Concert/Band Audio Recording

S

Smifis

Well-known member
Just out of interest, for those who do live events, how do you record your audio?

I was thinking of investing in some sort of mutitrack system so i can mix in post.

I've always took a live feed of the mixing desk but i'd like some versatility.
 
I use an Alesis HD24 in a flight case that has 24 jacks that go into the desk channel inserts - on the rear it has the inserts still available so channel processing can be patched, after the record signal is 'sniffed'. This works well, as long as the person mixing sets channel gains before the show and doesn't adjust them during, just using channel faders. This works really well, but be aware that the only downside is that 24 tracks of an hour long gig takes a fair while to transfer - using a fire pod/direvt reader, but takes forever via the network!
 
I've got some friends using the HD24 setup too (HD24XR to be exact--better A/D D/A converters), and they love it.
 
I use my HD24XR for exactly that kind of recording. Can't imagine a better solution. But requires good rapport with the FOH guys and adequate planning to do it right.

Note that there is a separate forum specifically for the discussion of sound issues like this.
 
We do the FOH ourselves.

I offer a whole package you see.

I'm sorry if i posted this in the wrong forum, i couldn't decide if this should go under sound or Love events.

Also 24 channel may be a bit over the top for me. is there anything a little bit cheaper?
 
Many factors and levels of quality are at play in this decision.

If the Alesis is above your budget, and you have a laptop available, you may want to look at an 8-channel firewire interface. I use a Presonus Fire Studio Project. It may require some mix downs depending on your back line arrangement, but do you really need the cow bell on its own track.

In an extreme budget situation and if you have enough pro cameras you can use them. 4 cameras with XLR inputs is 8 tracks of DAT quality 48khz 16bit audio.

All that being said that Alesis is really sweet and allows for great coverage and flexibility. 5.1 surround Guitar Solos anyone?
 
Sound at concerts is one of those tough things and there are few really good solutions. The Alesis is one of the best. Also they last forever. I have 3 and 2 of them have lasted for 8+ years. They really are worth the investment.
 
kgimedia said:
If the Alesis is above your budget, and you have a laptop available, you may want to look at an 8-channel firewire interface.
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Second that. Assuming you are already using groups for the PA, just feed the group outs into a suitable 8-channel audio interface and into a PC (doesn't have to be a laptop - I've used a couple of old desktops for the job and they worked fine).

As far as software is concerned, I've used Cubase, Samplitude and ProTools LE to do the job and they've all been no trouble. There are even free/shareware programs that will do.

You should also add a stereo "ambience" mix - just use a couple of mics in the hall to add that "live" sound to what would otherwise be a pretty sterile mix straight out of the PA groups.
 
I often get my crowd or "Hippie Mix" from my wide master camera. That way all 8 of my tracks on the computer are from the board and the ambient sound are the 9th and 10th tracks. Just make sure to use easily compatible settings, unless I absolutely need higher quality I use 48khz 16bit.
 
Thanks for the replies!

I have experemented with feeding straight ntot he camera but this is somwhat unconvenient.

I do like the look of the Alesis HD24 but is there something simular that instead of recording to a hard drive, connects to a comeputer/laptop via firewire/usb?

I'm going to have a small quiet pc anyway.

I was also looking at getting a digital mixer with firewire bult in and using that. Have any of you got any experience doing it like that?
 
When you say something similar do you mean something that has 24 channels? Also what is your budget because the more simultaneous channels the more it costs and the better your pc has to be. To record 24 simultaneous channels, depending on the sampling rate, would take a pretty beefy rig.
 
Well we normally use around about 25 microphones so about 20 channels.

Building a PC to handle it wont be a problem, I was planning to go with either a Core 2 Duo, and if thats not powerful enough, and quad, if thats not powerful enough, an i7.
 
For direct to PC recording I have used a couple of different methods, one of the better setups I used had:

1x Presonus Lightpipe - $500 http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/FireStuLP/
This gives you up to 36 channels over 1 firewire cable.

3x or 4x Presonus DigiMax 8 Channel Pre-Amp - $600ea. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DigiMaxFS/
These pres are not the best but they work well and are reliable.

So this allows you to do 24 channels for $2400 (with a rack) with one firewire cable and 4u rackspace. Or $3000 for 36 channels in 6u.
 
Sorry if i sound a bit dumb, but what exactly is Lightpipe? Can i buy a mixer with this built in?

Or a mixer with built in Firewire?

And wouldn't it wokr out cheeper to get an Alesis HD24?
 
Lightpipe is a type of connection, it is basically Adat with a different name.
It probably would be cheaper to buy the HD24 but you asked for a good solution for recording 24 individual tracks to the computer. unfortunately the real answer is that to record 24 individual tracks is not cheap so you need to decide: 1) Is it worth it for you/ your company to spend $2000+ to record the tracks? 2) Do you want a PC-based system or a stand-alone hard drive based system?

The only other thing about the Presonus system is that it can take XLR or 1/4 inputs so if you are recording without a mixer the Presonus rig would work and the HD24 would not.
 
Remember also that a standalone, "hardwired" solution like the Alesis HD24 is far more reliable than any computer-based system. I wouldn't seriously plan on recording more than 2-4 channels to a conventional PC if I wanted real-world reliability out in the field.
 
Richard Crowley said:
Remember also that a standalone, "hardwired" solution like the Alesis HD24 is far more reliable than any computer-based system. I wouldn't seriously plan on recording more than 2-4 channels to a conventional PC if I wanted real-world reliability out in the field.
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You what you're saying is that a "hardwired" solution such as the Alesis HD24 will be more reliable and cheaper than a computer based solution?

If that is the case, are there any cheaper alternatives to Alesis's HD24. I am on a very small budget i'm afraid and would struggle to buy a HD24, but i'd be able to if i have to.
 
Smifis said:
You what you're saying is that a "hardwired" solution such as the Alesis HD24 will be more reliable and cheaper than a computer based solution?

If that is the case, are there any cheaper alternatives to Alesis's HD24. I am on a very small budget i'm afraid and would struggle to buy a HD24, but i'd be able to if i have to.
Click to expand...

There are only a few computer-based multi-track recording solutions that are robust enough for serious commercial use (such as on a major film sound stage). One of them is (was) "BoomRecorder" http://www.vosgames.nl/products/BoomRecorder/ which is a Mac application. Alas, that product is no longer available and I have never seen an equivalent PC-based solution (software and hardware).

There are at least 2-3 small, compact 8-channel consumer products that record to CF cards, I don't remember any brand/model off the top of my head, but I'm confident that Google could find them in a few milliseconds.
 
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