One-mic recordings.

I know I might be late to the party, but I've recently discovered, and fallen head over heels for, one-mic recordings.

In case you haven't gone down that rabbit hole yet, a one-mic recording is exactly what it sounds like: the whole performance captured with a single microphone, placed carefully in front of the players. As a result, everything that would normally happen at the mixing desk has to happen in the room instead.

Musicians are placed in the soundstage literally, by carefully positioning them at the right spot in front of a microphone. And the mix isn't only made during the recording, it's made by the artists themselves, playing louder or softer and balancing themselves in real time.

Needless to say, such a recording must be tricky for the performers and the recording team but the payoff is huge.

When it works, you get a very intimate perspective, the kind of image where the players feel like they've stepped into your listening room.

The space, the positional cues, the hall ambience, all of that becomes an even more integral part of the experience. When listening to one-mic recordings I often find myself mesmerized, feeling like I'm sharing the room with the musicians.

But what I love most about one-mic recordings is that there's nowhere to hide. There's one mic, one take, no overdubs, no studio magic.

It's performance in the purest sense.

Here are some one-mic albums I keep coming back to:

• Quartet Integra – Beethoven, Ligeti & Lefkowitz (Yarlung Records, 2025): a beautiful string quartet recording from Zipper Hall at The Colburn School in Los Angeles, with a clear sense of the room around the players.
• Michael Moore / Paul Berner – Amulet (Sound Liaison, 2021): My favourite one-mic recording so far. It's just double bass and clarinet, very personal and up-close, including some wonderfully joyful whistling from Paul Berner (on top of his bass lines!). To me, a winner.
• Suzanne Veneman / Undercurrent Trio – Cloud Song (Sound Liaison, 2024): trumpet, saxophone, guitar and drums, plenty of groove and that feeling of a live concert unfolding in front of you. This is a bit rougher recording, not in terms of sonics, but in terms of the music, which is a bit edgier at times, darker... And that, plus the amazing feeling of space the one mic captured, makes it worth exploring.
• Michal Bryla - 12 Fantasies for Viola Solo (Prelude Classics, 2023): Recorded in a small church using a modified Decca Tree. TIP: Put it on speakers, add some tube warmth if you can, and let the music fill the room. It does so incredibly well.

But of course, the challenging nature of one-mic recordings means that they can go wrong, too. In fairness, I haven't heard many such recordings, but before I go, I wanted to share one such negative example with you. It's just my way of showing how difficult recording an ensemble with a single mic can be, and how many factors can affect the process.

• Alban Beikircher, L'Estro Armonico - Vivaldi: The Four Seasons & Griselda, RV 718 (HR Recordings, 2026) Listen to how much the room has affected the recording. From the booklet, I know it was made in a library setting: high ceilings, books, both either bouncing or absorbing frequencies... and you can hear it. The recording, although showing beautiful clarity, also lacks warmth and bass, and the rather flat tone ruins the experience for me. Add to that very loud breaths of players, and the whole atmosphere becomes...uninviting.

Your turn. What do you think? One-mic recordings, yay or nay?

Hit reply and let me know.

What I've Been Playing

A few records that have been keeping me company this week.

Leif Segerstam/Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra: Sibelius, J.: Tempest Suites Nos. 1 and 2 / The Oceanides / Night Ride and Sunrise (Ondine)

One of Sibelius's hidden masterpieces. To me, it sounds like cool Nordic moonlight. Stillness. No drama. I've been spending a lot of time immersed in this recording early in the mornings particularly.

Philippe Jaroussky, Matthias Goerne, Orchestre de Paris, Paavo Järvi: Fauré : Requiem (Warner Classics)

And this is the recording I've been returning to late in the evenings. Despite its subject matter, there's something deeply calming about it. The sound is also warm, soundstage big, and transients quite soft, so that no unnecessary detail breaks the spell. This is absolutely a headphone album.

Charles Kynyard: Afro-Disiac (Prestige)

Lively, slightly forgotten soul jazz gem from the genre's golden era. Full of nice funk, swing, but never crossing into pointless meanderings or energetics of some of its contemporaries. The music sits nicely in the background, providing a nice groove to whatever you're doing, from reading, down to everyday chores. This hi-res edition also sounds warm and spacious, with quite a wide soundstage, and a mix that places players away enough so that no instruments compete for the same space. I love it.

Emily Remler: Firefly (Concord Jazz)

I have a soft spot for a guitar-based bop/hard bop and this is one of the albums that delivers it beautifully. A rather intimate session, without any frills, or acrobatics. Just four people playing together in a room, captured in a beautiful sound, sharing beautiful compositions and soloing. What else to ask for?