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Chasing the Dragon –Scheherazade – Recording the National Symphony Orchestra

Inside the Session

As many of my family and my most tolerant friends will tell you, I am a ‘nerd’ when it comes to engineering recordings, choosing and setting up microphones, cabling, mixing… in fact anything to do with the entire process. When I was asked to engineer a project that featured an entire symphony orchestra in an iconic venue and with the aim of capturing the performance as cleanly as possible, simultaneously to analogue and digital, well… the whole experience was one I will treasure.

The two people who were the driving force behind it were Mike and Françoise Valentine from ‘Chasing the Dragon’ I have worked with them before but we were all determined that this recording of Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Scheherazade‘ with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Andrews, Leader Katerina Nazarova would be the ultimate illustration of our joint philosophy.

So below is a detailed description of how we went about it, the pleasures, the pitfalls, the problems, but overall the absolute joy of recording ‘Scheherazade.’

1. Recording Scheherazade with the National Symphony Orchestra Microphone Layout & Setup

Both Mike and myself are obsessive about mic choices and placement, and this session was no exception.

Details on main stereo pair, outriggers and spot mics placements

Details on amplification and signal routing

The microphones were captured using Focusrite RED 1 microphone preamps, while the Neumann KU-100 was captured by a Neumann preamp. Some of the re-amplified signals were then split into two parallel chains:

This wasn’t about over-miking — it was about options. Every mic placement was chosen to preserve tonal balance, separation, and orchestral texture while allowing the mix engineer to adjust levels in mixdown. I could commit the main stereo pair to tape while knowing I had pristine digital stems for further work. It’s belt-and-braces, but it means no sonic detail is left behind. On the next session I am going to try and do some comparison with the BAT 1588.

Recording Scheherazade with the National Symphony Orchestra Technical Layout
Diagram of the technical set-up.

2. Cabling & Power Management in the Scheherazade Session

How mains distribution, grounding, and high-spec cabling protected the recording chain.

Valve microphones prefer stable mains feeds. To deal with this we split the power distribution, one feed for mic power supplies and another isolated feed for the recording system. Heavy-gauge CY cables reduced voltage sag and helped suppress induced hum.

Signal cabling was also carefully specified:

Cable runs were laid with grounding discipline in mind, keeping mains away from signal cable therefore keeping RF pickup as low as possible.

Recording Scheherazade with the National Symphony Orchestra Microphones Layout
Orchestra and microphones layout. Photo courtesy of Mike Valentine and Dave Denyer.

3. Henry Wood Hall: Acoustic Space & Orchestral Recording Advantages

Why the hall’s architecture supported natural dynamics and reverb.

Henry Wood Hall’s high ceiling and broad dimensions worked in our favour, giving a long but controlled reverb tail. The Flea M251s with the Jecklin disc locked down a stable stereo image, the outriggers added lateral spread and the spot mics gave definition without collapsing depth. Playback reveals clean sectional separation—strings, brass, winds—and a natural sense of the Hall’s air.

Henry Wood Hall
Henry Wood Hall, on the day of the recording.

4. Recording Scheherazade with the National Symphony Orchestra Post-Production & Mixing

Neve console at AIR Studios, producer/engineer collaboration, mastering workflow.

Mixing was completed at AIR Studios on their custom Neve A7971 console engineered by Jake Jackson with Mike and Françoise producing. Decisions on takes and sectional balances were made in consultation with John Andrews and Katerina Nazarova.

For vinyl, mastering engineer John Webber cut lacquers on a modified Neumann VMS-80 lathe working half-speed from high-resolution sources. Half-speed cutting stabilises HF phase and transient accuracy, which was particularly important for string tone and percussion detail.

5. Key Technical Challenges in Recording Scheherazade

Flux levels, valve PSU hum, synchronisation, cable routing and logistics.

Focusrite Red1
Focusrite Red1 Preamplifiers. Photo courtesy of Mike Valentine.

6. Recording Scheherazade with the National Symphony Orchestra Comparing Analogue vs Digital Formats

Tape (SM900), PCM (192 kHz), DSD128, and half-speed mastered vinyl.

Recording Scheherazade with the National Symphony Orchestra Main Microphones
The main stereo pair, the Binaural head and the Periscope.

7. Recording Scheherazade with the National Symphony Orchestra Credits & Technical Specifications

Team roles, gear lists, recording formats, venue details.

8. Why This Orchestral Recording Matters

The importance of a consistent signal chain from capsule to playback.

Capturing Scheherazade this way for Chasing the Dragon reinforced a point for Mike, Françoise, and myself – orchestral recording isn’t about any single component. Success comes from a consistent, interference-free chain from capsule to final medium. When mains, cables, alignment, sync and mastering are all controlled, the result is a recording that presents both the smallest detail and the full dynamic sweep of an orchestra in its natural acoustic space.

Recording Scheherazade with the National Symphony Orchestra recording rig
The recording rig. L-R : Nagra VI,Neumann preamp, Zoom FN8s, Red1s, Tascams & Studer A820.

9. Conclusion: Format Comparisons & Audience Response

Benefits of parallel analogue/digital recording, sales success, and listener reception.

The Chasing the Dragon Scheherazade sessions showed us the real benefits of running tape, PCM, DSD and then a mix down on vinyl. It allowed us to compare formats directly under controlled conditions. Each medium revealed its own strengths, from the headroom and transient response of analogue tape to the precision and editability of high-resolution PCM, and the smooth tonal continuity of DSD. By aligning these chains carefully Mike, Françoise and I could deliver releases that play to the strengths of each format rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all solution. The proof has been in the response: the vinyl editions have sold strongly, the tapes continue to attract collectors, and listeners report that the recording captures both the drama and intimacy of Scheherazade. That tells us the effort spent on cables, power, tape alignment and synchronisation translated into what matters most—music that people actually enjoy playing back.

Recording Scheherazade with the National Symphony Orchestra Excerpt from Chasing The Dragon Website
Chasing The Dragon website page with the details of the recording.

10.Recording Scheherazade with the National Symphony Orchestra Further Reading

External reviews from hi-fi writers and listeners complementing the technical notes.

Several reviewers and hi-fi writers have also covered this Scheherazade release, each from their own perspective as listeners and audience on the day. Their focus is on how the final product translates in different playback formats rather than the technical workflow I’ve described here. It’s worth reading these accounts alongside the engineering notes above to get a fuller picture of how the recording is being received:

These reviews emphasise the listening experience across vinyl, tape, and digital, which complements the technical details of mic placement, power distribution, and recording chains outlined here.

The tape is available on Chasing the Dragon website: link here

Below is a video of the rehearsal.

Rehearsals of Scheherazade.

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