Topic: Shoulders or hat ?

[darktrain]

from someone who used shoulder mount and then went hat mount there is no comparison, the hat mount recordings are consisitantly better where the shoulder mount was very hit or miss, i will never mount them any other way and it does take discipline but can be done,  a little movement/stretching in between songs keeps you from seizing up

[mblindsey]

Having mics on a hat doesn't mean you have to keep your head still.

yep, mostly true.  i've even transferred my baseball hat to my wife's head, pulled gear out of my pockets, and had her hold my rig while I went to the bathroom.  done carefully the movement has a negligible effect....and i have binaurals...

i use this technique often when recording is allowed, but mic stands are not.

a quick "180 degree side to side" head turn, though, will definitely show up in a stereo recording with my mics...

--Michael

[Bootleg Detroit]

I'm late in seeing this post, but had to add my .02, I learned early on when hand holding 4011's the difference 1' can make.  Try this, the next time you're at a show listen to the difference simply by squatting down to allow your ears to be at shoulder level and take in the sound there for a minute and then stand up fully or on your tip toes to where your mics would be if on a hat and listen to the music from there.  It will make a believer out of you real quick!  When I first started taping, in an effort to be "more" stealth I hand held at shoulder height and was sorely disappointed with the outcome and recycled my tapes, as they lacked clarity and dynamic range -- muffled, decreased highs etc. 
I have to say that to me it was worth the risk, flying 'em high and getting a tape I knew I would listen to vs. playing it safe and have a tape I would never listen to.  PM me for the stories of the ones that got away!!

[Dede2002]

I like boobs as much as the next guy, but when I am taping I'm all business.

Totally agree.  You need discipline to pull a good non-stand tape. 

Agreed.
To be honest, at the concert I'm just a mic stand with a driver's license.