SHAZAM! Recording from the weekend just brought me to tears! Small theater venue, I'm second row, and I'm hearing the sound direct from (and am physically closer to) the drum kit and amps more than the PA, one little reinforcement speaker on the edge of the stage blasting the vocals in my face -- and the CA-14 omnis/9100/M10 just freakin' NAILED it!!!! Pushed it to about -6 -3 db, the audience never peaks ... cause they're all BEHIND me! OMG! Incredible recording, I had no idea it would sound this good!
Just listening through my Shure earbuds direct from the M10. Can't stop! WHOO-HOO! Much more up-front "present" sound than 20 people back, direct-in no pre-amp, no room-boom, heck, stereo seperation I can totally hear -- the bass is over there, the guitar is over there, that cymbal crashes there, the freakin vocals are in my face -- but sure, too many variables to compare.
Nice to know the mic/unit plug-in power mini-rig is viable though.
Thanks for all the responses, good advice, I used to be in tight with Johnny Nitro and the Doorslamers (RIP), but I know a few other bands I could approach -- just haven't done the small club scene for years now.
Music overall, rock to folk to acoustic guitar -- will travel to see Rush and Pearl Jam, the wife and I see most of what's on offer at the Greek Theater every summer (James Taylor, Ray Lamontaigne, David Gray, Jack Johnson, Plant BoJ, etc etc). Been hitting the Fillmore more (Chris Cornell, Peter Murphy) and have really enjoyed shows at both the Paramount and the Fox in Oakland. Govt Mule. Have been to Wente, but now prefer the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Neko Case was brilliant last year. And I love the Uptown Theater in Napa -- they're booking a lot of good music past few years. Leo Kottke, Al Dimeola heck doesn't matter -- I love good guitar! I'd say small "rock" acoustic guitar shows are my fav these days -- Chris Cornell, John Butler Trio. Prolly keep going to Outside Lands and am a regular at the Bridge School Benefits. Usually have a stack of tickets in play, Coldplay, Black Keys and Death Cab taped to the fridge right now.
Just hit the Mystic Theater for the first time, great vibe!
Normalize, yeah, I'm lazy, but that's what I gotta do, huh, get in and edit those non-music peaks then normalize. Just downloaded Audacity and it actually went pretty smooth! Yer right, about 10-minutes to track it! And I spit out 16 bit WAVs easy-peasy.
And I gotta laugh, no I'm not super bent, I usually catch myself after a few words of singing along! And I have a really distinctive concert yippie-ya-hoo carefully crafted over the years (Chris Cornell thought it sounded like a confederate solider's war cry, at which point I vowed to never unleash it again, so embarrassing) -- but I'm good there too, I count to seven after a song ends before unleashing that once or twice a show! (You'd know if you were at a show with me...)
Dunno, big part of me says you gotta show some appreciation to the artists -- now I fake clap, palms never hitting, tips of fingers only. I mouth the words... silent scream!
Even so, I get the "impairing" others' experience, one of my pet peeves which seems to be getting much much worse in recent years. Sure I'm heightend to it by taping, but chatting right through four or five quiet Ray Lamontaigne songs to catch up on the week with your girlfriends is f'n rude. I've called over ushers to shut people up. I've politely pleaded with people. Of all places, Berkeley folks are the worst, not just the students -- the Greek has become the "be seen" and talk throughout show. No respect for folks around 'em. And unfortunately, the Bridge School is prolly the second worst....
Funny, I have a tape of me singing the first chorus of what I know is a sing-along song, but nobody really joins in on that first chorus, and at the very end I can just hear on tape someone near me saying, "Oh man, this guy has to shut the f'k up!" I felt really bad and my first thought was, "OMG, I ruined his tape!" And then the second chorus, I don't sing, you can't even hear the band for the crowd!
No no, most of my talking is just a quick, "That rocked!" in between songs.
I'm thinking my OS9/Cubase days are done. Audacity was nice and quick to normalize/track, but I'm thinking Audition or Logic for more control -- and I like having a full DAW for my own jams. But I think some CA14 cards are next!