Can you provide a link to the master recordings at archive.org? I was unable to find them...

I don't know if it's too premature, but I would use the release to really advertise this project, and a potential future project. Use the goodwill that will be generated from the release to (hopefully) fund another project!

Aaron,
Thanks so much for keeping us up to date about everything. Really looking forward to the final releases!

Hey Aaron
Funny, I was just thinking of this project on the same day you posted that. I'm excited with the "many hours" part of your post. :)

In another note, how are you doing with that music theory book?

Just curious as to how the editing is going. Looking forward to the release. Thank you again for your great work on this!

I'm really looking forward to the results from this project!

I've been somewhat lost in the various questionnaires, etc. I hope there is some straightforward way to get the CD.

CNSO looks like a very respectable orchestra!

But you need to give us an update with the final work list, the conductor's name, etc.

By the way, was CNSO the less-known orchestra in the listening test?

It's taken a while to get here, sure, but I'm still VERY glad I supported this project. When we have a public download, I'm going to market it - hopefully the word spreads enough that next time, orchestras will come to you instead of the other way around, and we can get things done slightly faster :)

So which orchestra was used in the end? I keep seeing the word Prague, but there are several orchestras around there as far as I can tell?

Aaron has been posting updates the last weeks, and it seems that very soon we will have the music in our ears :-). It has been a looooong way...

It begins to look like a scam ...

... I sincerely believe they've found a good way of life of money and dreams of others.

Miquell Gamell

You might want to check with the Veracruz State Orchestra in Xalapa, Veracruz Mexico. It is a very fine symphony orchestra, considered by many to be the best in Mexico next to the National Symphony. If there is interest in this, contact me and I will provide contact names and such.

This project promised so much it is not surprising that it garnered such backing, but as yet it does not seem to have delivered anything at all.

The site was upgraded but it was neither promised nor delivered any of the agreed functionality such as full library downloads that backers agreed to in lieu of the promised DVDs.

I am amazed at how patient and forgiving backers have been to the way the project has continued to deliver nothing, maybe as I had they had given it up as a loss.

If the simple stuff that was promised a year ago cannot be delivered, the probability that anything as ambitious as a recording will get delivered in our lifetime seems at best remote.

Kickstarter seems to have the best model here, making good money from backers regardless of the project outcome, however it was not my intention to donate to Kickstarter, nor will it be in the future.

Hi Aaron, you promised an announcement "in about a week or two". That was 6 weeks ago. One year since the fundraising. Could you please post the announcement AND state a release date for the recorded music?

Is this project still in progress?

First of all: Nice new website!
Will you also add a torrent of the entire library (I understood the DVD would become a digital download but I haven't found it yet)?
And is there any chance of still getting a T-shirt? It would be a nice way to spread the word...

I see there is a new website. Very snazzy. What browsers is it supposed to work for (I've always had problems with it stopping streaming, but this new version I can't use the slider to select a start position in the song, and the time at the right is NaN:NaN)?

Any word on the upgraded memberships? I hate to be the one who keeps asking.

What's going on with the project? It's been a while since we've had an official update.

Would suggest using Amazon S3 to host any media downloads. It can also be used to host static sites. Although you pay for bandwidth you use, you never run out.

Getting a godaddy landing page on musopen.com

...?

Anyone else/know whats going on?

Maybe you should focus on popular classic music pieces first, who have some importance for filmprojects instead of recording everything of one composer (quality over quantity I think). Classiccat.net allows to sort after popularity. Wikipedia also has a short list (in German): http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popul%C3%A4re_Klassik . We could put together such a list here.

Hi, Aaron, it's been over four months -- any news?

What's the latest on the recording project? It seems a bit quiet here, and there's no mention of it on the musopen website.

Why is musopen.com inaccessible from Mainland China?

Also, when will the pro membership upgrade happen for those who donated enough? Will it need to be phased in over time so as not to overload your servers?

I have to agree with Kirk, new things! Although, re-recording is likely to be cheaper. Check with CBC as well as BBC though?

Also, Aaron, the repository already has some parts of what is voted up. Will you be re-recording anything, or only getting new music?

Such a fantastic project! Best of luck!

I have had a look at the voting. It all looks a bit "Classic FM" or "Last Night of the Proms". I want to download stuff I don't know. I was tempted to stick in requests for Poulenc, Martinu, Ives. However, I guess we do the stuff most people want first.

Do we have to do the recording from scratch? Can we liberate existing recordings? The BBC records concerts and sometimes puts them out on CD, so they must have some copyright policy. My clear favourite recording of Rachmaninov's "Isle of the Dead" is one of these. Of course, these performances will have an audience, but maybe dedicated fans can edit out the coughers and screaming babies...

I strongly agree with Let Aaron Decide. I want to hear his recordings of the music he loves.

@ michael - that would be to buy. Renting might be around 1/10 the cost of buying, or maybe less. If it's necessary, supplementary rentals might be a good idea. It's likely that the space will have more of an effect on the sound, as long as they are using reasonable equipment.

Something just dawned on me. I have yet to express my joy and gratitude that this project is underway.

So a big thank you to Aaron, Musopen and all the backer.

I'm just saying .. to do something.. to consider something.. to ensure the fidelity of the recording and -- not to out guess professional recording engineers-- but to supplement and compliment if possible.. and to rent, of course. :-)

The 5 figure amount is for buying or renting? Maybe the equipment could even be loaned?

@kelargo - the big expense in upgrading the recording equipment would be mics and pre-amps, let's say we want to get some of the nicer condenser mics available, and some nicer pre-amps to hook them up to, for even an old-school setup (ORTF stereo and maybe 4 overheads) we're already talking well into the 5 figures, probably something like $11 - $12 or more... I would say that would lie outside the scope of this particular bloc of funding, although I don't dislike the idea - I would be careful about trying to out-mic professional classical recording engineers, it could get very expensive very quickly!

@ robert, disagree, it sounds like they used better mics but had a less "generous" mix. on #2. I would say the fidelity was worse, but the mix sounded "better" on #1. (Listen carefully for subtle sounds like valve and string noise, which is mostly inaudible on #1). However, the update about the results of the listening test (thus far) is a pretty strong endorsement of "go with the cheaper orchestra", since more preferred the prague orchestra, and many couldn't tell - the results are not a lot different than random chance, meaning (IMO) spending more on the brand is hard to justify outside of arguments about attracting attention via recognizable names (which are valid arguments.)

I have to totally agree with Andreas (and others). While it is nice that Aaron consults the backers for input the decision in the end is his. We are backing his project.

My feedback... I was able to tell that the #2 recording was the better orchestra because their playing wasn't as technical. The melody flowed together better for me and the notes didn't sound as stilted. Again, thats just me and I am by no means an expert on orchestral music.

However I would say that the fidelity of the #1 recording was much better.

... and if some extra hardware is needed to improve the fidelity and definition of recordings from in the Prague, then go for it. The performance skill is there. The hardware can be reused on future projects.

@Bruce Allen -FYI - you mentioned Pro Tools. Check out Ardour. Having raw tracks from this would be amazing, just as having the final mixed performance will be amazing.