Recording live music on the streets

A

andrew00

Well-known member
Hey all,

I would like to record musicians playing live whilst walking around the streets, effectively a live recording with the sounds of life in the background.

I wonder if I might please have some suggestions on how best to go about this? I would like the musicians to be free to do whatever they want, so it's not feasible to have wires involved.

I don't know anything about wireless sound, to be honest, but I'd imagine I'd want some wireless clip on mics, which I would clip to the lapel of the musicians and record both their voices and instruments with. I reckon I would then need to mix these sources at home into something good.

One problem I perceive with this is 1) The number of mics needed - what if you have 5 people in a band, does that mean 5 wireless mics to get it all? What if you have 8 in the band? and 2) What of the quality?

I also don't know if it'd be best to hire mics on the day, or to buy them. In which case, my budget would be modest so I guess I'd want to get, at minimum, mics of a solid quality - but naturally inexpensive ones once I've got that quality.

Thanks for any suggestions with regards to this, I know I've asked a lot here, but I've not done this before so it's puzzling to me!

Andy.
 
If you want it to sound like it does with sounds of street life in the backround why not simply record it with a decent stereo microphone (with good wind protection). If there is no filming involved it is easy to follow them with a close microphone.

A semi-directional stereo mic comes to mind, like Pearl MSH 10 or MSH 20, Sanken CSS-5. Those are easy to fit into a normal zeppelin/windjammer. There are a number of single body normal angle MS or XY mics also, like Shure VP88 I used to travel with.

Of course it is possible to build a stereo pair from cardioids or even omnis, but wind protection comes more difficult and the contraption might be slightly unwieldy to run around with.

Here is a 60 second sample from the streets of Kathmandu recorded with Shure VP88:

http://www.quietamerican.org/download/OMV/OMV-09-10-07-Kathmandu_StreetBand.mp3

(note, link url did not work for me at least, copy and paste this address to browser window from somewhere, then it works)
 
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Thanks for the reply, although perhaps I didn't make it clear, so I apologise for that, I want to film them playing, I just don't want to be connected by wires - i.e. the sound is being recorded (to a good quality) whilst the camera is free to move around and follow whatever is interesting in the moment.

It also means the band can move around as they please, without the distractions of having to be tethered to a camera.
 
That's what I'm saying, a boom isn't practical because I'd like to record the sound well whilst the camera buzzes around doing whatever, I don't want to film someone else holding a boom, I'd like to film it organically, as if people just rolled up and played, just with the hq sound.

E.G. You might get one musician walking off in one direction, another in another, walking through a crowd etc - if you just had a boom you'd lose a lot of the sound - hence my thinking of wireless mics - mic each musician up and let them do whatever knowing the sound will be recorded for each person.

I've got a Zoom H4 at present but don't know anything about wireless, how they're recorded, if it's possible to get it all of if I need serious hardware etc or if I can get it all into the Zoom or what.
 
OK, get 10 radio transmitters (or 5 stereo), 10 recivers, closemic both musicans and their instruments + stereo ambience from somewhere mic.

12 channel mixer... Need a van to follow you...

Total cost with good gear about 30k$ + recorder, maybe 40k$ total, + van.
 
O.K.

Are you a one man team or two or ???

If you record on a separate audio device will it be safe by the musicians? Can you leave it there?

If so, you can place a solid state recorder and mic with the musician and then record with a mic traveling with the camera as you crowd surf.

You will need to sync in post.
 
I reckon I'll be on my own, perhaps another but essentially me.

I want to record the musicians because I met with the guy who makes these videos - http://www.blogotheque.net/takeawayshows/ - and he didn't appear to have 40k's worth of gear and a van.

I don't remember everything he said but he certainly said he records to a Zoom H4 (which made me happy as that's what I've got) and yet his sound always seems great. I know he uses wireless mics to a degree. Perhaps micing one or two individuals and having the rest of the band recorded w/an overhead or w/a stationary mic etc?
 
there is some controversy about h-4 and more then 2 mics -)
you can run dissent stereo par or single point or you can run multi track .
not 40 k but may come to half of that without any problem
betetr find someone with decent gear to do the job or pray it wouldn't sound like ****
 
andrew00 said:
I reckon I'll be on my own, perhaps another but essentially me.

I want to record the musicians because I met with the guy who makes these videos - http://www.blogotheque.net/takeawayshows/ - and he didn't appear to have 40k's worth of gear and a van.

I don't remember everything he said but he certainly said he records to a Zoom H4 (which made me happy as that's what I've got) and yet his sound always seems great. I know he uses wireless mics to a degree. Perhaps micing one or two individuals and having the rest of the band recorded w/an overhead or w/a stationary mic etc?
Click to expand...

No, it doesn't apear that he does have 40kEuros or even 40kUSD in gear.

As to a van...?

Who knows? :grin:


But, his videos are very nice for what they are.

If you look closely he uses mics and not just the Zoom.


For you, you could most certainly do something different.

If you have a relationship with the musicians they can keep an eye on your gear that is recording them.

You will then be free to walk around and gather images and sounds of the area. :thumbsup:
 
A lower-budget approach would be to lavalier each musician and give each one their own pocket recorder. Get them together at the start of the take, have them all start recording, then clapper the shot and let them start wandering. You'd have to have them on AGC, but should still get decent sound in that kind of setting.
Will be quite a project in post, but not really any worse than other methods.
 
Thanks for the replies so far, although I must admit I have no idea what 'dissent stereo par or single point' is or means!

