The genius behind the Tiny Desk concerts shares his philosophy and approaches in this series of interview videos with Australian radio….and why he leaves the sirens in his location recordings !

https://youtu.be/8tT-FiHC33Y?si=zZzWsnJngs9Ailnt

You’ll find rest of the ABC Australian interview (and his other videos) here:

https://youtube.com/@globalsoundconc...awq5JhqbV57PVG

His upcoming Global Sound Concerts are going to be interesting ….here’s an intro:

https://youtu.be/PEqBzDOQ3ns?si=uzYEvd8NLciRhKq5

Great interview - I always admired what he accomplished in the tiny desk recordings.

Hey, if you have a moment, check out my buddy Josh Rogosin's first episode of his new 'Ghost Light Concert' series.

Consider subscribing to his YouTube channel if you like what you see and hear.

Leaving Philadelphia for Berklee: Ghost Light...

I think one of the most important things that I took away from his approach is that musicians playing acoustic music without the cans (or wedges) play better and balance themselves better - usually it also means "softer" and the instruments sound nicer when not pushed...

They actually hear the intonation better and the real dynamics of their instrument and the recording/mixing engineer takes care of the recording sound, the musicians don't bother themselves how they sound through the mic...

I also noticed this myself when we recorded our duo rehearsals and the concert with a double bass player - when I overdub my solo stuff it is harder for me to get a nice sound from my own instruments, it is much easier when I play unburdened, no cans, no listening to miced sound, also along with someone - natural groove, natural dynamics...

I also notice it in the video Steve posted - how nice and smooth the band plays... very natural.

thanks so much for sharing this!

I just came across this. WOW, what a gorgeous song, performance, and mix. I immediately sent it to one of my friends who plays fiddle in a bluegrass band.

The end bumper shows a Soyuz 013 ambisonic mic, and you can see it briefly in the opening of the performance. I'm guessing this is Josh's default main capture for this project?

Hi, All!

I wanted to add to this thread to share the latest interview we just did with Josh as well. He dives into his new Ghostlight and Global Sound Concert series along with his techniques.

You can check it out here!:

https://soyuzmicrophones.com/article...onsjoshrogosin

Yes! He is using the 013 Ambisonic as a primary mic for a lot of these. It's so cool to hear it in action. Here is another great example

Perhaps, brother Josh can chime in with his thoughts and commentary.

Tiny Desk is to the MKH 416 what Joe Rogan is to the SM7B.

You mean MKH418S...

I have only seen a few Tiny Desk shows. But I recall multiple 416's in use. Would multiple 418S's create a cloudy stereo image when mixed ?

Both the MKH416 and MKH418S microphones are used to capture these shows.

I recall it was Kevin Wait who started the MKH416 thing with Tiny Desk, no idea what he moved on to. Anyone know? I worked with him occasionally in the late ‘90’s before he went to NPR, when he worked for Big Mo Recording Services doing remote truck gigs.

Yes, you're absolutely correct about Kevin Wait techniques and use of the MKH416s. Kevin was using MKH418s back in the '10s when we worked Newport Folk and Newport Jazz together. I started working the Newport festivals in 2008.

We've done a fair amount of gigs together over the years.

I believe it was 2015 when he moved up the ladder (as they say) at NPR. April will be ten years. I forget the exact title he has, but he was a technology strategist for sure. I'm certain Josh Rogosin knows since he took over the Tiny Desk position that Kevin started.

FYI, Kevin did a few training webinars. Check them out if you like.

Wow, Big Mo Recording Services! Now, that's a name I haven't heard in many years.

Thanks Remoteness! Big Mo - I had a look back, appears they shut down around 2011.

Wow, I cannot believe it has been 14 years since Greg closed shop.

Back in February of 2011 my two colleagues and I connected with Greg to discuss some very exciting ideas (at the time) about expanding into the DC area, and was considering Greg to be part of this production venture.

The idea was to create a win-win-win situation for Aura-Sonic, my additional partnerships, and Greg. I felt adding his skills and extensive history to our infrastructure could have made for a great team. I recall him being very interested in helping us secure new work, serve as a production manager which would have also included his engineering talents.

As a matter of fact, Kevin Wait was excited to hear about this possibility at the time, especially since he was part of the Big Mo team for 5 years in the mid to late '90s. As you already know, Kevin was a huge remote truck fan and wished us great success in working it out.

It's a shame that didn't work out. I think I only worked with Greg 1-2 times, all after Kevin had left.

Hi all! Kevin Wait my predecessor at tiny desk came up with the idea to use shotgun mics, both the 418s and the 416’s. I didn’t want to change the icon of the show so I supplemented with mics from Soyuz Earthworks and Ear Trumpet Labs. Now I use ETL’s delphina as the icon of my new project Global Sound Concerts and I chose the Soyuz Ambisonic for my Ghostlight Concert series. I love the Soyuz 013 Ambisonic for room mics which I can focus in post production and automate via plugin
https://youtube.com/@globalsoundconc...Tzdfr6psFeoaR5

Thanks for sharing this! You can watch the full interview here:

https://youtu.be/cO3bwf7FL0E

thanks so much. My new project is here, Global Sound Concerts:

www.youtube.com/@GlobalSoundConcerts

thanks Steve! You've been a huge inspiration.

Well put. It's amazing how much playing quietly enough to hear each other acoustically alters the sonic quality for the better.

Thanks so much for watching and sharing! I relied a lot on the Soyuz Ambisonic to give the recording some life, and used the direct lines to supplement. This was the same approach I used at Tiny Desk for over 800 shows after Kevin Wait played the groundwork with the 418s and 416's

Yes! the 418s as the primary mic then I would use 416's for BGV's or the 418s for 3 BGV's. Riding levels in post is how I'd keep the stereo image in check. For my new project Global Sound Concerts, I use the Soyuz Ambisonic and supplement with individual mics and lines, namely the Ear Trumpet Laps Delphina which has a flatter response than the more popular Myrtle. Thanks for watching!!
www.youtube.com/@GlobalSoundConcerts

Yes! Kevin Wait is completely to blame for the use of Sennheiser shotgun mics to capture music at the tiny desk. I kept them in place when I took over in 2014 because I love the clarity and the fact that the mics don't need to be in the faces of the performers. I embrace the bleed! Now with Global Sound Concerts, I use the Soyuz 013 Ambisonic and supplement with direct lines and mics, namely the Ear Trumpet Labs large diaphragm Delphina who's capsule you can focus. It also has a flatter response than their more popular model, Myrtle. Check out Global Sound Concerts here: www.youtube.com/@GlobalSoundConcerts