Recording live shows...

[whatwave dave]

Anybody record live bands on this group? And if so, what do you use? And would you recommend what  you currently use?

 

I've been thinking about buying a Zoom H1 recorder. Here's a link:

 

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h1/

 

The reason i'm considering the H1 is that it's fairly light and small, fairly easy to use (at least that's what all of the info i've read suggests) and cheap...under $100.

 

I just want something that will record live bands with fairly good quality (ya, i know it depends on how good the live sound is, crowd noise around you when you're recording and all of those details) to listen back, and possibly play a song or 2 on the radio.

 

Years ago i had an AIWA stereo walkman that made great recordings. It needs a new mic and drive belt and those parts don't seem to be available.

[craig wood]

I use a Zoom H2, the internals mics are really good, but if you can stretch to buying some external condensers, you'll  see some great results, even when the crowd is lively...

[whatwave dave]

Craig

Do you actually hold onto the H2 when you record, or do you place it somewhere on that foot/tripod device?

And what mic setting do you use? From what i've read, there's 4 different mic settings for mic direction.

 

And the reason i'm leaning more to the H1 is it's size and what looks like ease of operation.

 

thanx tons

 

[craig wood]

the settings on the H2 are : Front 90, Rear 120, and all four together... I tend to use Stealth (external) mics as they're easier to get to head height, and you can stash the recorder (once you set the levels and locked it down) in a pocket or bag.

If stealth *isn't* an issue, the unit stands quite nicely on the rubber feet...

I've been recording since 1975 and it's always tricky getting the right level... with the H2, I set the attenuation to Concert and start with a level of around 85 (it goes to 125) You can adjust while recording, and balance it out later, but TBH, setting the level during a soundcheck, or support band is probably best.  

 

Leave some overhead just in case, set the peaks to around -6dB to account for loud claps/explosions/etc...

But really, the best advice is to go and record something... in a pub or free gig... just to get used to the rig.

 

My favourite rig was the Walkman D6.  it never let me down. despite having to flip tapes (under 2 secs, with practise)

[whatwave dave]

Thanx for all the info Craig!!!

[kopper]

One thing you should consider is getting a line in on the mixing board during the show and then mix that together with your live recording from in front of the stage. Talk to the soundman and see if he'll let you plug an iPod or something into it to record off the board. You won't get the crowd noise, but the mix will be much better and you won't have the audio volume distortion that you will get when trying to record from the crowd. Mixing them together later will give you some crowd noise (cheering, etc.) mixed in with a much better live music recording.

[craig wood]

Agreed, but getting them in synch afterwards can be a little tricky... I know, I've done several!

Even with two identical digital devices, they're going to be a little bit out of synch after an hour... 

As the saying goes: In theory, theory and practice should be identical; In practice, they rarely are.

[whatwave dave]

So i went out and bought the Zoom H1....tried it out the other night and after a few glitches (learning curve in a dark, crowded, noisy club...LOL) the recordings came out really good!!! The band was really loud, but i was able to adjust the input levels such that it recorded near perfect...at least for these old ears.

 

I'll be trying it out again tomorrow night in a different club, different band and see how it turns out...so far it's a great investment for just over $100!!

 

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h1/

[craig wood]

Cool! 

I'm considering getting the new H2n for various reasons (It's black and has a  manual gain control being just two...)

[whatwave dave]

Tried the Zoom H1 out again last night and all i can say is WOW!!! Really impressed with the recordings and the ease of recording and downloading.

 

And Craig, yes that manual gain control sounds like a really great idea!!

[Tony Jonaitis]

I use a Sony Hi-MD portable with stealth mikes.  The Sony Hi-MD units will record an uncompressed PCM track. Fantastic recordings!

[craig wood]

MiniDisk isn't true wav, though.  PCM has a lossy compression algorithm... 

I'll get my coat....

c*

[Tony Jonaitis]

Are you thinking about the Sony ATRAC compression?  PCM isn't considered lossy...is it?

 
craig wood said:

MiniDisk isn't true wav, though.  PCM has a lossy compression algorithm... 

I'll get my coat....

c*