Topic: indoor recording- small venues

[mello]

i'm having a lot of issues with crowd noise in small bars & cafes.   can't seem to get a decent recording without the crowd conversations...
i'm a newbie NJB3 recorder...i run AKG 1000's...

what am i doing wrong?

[Swampy]

Nothing probably. Talking sucks. All you can really do is run hypers (if there is no bar behind you) and run high and hope for the best...

[mello]

in larger venues, i don't have issues b/c i'm fully extended on mic stand height but those small venues with 8 ft ceilings...yikes.   i want to start making live CDs of the band i manage and just don't want to put out shitty recordings...

is it okay to put mics behind the band away from the crowd?

[Swampy]

Well since all the sound would be going out from the band that probably wouldn't be a good idea... Could you give more info on the bands/situations (ie vocals, setups ect...)

[dklein]

Since you have access, consider a board feed + onstage C1000s (thru a mixer), and then into your JB3.  Especially if you wanna post quality stuff on websites.  With onstage mics you won't have to worry about the board/mic time differences and can mix live (vs. recording separately to time align in post).

[Chapper]

The only way to combat the chatter (in a small chatty room) is to run your mics as close to a stack as possible (aside from a straight SB feed, if you matrix, you're still going to get the chatter).  You may not get the seperation you'd like to get, but based on the small bar recordings I've done, they will at least be listenable.   

[F.O.Bean]

do c1000's have hyper caps anyway

[Esap]

 They are cards that come with an attachment that fits over the caps and PRESTO hypers. 

[F.O.Bean]

try the hypers then, that may work out a lil bit better for ya

good luck man

[Ed.]

try to stay up front more even if it means getting in the way a bit.  whenever i run at bars (which is quite often) i try to stay within about 20 ft of the stage and try to keep the talkers behind me.  hypers are definitely a big help tho.

[Depechemode1993]

usually in a bar I tape right in front of one speaker. it sounds stupid but hey its better than chatter on your tape...

[mello]

thanks everyone for the replies.   i have an open mic this wednesday which usually is very crowded, i'll try the caps first...

the band is Roamer from Trumbull CT.   I manage them and decided to start recording and distributing the music to get more of our sound out to the public and our fans.
I have recorded Scarecrow Collection, the Rafter Bats and other small local acts from CT.  I have had the JB3 setup now for a few weeks with really no quality recording except for maybe 2 or 3.

our set up
(1) acoustic guitar + lead vocals
(1) electric guitar or mandolin- depending on the song
(1) bass + back up vocals
(1) keyboard + back up vocals
(1) drum/hand drums

we use 7 channels....leaving out the drums in the smaller venues depending on the acoustics of the room.