I've been to a few gigs this year, and the last 2 (or technically 3 as 2+3 were the same band playing 2 gigs in 2 consecutive days) I decided to use my Nokia 808 to try and record the entire show and see what kind of quality I could get. I did a bit of digging in the forums beforehand, and I read that you often have to make sacrifices and get away from the front barriers to get the best audio quality. Personally I always do the opposite
and try and get as close to the front as possible, so I'm curious how you "pros" think these recordings stack up against recordings made with much better equipment.
I use an app which has a few options, but I set it to record 16 bit PCM WAVs at 96khz (3072 kbps), and then when I get home I'll play with an equalizer to reign in the bass and try and bring out the vocals a bit more. Please note that I don't have a clue about audio engineering, and these edits are done pretty quick, so you guys would probably be able to get much better results from the original files.
I have 3 samples. This first one was my very first show recording. I was in the second row from the barriers. My 808 wasn't in an ideal position by any means, as not having the barrier to lean on (and not wanting to hold my arm up for 1+ hours) meant I had to settle for holding my phone near jeans pocket level.
This is the raw audio straight from the phone.This is after running it through an EQ.This second recording is another gig where I was right up at the front.
Raw audio at barriers.EQ'ed at barriers.Finally, this is the second night of the above band, but I decided to stand at the very back where the sound board was.
Raw audio at soundboardEQ'ed at soundboardSo any feedback would be appreciated.