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Author Topic: Pick Apart My Mastering  (Read 10648 times)

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Offline vantheman

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Re: Pick Apart My Mastering
« Reply #15 on: December 09, 2019, 01:18:35 PM »
Whether to upgrade mics it depends on what you want to improve and what you like. I am recording very little, but I see that my assessment of recordings is changing. I perceive slowly more and more aspects that I was not aware of before. I think the best is to record, listen to other recordings and compare (there are many recordings on LMA). After, it is easy to decide whether you want to upgrade or not.

Schoeps actives is dream setup. Dpa are also great mics.  If you are taping occasional you can try cheaper gear too. Sometimes it may also be better to learn with cheaper rig how to handle it. Any mistake doesn't hurt so much. A lot of people including me are using Chris Church's mics or Audio technica electrets as starter. When you decide to upgrade your iphone rig you also need to get a preamp and recorder (or recorder and battery box). You can find a lot of information about mics, preamps and recorders here in the taperssection.

Thanks, agreed this is a great post. All roads seem to be leading to Schoeps. I am just an occasional taper, disproportionate to the number of shows I actually attend. My #1 concern when I'm taping is that the process doesn't distract from my own enjoyment of the show in the moment. Other criteria would include - is the show likely to be recorded by somebody else with better gear, is recording this show really gonna add to the pantheon of recorded live music in some way, will I be able to set up in a decent spot to get the most out of my modest rig, etc.

I've been an active listener of unofficial live recordings for a pretty long time. I remember fondly certain audience recordings - some from Tom Waits's 2004/5 European tour, some Dylan recordings over the last 15 years. Throughout that time, despite having some audience recordings that I basically treat like children, I still thought of an audience recording as a sort of poor man's soundboard. That began to change after discovering the Living Stereo classical music series, some amazing recordings there for those unfamiliar, and it changed dramatically when I made my first audience recording about a year ago. It's so much more than a line out from the soundboard - the sound of the room, the crowd for better or worse, the challenge, the responsibility to document something important that would otherwise be lost to the ether.

Anyway, back to the topic, if I can aim the MV88 right at one of the stacks within close range and get my levels right, it's astounding what it can do for the money. In the recording up at the top of the thread, I was in the back recording the room rather than pointing at stacks (it was more of a general purpose PA, not really stacks), kind of making my own 3 channel Living Stereo inspired recording. In a perfect world I'd be able to do that but with a much lower noise floor so that I still have the ability to make certain moves like adding compression or gain. I tend to record acoustic shows where isn't any bass, but being able to capture good bass is something I imagine I'd want in a versatile rig.

It looks like a Schoeps-based rig will take some doing to make it ultra stealth. I've been thinking about creative ways to mask stealth rigs in acoustically transparent everyday objects or maybe even 3D printing my own apparatus.
« Last Edit: December 09, 2019, 03:22:37 PM by vantheman »
AT U853A (SP-CMC-4U) > SP-SPSB-10 12V > Sony A10
Line Audio CM4/OM1> Sound Devices MixPre6ii or Tascam DR100 mkiii

Offline kuba e

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Re: Pick Apart My Mastering
« Reply #16 on: December 10, 2019, 07:27:26 AM »
You are active listener because you made very gentle mastering. Yes, I see it just like you. The important is location, mics and post-processing. I heard many great recordings with cheap mics made very close to PA. Post processing is the difficult thing for me. I should train my listening skills. But if you are good in post processing then it's almost as important as location and mics.

I wish you a lot of great recordings with MV88. By the way, my dream is Schoeps too. Ha ha, or maybe Neumann.
« Last Edit: December 10, 2019, 08:03:18 AM by kuba e »

Offline vantheman

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Re: Pick Apart My Mastering
« Reply #17 on: December 19, 2019, 11:30:59 PM »
If I may revive this after a couple days of absorbing info -

I think the Sony A10 will be my recorder of choice, and I’d like to build a system around that. The Line Audio CM4 mics appear to offer great bang for the buck, so I’m curious about adding these. It seems like they’ll allow me to stealth fairly easily with a XY pattern at least.

With this type of mic, I believe that I will need to supply power and gain? Is this correct? If so what would an affordable way to do that, ideally in a single device?
AT U853A (SP-CMC-4U) > SP-SPSB-10 12V > Sony A10
Line Audio CM4/OM1> Sound Devices MixPre6ii or Tascam DR100 mkiii

Offline kuba e

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Re: Pick Apart My Mastering
« Reply #18 on: December 22, 2019, 05:18:16 PM »
Yes, you will need external preamp with balanced inputs (xlr) and phantom power for using these mics with Sony A10. The second choice should be to buy recorder with xlr inputs and phantom power. Then you can connect these mics directly to the recorder.

I know that there are some Tascam or Zoom hand held recorders with phantom power. But I don't know if they're good. I can't help either with small external preamps. Maybe try to ask in Line Audio thread. I am using electret mics for stealth recording. It needs only 9V power and unbalanced inputs (mics + battery box + A10). But probably Line Aduio is better quality than average electret mics.

Offline Thierry

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Re: Pick Apart My Mastering
« Reply #19 on: December 02, 2022, 08:41:02 AM »
Honestly, I did tape a lot of concerts with an CA Ugly 2 pre-amp and CA 14 cardioids. Yesterday I've taped with this setup and my iPhone with a Shure MV88 connected to it, I have to say I like the recording with the MV88 a lot.

Offline Melanie

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Re: Pick Apart My Mastering
« Reply #20 on: December 02, 2022, 10:37:24 AM »
Yes, you will need external preamp with balanced inputs (xlr) and phantom power for using these mics with Sony A10. The second choice should be to buy recorder with xlr inputs and phantom power. Then you can connect these mics directly to the recorder.

I know that there are some Tascam or Zoom hand held recorders with phantom power. But I don't know if they're good. I can't help either with small external preamps. Maybe try to ask in Line Audio thread. I am using electret mics for stealth recording. It needs only 9V power and unbalanced inputs (mics + battery box + A10). But probably Line Aduio is better quality than average electret mics.
Tascam DR 40 and Tascam DR 100 mk3 have phantom power and are excellent recorders. although larger then A10s.
Melanie and Bob

 

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