Concert Recording
Many of the concerts (not including master classes, class recitals, or student recitals) occurring in NEC’s 8 concert halls are audio/video recorded and potentially either live streamed or broadcast at a later date. Services are determined well ahead of time in cooperation with Advancement, Marketing, and the provost. Petitions for additional services or add-on concerts will be determined after consultation with the above mentioned group. In all cases, requests must be made at least a month in advance of the concert date or by May 15 for summer events.
All recordings of these events are archived in the Blumenthal Family Library. Upon request, recordings of student-only concerts will be available for download by the performers/composers only. There is no charge to current college faculty or students for these downloads. Prep/SCE faculty and students, as well as alumni, will be charged $10/concert. These recordings may not be duplicated, uploaded to internet sites, or broadcast in whole or in part.
Requests for services must be made in person or via email. No requests will be taken over the phone. E-mail requests should not be considered valid until a confirmation has been sent by RPTS. We recommend making requests as early as possible, as all requests are subject to the above vetting process and staff availability.
Best practices for video recording and streaming:
- Use standard concert lighting. Intentionally dim stages only work for the in-person audience. Those viewing a stream or video recording will not be able to see the performers well.
- If you will be speaking from the stage, please use the speaking mic provided. In halls other than Jordan Hall, that mic will not necessarily be amplified but will allow the person speaking to be heard on the video recording and stream, if applicable.
Composition Readings
RPTS will waive the hourly recording fee for the following Jordan Hall composition readings booked M-F from 9am-12pm:
Fall semester:
- two days of orchestral readings
Spring semester:
- two days of orchestral readings
- one day of choral readings
- one day of wind ensemble readings
- two days of Jazz Orchestra readings (these will occur in EJ on Tu or Th from 4-6)
Each composer's segment from each date will be audio recorded and sent to their NEC email address as an unedited stereo audio (WAV, AAC) file; turnaround time will be roughly one week. If desired, the composer may contact RPTS to schedule editing time in the studio at standard rates.
While individual pieces can be recorded on multiple dates, microphone placement, engineer, volume levels, etc. will not be consistent from day to day so editing between dates would not be recommended.
If additional dates are desired, the self run recording systems found in all halls except Jordan can certainly be used for readings. Please contact the RPTS office to schedule a training session.
Required Recitals
Please contact RPTS to request pricing.
Audio/Video Recording Package
(available in Brown, Keller, Williams, Eben Jordan, Burnes, Plimpton Shattuck and Pierce only)
A student engineer will capture a single-camera video recording of your recital. An MP4 video file will be delivered via Dropbox link. A wireless microphone will be available for announcements. This mic will not provide amplification but will allow your announcements to be audible in the video and stream.
Please note: The above service is automatic for all required recitals.
PA service
(available in Brown, Williams, Eben Jordan, Burnes, Plimpton Shattuck and Pierce only)
Includes a PA system with up to 12 inputs, two monitors, and a staff engineer. A 30 minute sound check will begin one hour prior to the start of the event. A one-hour set up will occur just prior to sound check. Please schedule rehearsal time accordingly. (Rehearsals cannot occur during setup.) If available, additional equipment may be used at the engineer's discretion.
Portable PA – no engineer
This system includes a complete 4 microphone, portable PA system. (4 mics, cables, stands, mixer, 2 speakers, and speaker stands – additional gear may not be added). This equipment will be delivered to your concert hall and set up at least one hour before the start of your recital and picked up afterwards. The PPA may also be requested for your dress rehearsal (one time only). Operation of this equipment will be your responsibility. Please book this equipment early as we only have a limited number of systems and they can each only be used for one recital per night.
Booking Policy
Requests for recital services must be made within two weeks of receipt of your recital confirmation from the Scheduling office, given that you are booking a semester in advance of your event. If booking in the same semester, we will follow short notice policies and do our best to accommodate you. Every attempt will be made to satisfy late or short notice requests, but these cannot be guaranteed. If a PA is requested, complete stage diagrams must be provided no less than two business days prior to your recital. Payment via the Transact App is required at the time of booking. The PA fee is refundable if the reservation is canceled or postponed at least five business days prior to the recital date.
