I agree that all of the advice has been really good so far. I also think that this forum is designed for a way higher level taper than I am. As for gigs, that would have been an easier thing to provide before Covid, but I have just been gearing up again to play live. Since the whole lockdown thing, I have mostly been using backing tracks, and playing summer gigs with an old Grateful Dead cover band. I am based in NY City, but most of the gigs I will be playing in the summer months are out in Suffolk/Nassau Long Island.
Here is my placement problem, and why I brought up the backing tracks: I have been having private parties on the main floor of my house in the cooler months, where outside isn't an option, for obvious reasons. I live in the apartment upstairs, but rather than renting it out, and moving down to the main floor, I decided not to deal with tenants, and I cleared out the main floor for entertaining and for indoor parties, with the smaller version of my PA. Problem with that is placement is a non issue. I have friends that come and perform, and the PA is set up in the front room, blocking the front door. In this setup, there is literally only one place I can record from, which is probably about 15 feet in front of me, against the wall of the living room, and guests are seated, standing in front of that. I have no play where I can set any recording device there, without people tripping all over the recorders.
I also have parties outside in the backyard, and I have a little more play as to where I can record from, but not much, because it's a Brooklyn house, and it's not like I have acres and acres to set up recording, and if I'm not careful, my guests will be tripping all over the recording gear.
I would imagine in the outdoor summer gigs coming up, at least one is in Lindenhurst, I will have more options where to set gear up, but even that is iffy, because I almost always set up by the sound man, since there is a sound man for these larger gigs; and generally he watches my recording gear, and keeps it relatively safe while I play.
I suppose if I start playing in full bands, and not backing tracks (lol what I call Guitarioke) then I will be playing in venues where recording placement would be more variable, but again, bars are small, and I don't want people tripping over and walking all over the recording gear.
Look, if I were a taper, like I used to see all the time at Dead shows, then I can sit on my gear, and keep people away, like I see tapers doing all the time. But in bars, while I am on stage, I simply cannot be watching all my cameras and audio recorders. I really have to set and forget it, and in most of the places I have played with various bar bands, and ones I would play in the coming months, there is generally one kind of out of the way spot to set up, like in one place, behind a pool table, and that's pretty much that. I cannot think of any venues that my little cover band(s) might play any time soon where I could even find proper placement, without me sitting/standing on top of my gear to make sure people aren't dancing/bumping into the stuff.
I really can't imagine finding places in small NY City or Long Island bars that hire me where the "audio is optimal". More often than not, I am damned lucky to find ONE PLACE I can set up the gear that hopefully won't see it jostled while I have to be on stage concentrating on singing, the jams, leading the band musically, and playing.
This is kind of why unless I start getting much better gigs, I pretty much am lucky to find one spot where I can actually set it up in relative safety. So even assuming I can find optimal sonic places to set up, without someone pretty much standing/sitting guard over my recording gear, I can't see how it would work. Unless, by sheer coincidence and an abundance of luck, the one and only place I can set up my recording gear in safety just happens to be in a good aural location.
Topic: Recording My Own Band & Other Projects (Read 1588 times)