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DIY recording at concerts - slightly OT ramble [message #38019]

Fri, 23 August 2002 11:04

JLapaire
Messages: 156
Registered: May 2009

Master

Any thoughts on a good way to start? I spent some time on the web, but found very little on this.

I see the mic stands out in the audience at concerts and think that good live DIY recordings would be a natural extension to this hobby. Looks like the little Sony DATs are popular and I'm wondering about using a laptop or maybe one of the new MP3 machines.

Back in the days the big Akai reel to teel would be running on an extension cord with a pair of those little PZ mics taped to something that wouldn't get knocked over.

Pi speakers present such a live sound, it seems incongruous to be playing compressed studio recordings through them.

The wife and I are going up to Bangor Maine to a folk festival this weekend and it sure would be good to bring some of it back.

Anybody got some tips or know who does?

Thanks,
John

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128kB or higher can sound VERY good [message #38021 is a reply to message #38019]

Fri, 23 August 2002 11:28

Sam P.
Messages: 307
Registered: May 2009

Grand Master

and I think "live direct to digital" with the simple miking technigues you mentioned has lots of potential. Some MP3's have sounded "as good as good gets", or at least pretty darn good, to me. I attribute this to the lack of mixing/modification of the original recordings. Some venues might frown on unauthorized recording of the performances though...Sam

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Re: DIY recording at concerts - slightly OT ramble [message #38024 is a reply to message #38019]

Fri, 23 August 2002 12:13

crazychile
Messages: 46
Registered: May 2009

Baron

At the beginning of the year I bought a Sharp MiniDisc recorder so I could record business seminars and also my grad school lectures. (The Sharps are the way to go, NOT Sony) I have also been experimenting with "stealth" recording live music. I built a mono mic for lectures and have built a stereo "T" mic for music, as well as some in-ear binaural mics. These were all made with the Panasonic WM-61 capsules that you can buy from Digikey for $4-5 each. There is also a battery mic preamp that can be built for recording loud music. It is all pretty easy to construct except that the small mics can be a little tricky to solder.

The results have been mixed as I go through the learning curve. The recordings are definitely getting better with experience. Mostly, the thing that makes it a little difficult is trying to do the recording and set levels without being noticed. The portable MD recorders are small(smaller than a 3.5 floppy disc) and will fit easilly into a pocket or fanny pack. The MD format also sounds really good and is a dream when it comes to editing. DAT sounds a little better, but not by much, and MD is so much more convenient.

Its a lot of fun. I am recording an outdoor festival tomorrow. We'll see how it goes. Check out some of these links for more details...

http://www.minidisco.com
http://home.earthlink.net/~gottapes/micdiyers/main.htm

Eat Mo' Hot Sauce,
crazychile

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