Idea: Brotherhood/Sisterhood of the Traveling Recorder?

[Biff]

I had a random thought, would anyone be interested in starting a system where we send a  portable recorder to the next person going to a Chems show? Yes, yes, we'll comply with forum rules and not post the sets.

Just an idea, as shows are awesome and recordings seem to be more rare (where are you Bold Captain?). I usually listen to live recordings as much, if not more than the albums.

Let me know what you all think.

[WhiteNoise]

110% yes, this is a great idea. Quality control / trust would be a mild concern but I'd love to see this happen. 2016 headline tour maybe?

Also re: forum rules. We mentioned on FB but never formerly posted here, the rules on live footage are a bit relaxed now that the album is out. We might still want to go through an account-needed-to-use FTP, but (pending future behind the scenes discussion) full shows could be shared here freely.

[Biff]

Good to know on rules, I didn't read them too thoroughly, so I wanted to error on the side of caution. I figured the recorder could rotate with more senior/trusted members, plus field recorders are cheap and abundant, so I'm not too worried about the cost risks...

[Bosco]

If you want, we could get the ball rolling for the upcoming show in Chicago. I've never recorded a show, but you could probably walk me through the details of what needs to be done.

[WhiteNoise]

I (used to) have a Tascam DR-05 which I used to record the Sonar set (complete with me grunting and screaming NO WAY like 20 times), and it did a rather good job of it. Bass ended up being a tiny bit blown out, but we were 3 heads from the front, and I could have increased the bass dampening setting.

Unfortunately it seems the recorder died shortly after its 100th recording, the concert

I bring this up to recommend the DR-05, since unless someone else has a portable recorder they're willing to lend out, we'll probably have to buy one. The DR-05 is the probably the most affordable professional-level recorder. It's $99, records stereo to WAV as well as any compression level of mp3, has a fantastic amount of settings and features and the on-board mics sound very clear, though a little thin. You can also plug an external mic into the recorder, if someone has a better quality mic, or into the PA feed, if the sound guys are nice enough to let you record from the soundbooth.

[Biff]

Yes, need to find one that takes bass well (or has a wind screen for starts). Probably also small to bring in if there's frisking at the shows. I once took a zoom h4 in, but the bass came out  somewhat distorted, then I recorded the Hollywood Bowl show, but you mostly hear the drunk dipships behind me yelling and laughing. I'll do research....
Bosco, if you're down to record that'd be awesome. It's not too hard, just finding a good place for it to not get disturbed is all. I don't want it to hinder anyone's enjoyment of the concert though...

[Csar]

I did a little research on record devices here:

http://www.thomann.de/gb/portable_recorders.html

The yamaha Pocketrak PR7 seems like a good device at an affordable price.It only needs one battery with approx. 26h of recording time.

The Tascam DR-22WL has a feature that lets you record wav and mp3 at the same time and is also capable of taking up to 120db

The Tascam DR-40 has the advantage to record a signal twice at the same time with the second one being recorded in a lower db range which is good if you want to play safe. You can also adjust the mics' angle. The downside is, it's rather bulky in comparison to the Yamaha one.

And there are Olympus devices which might be worth to be considered too.

[Biff]

Damn! Homework skills! There's also the option of  getting a small external stereo mic, might be easier than holding /placing down a device. Also, something with a built in limiter should stop distortion.


We just need to make friends with the people working the sound booth.

[Bosco]

I do have an iPhone 6. I'm not sure how it does as an audio recording device but it would be simple to smuggle in considering it's a phone. An external mic would still probably be needed.  I haven't looked, but I would assume there is a dedicated app for concert recording. Would have to look into a portable battery charger as well...

Short term answer.

[Redout_Chemical]

i would be down to pitch some money in on this providing we get some decent recordings.

i follow a few great bands in north america who have dedicated tapers, i know one of them, i could ask about the gear he uses etc.

Considering i will probably never get another show in canada i would love to hear some top quality bootlegs. not crappy cell phone recordings.

[Redout_Chemical]

i know from personal experience as well that the zoom is a great little device,

[Explud]

"Zoom" is the best option.. but, in case that you recording another instance from desk.
So. I suggest to rename thread to "Brotherhood/Sisterhood of the Traveling Recorder and buying beer to guys from FoH".

[Biff]

Zooms can be snuck past a frisk, sure I walked funny because it was in my shoe, but still.

One of the other issues for recording is location when attending concerts, the recordings might be iffy if they're not somewhere with room like the FoH booth or near rails. So if someone does want to record, it might involve strategic placement for shows.... Or bribing FoH people with beer. 👍🏻

[Redout_Chemical]

i would be down to pitch in for FOH beer too lol.

If i could get some decent recordings of the latest tour i would forever be in debt to someone.

Or maybe i should just try and bribe management to come to Canada again........

[Csar]

The Roland r-05 and Sony PCM M10 look quite small and handy. They look rather like a cell phone or camera.

Roland r-05

Sony PCM M10