We make a great album as simple as your next performance.
Incredible recordings without the cost and complication of a traditional orchestral recording session.
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What We Do
We handle everything you need to turn a scheduled concert into an incredible sounding album
Creative Strategy
From the start we help tell your story in the most compelling way
Logistics Planning
Timelines, setups, feedback sessions, and everything else it takes to make a record
Recording
Capturing your best sound with world class microphones, positioned with the greatest care
Score Following
Following the score during rehearsals and performance to make sure every note and dynamic is perfect
Listening Sessions
Listening sessions after rehearsals help to guide the sound before the concert
Editing
Compiling takes, refining details, & noise restoration level up your sound
Mixing
Balancing the recording in a dynamic way to bring out the excellence in every moment of your performance
Mastering
Ensuring the final recording translates consistently and sounds at home next to your favorite recording
Audio Examples
Listen to recent recordings made start to finish by Kincaid Audio
Here's How We Transform Your Concert into an Incredible Album
We handle everything you need to turn a scheduled concert into an incredible sounding album
Pre Production
Together we make a plan to understand the project and what will make this album special.
Rehearsal
Rehearsals are where we build the sound of your record.
Recording
Capturing everything from dress rehearsal to a post-performance patch session.
Post Production
Creating the ideal performance with a dynamic mix that translates consistently.
Ready to get started?
MEET THE FOUNDER & CEO
I'm Chris Kincaid
After 15 years of recording classical music, capturing hundreds of concerts, graduating with a masters degree in music, and winning my first Grammy, I understand how to record an orchestra in a way that captures who you are and the music that is important to you.
Whether your album is part of the classical canon or a premiere, I have the experience, tools, and frankly the love of music to capture your sound with the care it deserves.
From our first pre production meeting to the final mix approval I help orchestras navigate the complexities and challenges of making incredible sounding records, which orchestras can use to reach beyond their local audience, harness excitement in the community, reinvigorate relationships with donors, and work toward long-term organizational strategies for their vision of the future.
If you are ready to start on that journey then click the link below to schedule our first conversation!
TESTIMONIALS
What collaborators are saying
"The results are always spectacular!"
“The Louisville Orchestra and I have been very fortunate to work with Chris Kincaid as our audio engineer. His tremendous talent, dedication, and thoughtfulness have been invaluable to the Orchestra, especially as we’ve taken on increasingly ambitious projects. Chris has the versatility to record a full orchestra for a Deutsche Grammophon release and also design amplification for a performance with Yo-Yo Ma, the LO, and chorus in Mammoth Cave National Park. The results are always spectacular! His editing and mixing skills are also exceptional, and he always brings the most positive, creative attitude to every aspect of his work.”
- Teddy Abrams, Conductor, Composer, Performer
"No one else I'd rather work with."
"I can't overstate how fantastic it was to work with Chris, from the very beginning to the end of my project. He is an excellent communicator, a supportive collaborator, and one of the most knowledgeable and professional engineers I've ever worked with. He showed great respect for my own artistic choices while also making helpful suggestions along the way. His strong musical acumen made both the mixing and mastering easy—an especially challenging thing to do when dealing with solo classical piano! I already can't wait to collaborate with Chris again on my next project. There's no one else I'd rather work with."
Louie Hehman, Pianist, Educator, Researcher
STILL NOT SURE?
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don't see your question below, send us a message.
Question 1: What if there are mistakes in the performance?
Live music is unpredictable, which is why we think it’s best to capture multiple performances, the dress rehearsal, and post-concert overdubs when possible. Most classical albums today are compiled from multiple takes, whether they are full performances or overdub sessions. But before we get to the dress rehearsal, we utilize rehearsals and communicate early with the conductor so that they can address performance issues before they become a problem.
Question 2: What kind of space is best to record an orchestra in?
The space an ensemble performs in has an undeniable impact on how a record is recorded. However that doesn’t mean your orchestra needs a billion dollar hall to sound their best in a recording. We consider the space in pre production meetings to plan for a recording that will best emphasize or de-emphasize characteristics of a hall for the best results.
Question 3: What is a typical timeline for finishing an album?
On average 2-3 months after the final concert date you will be listening to the final approved mix of your album. While it can be different for every project, ideal projects tend to require a month leading up to the concert for preproduction planning and discussion, the rehearsal and concert week, followed by comped edits delivered in the first 2 weeks after the concert. Once you’ve approved the comped edits you can expect an incredible sounding first mix delivered no later than one month after that. The rest of the process depends on mix revision turnarounds and any potential noise restoration to remove unwanted audience noises. We will discuss your specific timeline needs in the pre production discussion and we can usually meet specific client needs for delivery outside of our normal timelines.
Question 4: What will my time commitment be?
Nominal! For the very best result I suggest an initial pre-production meeting with the operations manager, conductor, and any other members of the creative team. After that first meeting there will be a few logistics emails, followed by the week of rehearsals. During rehearsal week we will schedule post-rehearsal debriefs with the creative team. After the performances are captured, the only time commitment you will need to plan for is edit and mix approvals when they show up in your inbox. That’s it!
Question 5: How do you handle revisions?
My goal is that you love the first mix and I try hard to make it sound incredible! That being said, when there are changes that you have in mind I’m happy to get it exactly where you want it
Question 6: What if I only need recording OR mixing services?
If you have a producer in mind and need a recording engineer to collaborate with the producer, we’re happy to provide that service. If you only need mixing services, we can provide them as well.
Question 7: How do we get started?
Click on the link below to schedule our first conversation!