Yeah the sound mix is strange, e.g. take this series of videos - http://www.blogotheque.net/article.php3?id_article=3575

In one instance the musicians are walking around freely whilst still being recorded, suggestions clipped on mic. In another (part 2) you can clearly see a sound guy walking around holding a Zoom H4 which is unattached to anything.

That suggests to me they had a few clip on mics, which they attached to the 'main' musicians, and then used the zoom as a kind of fill-in sound where possible - i.e. part 2 they rock up to the guy's house and he's no mic'd so they just Zoom H4 him playing - although even in that instance I was keeping an eye out for the Zoom and couldn't see it as he played!

I like the idea of the LOW BUDGET! approach to recording heh. What kind of hardware would be needed there?

Say - for each musician - 1x wired lav mic going to pocket recorder they'd keep on their person. What kind of pocket recorder would do? E.G. I see I can pick up an Audio Technica ATR35s wired lav mic for like 20 bucks, which seems good, but you always wonder if these things are cheap for a reason, you know.

I don't know what KBPS quality sound I'd want, but I would assume 128 min, which cuts out a lot of the cheap 'dictaphone' style recorders wouldn't it?

Sorry for asking to many questions, I appreciate the time people have spent helping me, I just really want to get this right so I can do some awesome band recordings!
 
Andrew.

Perhaps it's better to do it like this.


1st - What will you record and under what conditions. (This we already covered)

2nd - What is your real down to the dollar budget? (This is the step we are at and need before we can move forward.)
 
Ok cool,

1 - I would like to record bands playing their songs in everyday, primarily urban surroundings. I'd like to mic up each musician, playing a mic on his lapel to record a) his voice and b) his instrument, which will most likely be your standard guitar/bass/drums - typically most instruments will be acoustic. I intended to them sync this in post to video of said band. I want each musician to have their own mic to get good quality audio and for ultimate freedom and spontaneity. (as covered)

2 - My budget is malleable, in that I'm prepared to spend more to get quality results. In essence, therefore, I'm looking for a cheap way to mic up multiple musicians and let them roam free whilst recording their audio to a high quality.

Originally in this thread I was thinking wireless. Now I'm thinking wired lav mic into digital recorder as wireless is too costly.

If the ATR35s is good enough, I'll get some of them at 20 bucks a pop. I'd proably get 5.

Then for the audio recording - this is the stage I'm esp stuck on as I'd want to record a decent quality, so we're talking something that can record, I guess, min 96kbps, pref min 128kbps.

Since we're wiring up each musician they each need a recorder. In this respect I'd prefer to spend less than more. For example on ebay you can get some ghetto mp3 players that record audio for like 10 bucks. If they can get 96kbps, for example, I could get a couple of them and use them perhaps?

Alternatively, there's various dictaphones on the market for 40-70 bucks or so, but I don't know if their quality is good enough.

Then there's the more up market devices like the H4's etc, which are out my price range.

In essence, 5 ATR35s lavs would be 100 bucks. I'd prefer to spend less on the recorders, but would be happy to spend another couple hundred if the quality was there.

Of course, I don't know if I can get the quality without spending serious coin, in which case I'd still be prepared to spend the cash, but would only get, say, 2 lav's instead of 5.

So to summarise - I'd like good quality audio, which I guess means 96 kbps min. If I can get a recorder of this sufficient quality without spending the earth then I'd get a couple of them. If I have to lay down a fairly substantial outlay then I'd just get less.

Total budget prob 300-450 max depending on if it's worth it.
 
This is a tough one and probably best answered by the veteran sound pros here due to budget restrictions.

But, to me I think the best sound you can get for your budget is a decent shotgun or stereo for your camera and a decent stereo mic and solid state recorder for the musicians recording.

That will be right about $450 if you go with something cheap and simple like Rode Stero Mic with Dead Kittens and an H2.

This is prosumer equipment but you will get the same quality of sound as your sample videos.


You can add the lavs as you go.

When you get to a good wired lav like the Cos-11 etc you are talking real sound and a bit more money.


I think building as you go will be what is in order for you but again I respectfully defer to the veteran sound pros here.
 
Thanks for the advise, and I totally get your point, but my preference is heavily into having nothing connected to the camera and having full lavs/wireless mics from the start so the bands can run around and be free without having anyone follow them etc or getting in the way etc.

In this respect, I defo want to get a solution with lavs involved, I know they won't get as good as a shotgun, but I want them for the freedom for the performances, in which case it's more about finding a cheap way to achieve that solution to the good quality.
 
andrew00 said:
Thanks for the advise, and I totally get your point, but my preference is heavily into having nothing connected to the camera and having full lavs/wireless mics from the start so the bands can run around and be free without having anyone follow them etc or getting in the way etc.

In this respect, I defo want to get a solution with lavs involved, I know they won't get as good as a shotgun, but I want them for the freedom for the performances, in which case it's more about finding a cheap way to achieve that solution to the good quality.
Click to expand...


Yes. But your budget is only $450.

That's not even enough to do one proper wireless transmitter and mic.

You can go with pocket recorders and lavs.

As to which ones will sound the best with your budget it might be best to just check around including emailing the guy who you would like to emulate.

I know it's frustrating, but it is a balancing act between price and quality.
 
Yeah I asked him loads of questions at the time, but it was one of those situations where ones knowledge had only got so far at the time heh.

Pocket recorders + lav's is definately my choice b/c of cost. Are there any good quality ones that anyone might recommend in the sub 100 bucks range please?
 
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