Concert Recording?

[cc_chapman]

Hey gang. I need some advice on what hardware I need.

I'm going to be going to a lot of upcoming shows and recording the bands to be played on my podcast. In all of these situations I'm planning on running a line out of the sound board and into ______________. I need your help to fill in the blank.

I wondered about the MiniDisc route. An iRiver perhaps? Or perhaps the Edirol is the way to go?

If I could find a device for this particular situation that would also work for mobile podcasting such as interviewing the bands as well that would be best.

Looking for suggestions from all the audio gurus around these parts.

Thanks.

[indiekid]

Here's my suggestions...

Dynamic Condensor Mic that is Omni-directional
Small mixer (possibly Behringer) to monitor and adjust gain
iRiver 795 or 799

Once back onto the computer, use something like soundsoap elimate the noise!

[Craig]

You don't need a mic if you have access to the board (unless you want to mix in some audience response). You can go directly into the iRiver or the Edirol through the line in. Despite the fact that I'm a diehard iRiver fan, I'd be tempted to go with the Edirol (or one of the Marantz CF recorders) in this scenario if you can afford it and can get your hands on one, simply because you have the option to record uncompressed WAV files (although you'll need to get a 2GB CF card to store 3 hours of 16-bit/44KHz WAV) and have full control over the gain and EQ. Otherwise the iRiver will do fine as well for a lot less money. And somewhere I've seen an external VU meter that will work with the iRiver.

You'll also want to get one of the following (or something similar) to let you monitor what you're recording:

http://www.bswusa.com/promo_more.asp?promo=52&cat=3

Craig

[paul]

Dynamic Condensor Mic that is Omni-directional


Microphones are usually sold as either dynamic or condensers, so this might confuse some folks...

[indiekid]

yeah that was totally my fault...not sure what i was thinking lol...

also...soundboard recordings can be good sometimes, but sometimes they can be AWFUL...usually what i suggest is having one line going into an input on your board, and one other input being the mic, that way you get a good mix...

[pdadave]

also...soundboard recordings can be good sometimes, but sometimes they can be AWFUL...

Or you could just check to see what it sounds like during a sound check and then decide which would be better :D Sometimes that is easier than doing both...but both is a very good option if you want the most options.

We do tons of recordings at our station on to a portable minidisk recorder. You don't even need the higher-end device if you don't need a mic input. I have a pretty simple one that didn't cost that much with just a line in. The only bad thing about it is that you either have to "rip" the file off in real-time or buy a program that can rip it (because Sony doesn't support taking the files of the disk using their software).

[jeffoest]

I'm just guessing that since the board is mixed to optimize the room at a certain point, getting a line-in from the board would be less-than-optimal.

I also like the idea of getting sources from both a mic AND the board line if possible so you have maximum flexibility in post.

[indiekid]

I also like the idea of getting sources from both a mic AND the board line if possible so you have maximum flexibility in post.

yeah...the main reasoning for that is to get more vocal clarity, because sometimes that's all you get in the board anyways :wink:

[Craig]

I'm just guessing that since the board is mixed to optimize the room at a certain point, getting a line-in from the board would be less-than-optimal.

I also like the idea of getting sources from both a mic AND the board line if possible so you have maximum flexibility in post.
I'm so used to mixing off the board to what I want that I didn't even think about a board that was mixed to the room! You're right, of course.

Craig

[cc_chapman]

Thanks for all the input gang.