After Your Event
Your files will be available for download via Dropbox within three weeks of your recital.
These recordings become the property of the performer(s) and are not stored at NEC.
Please download your recital files in a timely fashion. RPTS reserves the right to discard any materials after 90 days.
Postponements or Cancellations
If you decide to postpone your recital for any reason, the scheduling office must be notified; simply making this decision in your lesson time with your teacher is not enough. If we are not made aware of your decision to postpone and our engineers come to work and set up for your recital, we will consider our service to you completed and not provide services for the rescheduled event. Please take the time to inform us directly of any amplification cancellations or postponements as soon as possible. Amplification fees are forfeited if cancellations or postponements are made less than five business days prior to the recital date. Exceptions for cancellations due to illness are at the discretion of the Director of RPTS.
Recording Studio Services
Please contact RPTS to request pricing
Audio-Video Recording:
Studio sessions occur in the Eben Jordan Ensemble Room. We provide multitrack audio and if selected, a single camera video capture, and a staff engineer. Files may be available five business days after the session, so please plan accordingly if you have a deadline.
Separate sessions may be booked for all mixing and/or editing. With prior arrangement and subject to the availability of studio time, mixing or editing sessions may be booked directly following your recording session. This is the most cost- and time-effective option. If you need more time to listen and think about your best takes, we can offer you an AAC file for review. Once you have made your editing decisions, please contact us to book editing time.
Setup Time
One hour of setup time will be scheduled for every session and charged at the full rate. If the session includes 4 or more musicians, 8 or more channels, or the use of our headphone system, an additional hour of setup time will be scheduled, at the full rate.
Piano Use Fee
The Eben Jordan recording studio has a Steinway Model B. To ensure that our piano is tuned and well maintained, there will be a fee assessed to all sessions using it.
Amplifiers and instruments other than the piano DO NOT live in the studio. Their usage must be scheduled with the NEC Instrument Librarian.
Email heather.martell@necmusic.edu or Call (617) 585-1265 to request this equipment.
Booking
Recording sessions are a minimum of 2 hours in length. Mixing and editing sessions are a minimum of 1 hour in length. During the academic year, sessions may not be booked no more than a month in advance. Time is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.
Deposit
A deposit of 1 hour of engineering time plus the piano fee, if applicable, is required at the time of booking via the Transact App.
***STUDIO AVAILABILITY MAY VARY DUE TO THE EVENT SCHEDULE***
Recording sessions may not be booked less than five business days in advance. Times offered will depend on space and engineer availability.
Editing sessions may occur anytime between 9 AM and 6 PM M-F depending on staff and equipment availability.
Deliverables
After your editing session, WAV or MP4 files will be delivered to you via Dropbox at no charge.
These recordings become the property of the performer(s) and are not stored at NEC. Please download and save your files in a timely fashion. RPTS reserves the right to delete files after 90 days.
Postponements or Cancellations
Session deposits are refundable if the reservation is canceled or postponed at least five business days prior to the session date. Sessions canceled or postponed within 5 business days will result in the loss of your deposit. If you are running late for your session time, please call the office to let us know. We will not adjust your time but also will not consider you a no show. Without a call, the engineer will consider the session canceled after 30 minutes and your deposit will be forfeited.
Ethics in Recording
Most auditions and competitions require performers to submit unedited recordings – please bring any guidelines with you to the session. We strongly recommend producing a recording that truly reflects your performing abilities and not our editing capabilities. Keep in mind that all competitions will eventually require a live performance.
Concert PA's for NEC events
The RPTS department can provide amplification services in Jordan, Brown, Williams, Pierce, Black Box, Burnes and Eben Jordan. If your event is in another location, please contact us to reserve a Portable, 4 channel, PA system (PPA).
