Live Microphone stuff

[Zippy]

Concerning local bands most of us know or actually play in, does anybody record their shows using A/B microphones anymore? Does anybody actually record their shows anymore at all? If one does record, is everything just recorded direct off the board these days? It seems I never see mics set up for recording anymore during local live shows. Is it just not standard for bands anymore? I used to see mics set up at every show. Perhaps this was just to catch "that one moment" for a live record or to critique one's performance, but it was there. Am I just so old there's a new magical way to hear one's performance later or don't people listen to their own stuff now?

Zippy

[Salmon]

It depends on the purpose for recording. With modern technology you can get a relatively good snapshot of a performance for review if you don't need the ability to separately adjust individual instruments. The quality of live bootlegged concerts can be amazing. Some have been done with a simple handheld stereo digital recorders positioned at varying locations. Sometimes they collect too much audience chatter but even with that you can use the band data gathered for evaluation and as a record of a performance. Many date back quite a few years but the Internet Wayback Machine has a Live Music Archive for sanctioned audience recordings of live shows. Many have details of the equipment used and where things were placed in the venue.

[Boogie Bill]

I used an Olympus LS-11 to record my last two shows, not entirely happy with the results yet, but I'm learning.

Best band recordings I ever did: set the band up in a circle in my practice space with the PA's floor monitors. Two Shure SM-57s directly into my old Revox A-77 R-to-R recorder. Magic! Fantastic dynamic range and fidelity. Such prescence--hey, sounded like a LIVE band, rather than a canned recording.

Bill

[Zippy]

I bet it sounded great Bill. Didn't the Cowboy Junkies record their hit record similarly? If I recall, they didn't want to record that way, but due to a snowstorm where caught in a church in Canada with just the essentials.

Are you using mics or using a condensor built into the recorder?

We used to record stuff just to let band members hear how it REALLY sounds out front. Of course, it helps one critique performance also.

Zippy