Topic: Open taping - keeping still

[person]

Background: For bands whom I know, I've been using a combination of mixing desk feeds into a small flash recorder and a H4 in my pocket while standing close to the stage. Both of these are low setup time, which is good (but on the downside I can't check levels beforehand... even i I had more pro gear I wouldn't want to piss of the FOH sound engineer or musicians by fiddling too much anyway).

The thing that's bothering me is that a H4 in my pocket means the mics are pointing upwards, and also I can't keep perfectly still during the gig, and I suspect this is causing some phasing. I've been trying to think about how to solve this... ideally a tripod right in front of stage, but that's physically impossible due to the crowd and also is a bit wierd.

1) I've thought maybe a more inconspicuous support (eg. a bottle-pod http://www.stuffgeek.com/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00266) on a ledge/table a bit further back, when possible, but then I would be pointing mics into the backs of people.

2) Or maybe I could use a small tripod and stick the H4 onstage pointing at a monitor speaker and hope it doesn't get kicked over...

How do other people handle this problem?

Many thanks

[stevetoney]

Of course, recording shows isn't yet as readily accepted outside of the US as it has been in the States for the last 5 years or so, so if you have to rely on staying discreet then your options are limited.  Having said this, most people here in the states put their gear on a stand and get it up a foot or two above the heads of the audience.  If you locate yourself near the soundboard, the assumption is that the sound engineer is mixing the sound so that it sounds great to him, which means that the sound at the soundboard tends to be the best sound in the house.  If you're close to the stage and haven't planned ahead of time with the band or sound engineer how the sound will be arranged, you run the risk of having a poor mix in your final sound because...say...the vocals may be coming from the left PA speakers and you're close to the right and in that case the vocals might be low in your recording.   

When I stealthed alot, if I knew that they were sending everything out of both sides (not a stereo mixed feed to the PAs) then I kinda liked putting on some earplugs and standing right in front of one of the speaker stacks.  That gave me a nice clear recording without excess crowd noise and I didn't have to worry about elevating my gear above peoples' heads because I could get direct sound into my mics even if they were waist height.

[person]

Thanks for the input, but as I said, I'm taping bands whom I know, out in the open. Remaining discreet is advantageous, as staring/interfering/thieving from the crowd is a big bummer, but not totally necessary. Near the soundboard is great except for the amount of crowd noise you end up getting. Also, as I said, my main concern is keeping the mics still.

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

Depending on the club, etc. you may be able to use a Bogen SuperClamp and Flex Arm to mount you recorder to something sturdy (ceiling beam, floor column, balcony rail, etc.)... 

We ask our local music club to install a pole next to the SBD area so we can clamp onto it rather than using a mic stand.

You can probably find an adapter to mount your recorder to the flex arm, assuming it has a mount fo some type...

Terry

[deadheadcorey]

MICS IN A HAT, ALWAYS GETS THE JOB DONE RIGHT! GRRRR MATE

[person]

For reference:

"The Gorillapod firmly secures your compact digital camera to just about anything"
http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/prod3447.htm

"The Bottle Cap Tripod is a tripod attachment for drinks bottles."
http://www.devoncamera.co.uk/index.cfm/photographic/Products.Details/product_id/580/subject/hama_bottlepod
(Might also be handy to leave in the bag for emergencies)

Possibly taping a show tomorrow night. Smaller venue, some tables around... raised mixing desk near the stage so I might get lucky there if can find space to set up. Might go shopping or a smaller tripod tomorrow, put some gaffer tape in my bag and hope I don't need to get too creative 

[BlingFree]

Yeah I was going to suggest a monopod too.

the H4 GREAT for stealthing... if you have external mics. Otherwise you're stuck with trying to point the whole device (as you know already).

I've set mine on a bag about 25 ft from stage and pointed it into the backs and over the heads of folks. It turned out meh... http://www.archive.org/details/speakeasy2007-02-22.H4i.flac16

Last time I had it taped down to the ledge of a balcony about 60 ft from stage and was forced to point in an odd angle. Didn't turn out too bad at all.

SO yeah... monopod is my suggestion for keeping still in a non-intrusive FOB open taping situation... or hang it/tape it somewhere.