The score for upcoming documentary Dale, about the life of legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, was recently completed at StarCity Recording Company in Bethlehem, Pa. The film was written by NASCAR Images and is scheduled to air in 2007 on Country Music Television (CMT).
The score was performed by a 22-person orchestra, led by composers David Wolfert and John Loeffler. It was then mixed in 5.1 surround in StarCity’s Studio A using the Solid State Logic XL 9000 K Series console.
Scott Perry, chief mixing engineer with NASCAR Images, worked closely with Zak Rizvi, head engineer at StarCity, on this project. “I have been in and out of recording studios over the past 20 years, and this experience was one of the best,” Perry states. “StarCity is one of only a handful of facilities that can accommodate a full orchestra, and the acoustics of its live room are pristine. Additionally, the studio had everything ready for us, ensured that we felt right at home and demonstrated a professional courtesy I have yet to see matched in this business. It had been awhile since I have been in a studio as musically inspirational and sonically capable as StarCity.”
During recording, Perry used the Decca Tree technique, placing three large-diaphragm tube condenser mics high above the orchestra to capture the orchestra’s performance as it sounds acoustically in the room. Because the production was to be delivered as a 5.1 digital mix, an additional array of microphones was used to achieve the surround perspective of the orchestra. The score was performed once through, and then Perry and Rizvi double-tracked it on a separate set of tracks to effectively simulate a 40-plus-piece orchestra.
For more information, visit www.starcityrecording.com.
