[Bell Historians] Olympic Bell

[John Harrison]

> The sound of the bell was amplified for the stadium (along with pretty
>well everything else). A total of four microphones were fitted inside -
>two hung free and two fixed to the waist of the bell. These allowed sound
>levels to be increased to whatever the Director wanted, but due to the
>long reverberation time, the amplifiers were turned down soon after the
>bell was struck, which I guess would give the impression of the sound
>dying away very quickly.

> That would explain why the sound was so distorted and very short-lived in
> duration.   The sound engineers did the bell no favours whatsoever.

So you invest thousands of pounds to produce an impressive, world-class
musical instrument, which despite quibbles over where it was cast we have
no reason to doubt was an excellent example of the founder's art, and
instead of designing the spectacle around it, letting it speak, and
generate what would no doubt have been a protracted and awe inspiring
reverberation, you treat it as just another feed into the electronic mixer,
and mutilate the sound in the process.  What a travesty!

-- 
John Harrison
Website http://jaharrison.me.uk