Requests for amplification services must come from the department chair or administrator in person or via email as early as possible, but no less than one month in advance of the event date. No requests will be taken over the phone. E-mail requests should not be considered valid until a confirmation has been sent by RPTS. We recommend making requests as early as possible, as all requests are subject to staff availability and are not guaranteed. PA requests for summer events must be made by May 15th.
Complete stage diagrams must be provided to RPTS and the Production Office no less than five business days in advance of the event.
Sound check will occur on the day of the event. RPTS will set the stage from 2 – 4 pm. Sound check is from 4 – 6 pm for 8:00 pm concerts (4-5:30 pm for concerts that start at 7:30 pm). Given the need for staff dinner breaks, requests for variations to this schedule must be made at the time of booking and cannot be guaranteed.
Since appropriate staffing will be determined prior to the event, and large concerts or elaborate stage changes may require more than one assistant, last minute changes (which may require additional staffing) may not be accepted. If applicable, rental fees for equipment that is required for your event but not owned by NEC will be passed on to the requesting department.
The RPTS staff is regularly available to discuss your event and help put together a system which best meets your needs.
Obtaining Concert Files
All NEC Visiting Artist Concerts, Faculty Concerts and ensemble concerts which feature faculty or visiting guest artists (Including guest conductors) are recorded for archival purposes and may be listened to in Blumenthal Library or via Avalon. Copies of these performance recordings may be distributed to Trustees, the President, and senior administration for personal use only. Other duplication and distribution will not be possible without the express written consent of all involved faculty and visiting artists.
Once appropriate releases have been obtained (if required), MP4 files of an NEC Concert may only be released to those directly involved in the concert (performers, composers, and conductors). There is no charge to current college faculty or students for these downloads. Prep/SCE faculty and students, as well as alumni, will be charged $10/concert. These recordings may not be duplicated, uploaded to internet sites, or broadcast in whole or in part.
RPTS will only release files of material originally recorded by our engineers. Turnaround time is usually one week (up to 3 weeks during busy times in the year). Class materials take priority over personal orders. Copyrighted recordings will not be copied under any circumstances, including for class purposes.
If you would like to purchase an unedited NEC concert recording to sync to video, prior authorization from the Dean of College’s office is required. Engineer credits must be given on any resulting product.
Concerts recorded prior to 1994 were originally recorded onto analog reels. These concerts, if not already transferred, will only be available by special permission of the Director. Concerts originally recorded on DAT format which have not been transferred already, may not be available for purchase. Concerts which have already been transferred may have different sets of files, depending on when the transfer was done.
We do not offer duplication of videotape, cassette tape, DVD, CD, or LP.
Audio/Visual Equipment for Loan
The following equipment may be reserved by faculty or DMA candidates for classroom use only, where accessible:
- Overhead Projector (for transparencies)
- Portable Audio Recorder**
- Camcorder**
- Multimedia projector**
- 4 Channel Portable PA system
**Due to the portability of this equipment, these pieces must be checked out from and returned to RPTS by the user.
Loaner equipment may be reserved by emailing us at rpts@necmusic.edu or calling our office at (617) 585-1275. If you call outside of business hours or send an email, a staff member will confirm your request on the next business day. Do not assume your reservation is complete until you receive confirmation from our staff.
Equipment is available Monday through Friday between 9 AM and 6 PM on a first come, first served basis for use on campus only. Equipment requests for after hours or school holidays must be made at least a week in advance and, for staffing reasons, cannot be guaranteed. If the equipment can be delivered and picked up during office hours and safely locked up when not in use, it would be preferred. Under these circumstances, the department borrowing the equipment assumes responsibility for the security of the equipment until it is retrieved by RPTS.
Faculty members must provide their own operators for all equipment. Instruction for any equipment can be arranged with RPTS. Equipment reservations must be made at least one business day in advance by a faculty or staff member. Requests cannot come from students, nor will equipment be released to students. Due to our limited inventory, no standing requests will be accepted.
