Topic: Recording Bass, techno, electronica type music recommendations

[listen2hear]

Ok, I am new to recording but I am looking for information about recording drum n bass, techno, type music.  Clearly this has lots of heavy bass in clubs.  Trippy electronic sounds and mids and highs as well.  I cannot gain access to the mixer and gain line-in recordings (most djs do not allow this unless you are the promoter). So, for my situation, what would work well?  I was looking at STC-11 and Core Sound Binaural. Would I need a pre-amp with a bass roll-off filter? Or just flat eq? I do not want it heavily distorted by the heavy bass lines, but I still want to capture the low end (maybe I could use software to add some bass in after recording; would this be a good idea using bass roll-off?)

Am I on the right track for my mics and pre-amp? Recommendations are open. Also, I will be using either the Edirol-R09 or the Microtrack-2 (anyone used the microtrack2 yet?)

Thanks in advance.

[youngsbest]

I would opt for the CA cardiods - omis such as the CSBs can emphasise boomy bass as they pick up sound from 360 degrees and will pick up reflections off the side & rear walls. The cards can give you a more focussed sound.

You won't need a pre for loud music, just go line in on the recorder. But you will need to supply power to the mics, and you'll need a battery box for this. Most battery boxes have various adjustable roll off settings, so you will be able to experiment. I don't know the MT, but the R09 is excellent.  Don't use the bass cut on the R09 though, it sounds terrible. 

You could also record without roll off and adjust this later with eq if the bass is too prominent.

The only other point is that if you are stealthing with cardiods then you will need to point the mics at the speakers and keep fairly still, otherwise the sound stage moves around, which can make playback a bit weird.  So if you are in a club where everyone is dancing, you will stand out.  Omnis are a bit more forgiving to movement.

[listen2hear]

Thank you for the replies. The clubs typically have bassbins setup in front of the stage and additional hanging around the venue. So for example, if I stand in the back of the venue (in front of a hanging speaker set) would this NOT pick-up the sound well with Cardioid mics? Thus, I should stand in-front of the stage with the mics(say clipped to the hat) for best pick up? Also, if I nod my head to a beat, will that distort the recording from the mics? And do the cardioid mics work well at rock concerts as well, or are omni's preferential in that type of setting? I am wondering if I will need two different sets of mics or if I can get away with one that can work well for both.

Would the omni's be more forgiving if i get bumped into or dance to the beat? If I understand correctly, I would need to be very still with the cardioid mics (no dancing)?

I appreciate all the help and feedback; I will certainly use the R09. I am returning the microtrack2 (though I havent used it yet, I heard there was a circuit problem or something with it).

Thanks and let me know if you can help =)

[indietaperwloo]

I recorded a live electronica band called Bocce (www.myspace.com/thebocce) at a local club called the Starlight and I was in the middle of the dance floor with people chattering all around me so I did get quite a bit of crowd noise but I find it easy to tune that out and concentrate on the music.  Anyways, I used a pair of Sennheiser KE4-210-2's run into one of illconditioned's battery boxes and out to my Sony MZ-NH700 HiMD line-in (the mics are very loud) and recorded in PCM (16/44.1).  illconditioned was also there and he used a pair of MC930's in ORTF hung from the ceiling near stage left run into an 18 volt battery box and out to an Edirol R-9.

I actually had to use a hi-pass filter in post (Waves X-Hum using the DC Offset and Rumble setting - 75hz hi-pass filter) because I found the bass to be too boomy because of the subs in the front.  They were using Mackie active PA speakers for the mid-highs.  If stealthing, I'd stand by the back and the center to avoid crowd noise (unless you want your tape to sound like an episode of Electric Circus lol - if you're Canadian, you'd get that reference  ).  If you want a decent stereo image, middle of the dance floor is best depending on how crowded the club is that night.

Just my thoughts on it anyways.

[listen2hear]

Yah, positioning is definitely important. For example, if I am up front with people only on the sides of me and I am standing in front of dj booth (turntables) with bassbins on the sides would omni's (like DPA 4061) pick up the drums, bass, sounds clean (with bass roll-off)? As I have heard from other people saying omni's are good if you can be in the front and center with the crowd behind you?

I was also considering the Church Audio Cardioid with ST-9100 preamp with bass roll-off.

As far as types of music, do the cardioid and omni do a better job depending on genre (again, I am a newbie trying to understand everything I can)?

Thank you everyone, I appreciate any further feedback and information.