Topic: Arena Rock Show - To close to record?

[doodee]

that's pretty close.

protip: get to the show early. go to your seat. wait for people to arrive. Find someone with tickets in the sweet spot. go up and ask them if they'd like to trade you their seats for seats in the third row.

I consider this a mighty fine strategy that has proven viable in the past.

[hi and lo]

If you're that close to the stage, you'll want to be in front of a stack and not centered. The results from being directly on the stacks can be fantastic and will generally result is less crowd noise simply due to the 'signal-to-noise' ratio.

Best tape I ever made was TOOL literally on the rail with km140s. What you sacrifice in stereo imaging you get back in less crowd noise and reverberation.

[kfrinkle]

If you're that close to the stage, you'll want to be in front of a stack and not centered. The results from being directly on the stacks can be fantastic and will generally result is less crowd noise simply due to the 'signal-to-noise' ratio.

Best tape I ever made was TOOL literally on the rail with km140s. What you sacrifice in stereo imaging you get back in less crowd noise and reverberation.

You ever release that Tool recording? (shameless promotion of tooldriveproject.net)

[Gutbucket]

Step off spammer!

reported. [edit- man, you fellers are quick. I must be slow on the reply!]


Going for proximity to a stack is the safest bet in this scenario.  Farther back in the sweetspot or possibly off to the side on-axis with a hanging array can also work but are more of a gamble if you can't hear what it sounds like there before commiting to the location.  If you luck out there could be a small front fill directly in front of you on stage and you'll be set with your current seats.  Not likely but possible. All options to consider. Get in early.

[DiggerinVA]

Play it by ear and tape where it feels right. In 1984 I taped the Dead from 2nd row in front of Phil it is with out a doubt one of my favorite tapes. The sound was basically off the monitors as the PA was was flown above and behind us. Oh I was using card's.

[mloewen]

I got Rush from 3rd row center and it was excellent except I messed up and got the mics unplugged for part of the show.
I had minor crowd noise on it with Cards.

[setboy]

Play it by ear and tape where it feels right. In 1984 I taped the Dead from 2nd row in front of Phil it is with out a doubt one of my favorite tapes. The sound was basically off the monitors as the PA was was flown above and behind us. Oh I was using card's.

Is that tape available somewhere?

[DiggerinVA]

It was distributed by trades back in the day. The master is about 20 feet away from me as I type. Teac Me 20 mics and a D-6.

[setboy]

It was distributed by trades back in the day. The master is about 20 feet away from me as I type. Teac Me 20 mics and a D-6.

might be worth transferring that master sometime if it never made it into the digital world. just a thought 

[F.O.Bean]

I say hug a stack.......

[Drifter1]

you can achieve amazing results at close range if you know what your doing....I myself prefer walking into the Mouth of the Beast with mics up....its a learned behavior though....one has to really teach themselves to use their ear like a tuning fork...

[DiggerinVA]

you can achieve amazing results at close range if you know what your doing....I myself prefer walking into the Mouth of the Beast with mics up....its a learned behavior though....one has to really teach themselves to use their ear like a tuning fork...

A pair of cards wherever it "sounds good" makes good tapes. Crowd is part of the show, yea I know chatty sucks, but crowd noise can work well too. It is a learned behavior.

I transfer those older shows when ever I get a request for one. I did play that one for someone in the last few months. It was amazing listing to the way those songs changed over the next few yews. Especially the pace that "Touch of Grey" was played at, that night. The Coke must have been flowing.

[cashandkerouac]

I transfer those older shows when ever I get a request for one. I did play that one for someone in the last few months. It was amazing listing to the way those songs changed over the next few yews. Especially the pace that "Touch of Grey" was played at, that night. The Coke must have been flowing.

that's funny.  "Touch" was never one of my favorite songs to see at a Dead show, but the early versions were better (and definitely faster).

as for the main question at hand, i agree with the recommendations by others to swap seats (15th -20th row if it's a big arena).  i'm going to see Clapton in Sacramento and San Jose in early March and my seats are right in that zone.  with the great seats that i have and the good odds of getting a very nice recording, i hope i have polite neighbors.  if not, cardioid mics always help to minimize crowd noise.   

[bonghitwillie]

the closer the better!!!  personally i have been doing stealth mics on stage.  the trick is getting vocals and a good mix of everything. they usually have front fill spkrs at most venues so that you get a good mix up front.  up front you get the stage sound (which is best) plus the front fills.  if you could get in front of a front fill, you will make one the best recordings you will ever hear.  forget that sweet spot logic.  that is bs.  you get too much hall reverb. i got recordings that would blow your mind made up close.  i am using omni's though.

[setboy]

the closer the better!!!  personally i have been doing stealth mics on stage.  the trick is getting vocals and a good mix of everything. they usually have front fill spkrs at most venues so that you get a good mix up front.  up front you get the stage sound (which is best) plus the front fills.  if you could get in front of a front fill, you will make one the best recordings you will ever hear.  forget that sweet spot logic.  that is bs.  you get too much hall reverb. i got recordings that would blow your mind made up close.  i am using omni's though.

You are assuming that  most venues have "fills". Most of the venues I tape in don't have such things. So, closer the better doesn't always fit, but if you can pull off a fill speaker i could see it working.
You must tape in bad rooms, because the "sweet spot logic" is not bs in a good sounding room.