Topic: What does a good tape sound like?

[ghellquist]

Hey, a thought struck me. I have been thinking that the stuff tapers do inherently must sound bad. I mean, down at the lawn among noisy people, taping stuff going out of those stinking PA stacks, how can it ever be any good? I guess I am wrong, but need a bit of help. Can you point me to an mp3 (or whatever) taper stuff that you think sounds really good that I can download and use to change my opinion?

Gunnar

[audBall]

Good luck finding a good one, man....audience tapes suck!!!j




edit-  That was sarcastic as hell...   

It is true that audience recordings can pick up more ambient noise than what you want (talking, yelling, whatever), but given the right placement (and conditions, of course) you can produce some hair raising results. 

There is a plethora of live recordings at www.archive.org under the Live Music Archive.  There are mp3's as well as higher resolution recordings.   If the information is given for the performance, you will possibly see any(or more) of the following:   source/mics/preamp/AD/recorder/mic configuration and placement.
Some recordings make you want to leave the room.  Some keep you from leaving.

[itook2much]

I have been thinking that the stuff tapers do inherently must sound bad.

Can you point me to an mp3 (or whatever) taper stuff that you think sounds really good that I can download and use to change my opinion?

Gunnar

ISO low-bit lossy compressed version of a bad recording? 

[Brian Skalinder]

I have plenty of recordings that don't suck, IMO.  They won't hold a candle to Moke's recordings since they're pumped through PAs in bar-ish venues, but I still think they turned out well, considering.  Whether they sound uber-heady or not, I can't say objectively (maybe I've just trained myself to believe they sound good).  What I can say is that they reasonably well captured the sound as I heard it that night.  Though some are better than others, here's a sampling of my recordings with which I'm pleased:

on-stage
http://www.archive.org/details/gorangroup2005-09-09.mk21.v3.flac16
http://www.archive.org/details/gorangroup2005-09-09.flac24

nearly stage-lip in very small indoor venue
http://www.archive.org/details/watt2003-05-14.flac16

audience outdoors from a fair distance
http://www.archive.org/details/bfft2002-08-06.shnf

Smedium sized venue, loudish crowd (but in this case lends to the ambience, IMO)
http://www.archive.org/details/ymsb2004-02-21.flac16
http://www.archive.org/details/donna2002-11-06.flac16

Smedium venue, polite crowd
http://www.archive.org/details/efo2004-01-09.flac16
http://www.archive.org/details/jritter2004-03-25.flac16

Other
http://www.archive.org/details/mono2006-06-10.mk41-c414.flac16

And I've attached an MP3 of perhaps my finest recording to date - big thanks to the AKUS sound engineer, it's the best I've heard the sound at RG in 4 years.

I also have a handful of a cappella recordings somewhere, but need to dig 'em up.

[itook2much]

I also have a handful of a cappella recordings somewhere, but need to dig 'em up.

What did you tape a cappella?  Was it a group, choir, or solo?

[Gutbucket]

I'll bite!

find, "Doesn't Suck", here: http://homepage.mac.com/jmfrench/Moke_Music_Sampler/FileSharing24.html
This is 2 ambient mics, ORTF stereo.

Really nice Mike!  How close were the mics?

I'd say that "Doesn't Suck Big Time"
Kudo's,

-Lee
(Checking out Brian's stuff next..)

[Brian Skalinder]

(Checking out Brian's stuff next..)

Mine won't hold a candle to Moke's.  And some are better than others, but I don't think any of the "suck", so to speak (purely subjectively, of course).

[eric.B]

Re: What does a good tape sound like?

::tapping my tape collection with a drumstick::  hmm..   id say it sounds like a metallic squink.

[F.O.Bean]

heres my 'not shitty' tape, this tape sounds spectacular IMO

http://www.archive.org/details/moe2006-06-11.481.flac16

[stirinthesauce]

What does a good tape sound like?  Well to some, and overdubbed studio creation.  To tapers(or at least me), an accurate representation of a performance  through the use of auditory stimulus.  In other words, I want to be transported back to the performance by relistening to the capture.  Sometimes the results are better than I remember, other times worse.  But the quest is to capture something that is fleeting.  Now back to your original question, what does a good tape sound like.  Well been digging on two shows this week in my car.  One is GD 10/17/82 FOB tape and the other is my 4 mic mix from WSP in Memphis on 7/29.  Both sound fantastic(to my ears).

[muj]

another crazy thread


Gunnar this is all very relative and subjective..for me personally a good tape has nice performance, great sound and great engaging crowd with funny moments between songs.

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

...an accurate representation of a performance through the use of auditory stimulus.  In other words, I want to be transported back to the performance by relistening to the capture.  Sometimes the results are better than I remember, other times worse.  But the quest is to capture something that is fleeting.

QFT.

I want my tapes to sound exactly like it did when I was standing there.  Part of my taping is to capture the moment, in addition to the music. 

A clean studio version of a song might be great, but to hear the same song live and then hear the crowd go crazy after a solo can really get the hairs on your neck standing!

Terry

[china_rider]

Ask 100 different people and you will get 100 different answers.

This is not in reference to my AKGs at all... But with my Sonic Studios gear I often set up to stealth and the recording I come out with sounds *much* better than I remember the show sounding.  Recentlly I've been finding my *spot* and recording with earplugs in and going home to listen to the recorded show.  I'd say at least 80% of the time the recordinds sound better htan I rememer the show itsellf.

Stay Kind,
Dana

[Oysterhead00]

I often set up to stealth and the recording I come out with sounds *much* better than I remember the show sounding

I agree completely...especially the banter by the band.  I can NEVER understand what bands are saying between songs, go home and listen to my recording and can hear every word clear as can be.

[Kevin Straker]

I have plenty of recordings that don't suck, IMO.  They won't hold a candle to Moke's recordings since they're pumped through PAs in bar-ish venues, but I still think they turned out well, considering.  Whether they sound uber-heady or not, I can't say objectively (maybe I've just trained myself to believe they sound good).  What I can say is that they reasonably well captured the sound as I heard it that night.  Though some are better than others, here's a sampling of my recordings with which I'm pleased:

on-stage
http://www.archive.org/details/gorangroup2005-09-09.mk21.v3.flac16
http://www.archive.org/details/gorangroup2005-09-09.flac24

nearly stage-lip in very small indoor venue
http://www.archive.org/details/watt2003-05-14.flac16

audience outdoors from a fair distance
http://www.archive.org/details/bfft2002-08-06.shnf

Smedium sized venue, loudish crowd (but in this case lends to the ambience, IMO)
http://www.archive.org/details/ymsb2004-02-21.flac16
http://www.archive.org/details/donna2002-11-06.flac16

Smedium venue, polite crowd
http://www.archive.org/details/efo2004-01-09.flac16
http://www.archive.org/details/jritter2004-03-25.flac16

Other
http://www.archive.org/details/mono2006-06-10.mk41-c414.flac16

And I've attached an MP3 of perhaps my finest recording to date - big thanks to the AKUS sound engineer, it's the best I've heard the sound at RG in 4 years.

I also have a handful of a cappella recordings somewhere, but need to dig 'em up.

Yep, that AK recording is one of the best I've heard.