separated and mastered for the best sound.

Take a listen for yourself to hear the difference between two clips of the same material, one of which was recorded from CvA, and the other by me.

What does a stereo recording mean?
Stereo means Left and Right. I'll record your exam with two microphones optimally positioned for a high quality recording. Part of my recording aesthetic for classical music concerts is to capture the live sound as much as possible. As classical musicians, we spend so much time working on things like dynamics, balance, and playing as an ensemble, and I don't want to interfere with that while recording with individual mics on every instrument.

Can you record with more microphones if needed?
Yes! In some cases it is necessary to use more microphones to adjust for changes in balance due to acoustics or for spatialization. I can record up to 24 tracks at once for just €10/per extra track and will mix these to create the best sound. If you think you would like extra mics, please mention it when you schedule your recording.

Do you record Jazz exams as well?
Yes! Werner normally records Jazz exams using a stereo pair at the back of the Blue Note hall, but if you would like your exam multi-tracked I can do that as well. I can take a feed directly from the mics being used for the live sound and record each separately. The cost for this, including mixing, is €120. Please let me know exactly what your lineup and setlist will be when scheduling.

Can I get the tracks in different formats too?
Yes! You can have the tracks in any format you need such as wav, aiff, mp3, flac, ogg, or any other.

What if I don't know anything about these formats?
That's ok. I'll help you.

Can you sync the recording to a video?
Yes! The audio quality from a video camera will not be as good as what I record, so for the best possible video I can replace the camera's audio track with the better one. For pricing, please mention it when you schedule your recording and we can discuss the options.

Can you record the video also?
I can take HD video with my camera, although filming is not my forte, and it's not a professional level video camera. But I can record a nice video for you as well if you wish. Or, if you have a larger budget, I can recommend you to an affiliate who makes very nice exam videos for a good price. Please mention your interest this when you schedule your recording and we can discuss these options as well.

Schedule your End Exam Recording Now!