In my opinion, the "Symphony of Steam" CD offered by the FWRHS is the absolute BEST recording of a steam locomotive I have ever heard. I have often said that when it came to recording the sound of steam locomotives, there was Brad Miller and then there was everybody else. His work was absolutely perfect. Sadly he is no longer with us, but his legacy lives on in this work.
I first met Brad in 1988 in Huntington, West Virginia. The 765 was spotted in front of the old passenger station in downtown Huntington. Brad approached me and introduced himself. He told me he was going to be doing some audio recording over the weekend. He told me where he was going to set up for his first recording spot. He asked me to be sure to blow the whistle as I went by his twin microphones.
I thought he was nuts!
Every recording of a steam locomotive that I had heard up to that time where the mics were close to the track and the whistle was blowing were loaded with terrible distortion. However, the next morning as we approached his recording spot, I did what he asked and blew the whistle as I went by his mics.
A few days later a package arrived at my home. It was a CD with a note from Brad. He told me it was the cut from that first scene where his mics were track side. Now, I am serious about good audio. I have a $10,000 McIntosh stereo system in my living room, with a big McIntosh power amp 8-foot tall McIntosh speakers. I put this CD in the player, turned the volume up to what I knew would provide a realistic sound level and hit play. I prepared myself to hear a lot of distortion in the whistle as the 765 went by.
But...it didn't happen!
An NKP Berkshire roared through my living room and it sounded for all the world like I was track side! There was absolutely ZERO distortion on the whistle. The sonic impact of the recording was astounding! I could not believe it! But I had quickly become a believer in what Brad could do!
Brad spent several days with us over a couple of years in the late 80s, recording the sounds of the 765. In the 14-track "Symphony of Steam" CD I combined some cuts to set up audio "scenes" which are described in the 12-page booklet that comes with the CD. I know it is a CD you will treasure. Just be sure you don't set the volume too high when you listen to it!
