Thread looking to start recording bands live

sounds good, you can make a good live recording with 2 mic's, if they are both the same mic (a matched pair perhaps) you can make a binural recording, which is placing both mics next to each other at the same distance between the capsules as in between your ears, good for making a accurate sound to what it would be like to hear a band live...

still even if you have 2 inputs, maybe you can record from the AUX outs of the bands mixing board


who will you be selling the recording too? i suppose it depends on how big the bands are, i dont think there is much money to be made from bootlegging local bands...unless there is a large fanbase that is interested

i really like adobe audition for recording live, its the most simple in my opinion, and i read somewhere that for really long recordings it splits up the wave while its being recorded so that your cpu isnt overlaoded, a +++ if youre still using a older cpu

micing ears distance apart makes sence if your gunna use headphones to listen - otherwise, capsules almost touching, no?
BBC records/broadcasts alot with 2mics - i suppose that way they can pay engineers less...

well if you use "waves s-1" you can do some stereo shuffling to make it more listenable on a speaker system...cheap bbc buggers ;)

so is the consensus "ear width" apart, or together? considering, of course, that I have no idea what "waves s-1" is....

https://www.waves.com/htmls/prods/indi/s1.html


a program that lets you control the stereo image of a recording


definetly check it out


ear width would be what i personally would do...but ask around, if you know anyone else in the business...people have different opinions, just figure out what you like best by trying different setups

Not sure where you are, but most NYC venues offer to record the band to cd for about $10-$30. So not much money to be made doing it here. But, I've found that when you are recording live, the easiest way to do it is to get in with the guy running the sound for the night and ask him if he can give you 2 lines from the main outs on the board. This way the sound is tracked and mixed already. You can also set up your mics to provide room sound and get a nice full effect. If you find a good sound guy, you can also learn alot about mic placement and recording from him. If you're willing to place mics for them, alot of sound guys will take you under their wing for a few shows.

This is an interesting topic for me as I set out this year to provide this as a service to local bands, make a little extra cash and also to have a good excuse to get out of the house and hear some live music and have fun.

I have been doing this now for 6 months and am booked approx 3x per month at $ 300 per session. It has everything to do with HOW you sell the service and WHY it is reasonable and valuable. Let me explain.

Live Recording Service:
Why: Every local band saves up some cash (usually $ 500 or much more) to go into the studio and at rush a recording. Many of these recordings sound dry because without the audience the band just doesn't make the same magic happen. So many bands feel they would love to really capture their live performance (not necessarily to sell but to use to get better gigs!).

How: First I also did several for free or next to nothing (everyone needs experience and a portfolio. I told my guinea pigs that I would do it for free or $ x if they agreed to let me use their recording to get more work for me (not to sell their work). They happily agreed.
Explain to the band that they will spend $ 500 + to get a studio recording and explain how important this is in the long run. But then emphasize that a good live recording it also important and may be better getting them great gigs IF IT CAN SHOW ENERGY!
Here is what is included in my service.
Record Direct outputs (2 - 8 channels - depending on mixer band is using). Note: Typically a well balanced stereo mix.
Two Mics (typically a stereo pair of large diaphran condensors)
Omni-directionsal to pickup full band mix as well as crowd noise.
I record 8 - 10 songs (predetermined by the band)
I have to know when the songs will be played
I show up before the show for setup and sound check
I mix 5 or 6 of the best performances/recordings
Provide them 1 test copy for comments
Example: Can you EQ too bassy, more crowd noise, etc.
Mix and Burn 10 demos with basic cover art.

Satisfaction guaranteed

$ 300

So far this has worked really well.

Joe C

Equipment: Sony Laptop 2.8ghz, 512 ram
MOTU 828mkII firewire
various mics and cables

great advice!
mmmmmMOTU...


curious, what are your mics?

Currently I'm using two AKG cb2000 mics. Both Omni-directional and my though process was I would be picking up both the band as well as the crowd noise. But I also really heavily on the board mix for the band as well. I didn't really choose these mics for the application, they chose me. They were the only two mics that I had that were the same (other than 58s and 57s).

A couple engineer friends of mine told me that I should invest in a pair of small diaphram condensors and use an X-Y micing technique or just buy a quality stereo mic.

Anyway, in the meantime the recording and experimenting is going well and everyone is satisfied. I'll continue to learn all I can.

If you have any suggestions please share.

Thank you

Joe C