Live Stereo recording
~ Some personal experiences ~
Copyright ©2007 Howard Coleman
I am writing this to show you one way of recording live gigs in stereo - a method that has evolved with improving technology and a few ideas.
The Problem with Minidiscs
I used my Sony minidisc recorder for about 6 years and it only let me down once
and that was when I needed to clean the lens with a special cleaner. Apart
from that there were no mechanical or electrical failures. The recordings
made with it were mostly very good but the only fault was a glitch when
recording sudden loud sounds. I always recorded using automatic volume
control because it could not be adjusted manually while recording. The
compression system the recorder used simply wasn't up to the wide dynamic range of live
performances. One thing I liked about the minidisc format is that I could
fit a whole gig onto 2 discs and not need to download onto a computer or
transfer to CDs if I didn't want to. But time has moved on and better
recorders are now available. Time for a change.
The Boss Micro BR
There are numerous solid state recorders on the market now.
No moving parts - they should last forever. I would imagine that most are
of sufficient quality to make superb professional recordings. They differ
in size, price and facilities. I bought the Boss Micro BR on the
recommendation of a friend. I am not commenting on other solid state
recorders because I have not used them. However, I would say that if you
prefer faders to little buttons then this is not the recorder for you. The
Boss actually does a lot more than I want it to do. I don't need all those
tracks, effects or rhythms for example. However, the quality of the
recordings is faultless. I have used it quite a bit now and can offer some
advice which some should find useful. The only disadvantage of this gadget
is that it takes about 13 button pushes to start the recording compared with one
press of the the red button on the old minidisc recorder. It is a
sophisticated piece of equipment and you have to go through the manual carefully
to learn to use it until it becomes second nature. Practising in different
situations is a good idea.
I put a 1Gb SD card in the recorder to maximise the recording time.
I need to record at least 2 1/2 hours in stereo at the highest possible quality
which is 24 bit (bit depth) and 44.1kHz (sample rate) - a standard beyond
domestic hi-fi. A problem I managed to overcome was that if you want to
download the recording onto a computer you need to convert the proprietary file
format to wav or you won't be able to do anything with it using your existing
software. And the problem is - the device needs space ie memory to fit the
wav file in and that is seemingly impossible if you have one enormous file on
it. No room to manoeuvre. One solution is to record the gig in 2
halves so you can take one half off the device before the converting the other
half to wav. This is time consuming and complicated. I eventually
found a better solution. There is free software available on the internet
from Boss called the BR Series Wave Converter. It is designed for
larger machines in the Boss BR series but works well in my experience with the
Micro BR. With it you can download your enormous file onto your PC where
it is converted to wav without needing space on the Micro BR. It is not
just simpler either - it is very much faster.
Microphones
I use a Sony ECM-MS957 which is
a mid-side stereo mic. This is something that could be done cheaper but an
inferior mic could be a weak link in the chain. I have used this for years
and know it is up to the job. I won't comment on other mics. If you are
choosing one you need to
compare specifications especially frequency response and dynamic range.
Leads and connectors
I use a good quality Sommer cable fitted with Neutrik plugs - an XLR
at one end and a right-angled stereo mini-jack at the other. The soldering
was "quite" tricky and I had to check carefully with a high powered magnifier to
remove stray filaments that could cause trouble by touching where they
shouldn't. It was definitely worth the trouble because the finished cable
is top-notch and bomb-proof. The cable is long enough to allow the mic to
be placed a good few metres from the amplifier which buzzes a bit.
Comments? E-mail me at Howard<AT SIGN>acousticnotes.org.uk
Last revised: July 15, 2007.