Taping as-well
I've decided to put a page about my recording adventures on here.
If not for the helpful advice someone may take from these pages, !??, then just
for me to keep track of what's coming up for me to tape.
My first personal live recording experience was on the 20th of October, 1999.
I went to see local punk band Frenzal
Rhomb at a hotel down the road. Before this I had read about people taping
live shows, different taping techniques and equipment people use, I even had
a couple of B+Ps done for me by some kind Pearl
Jam folk keen to spread the jam to a newbie.
But the whole concept of taping a gig was still surreal and not something which
I thought I would, or could, ever grasp. I was wrong.
Still 15 minutes away from gig time and feeling slightly slaughtered, as was
the norm when you're a teen full of booze out to have fun at a rock concert,
I approached the sound board technician with a blank audio cassette I had pocketed
before I left home, half knowing something would come of it.
"Excuse me mate, can you tape the show for me" I garbled whilst brandishing
the tape in front of the poor bloke. He replied with something about the connecters
not being plugged in, and that I had to have consent from the band.
Feeling slightly rejected, and a bit embarrassed, I suddenly thought; "This
is frenzal". I'd seen them about 10 times that year already and had had
quite a few drunken chats with all members requesting Doctor Lindemans Adventure
Family Theme Park World (under-rated song) be played.
With new confidence, I went down to the barrier where the Doctor was signing
a few autographs for 13 year old chicks wearing adidas tracksuits. I told him
about my plan, he said no worries and even signed the cassette as consent. I
bounded back to the sound dude, he popped it in, pressed record and gave me
the A-Okay.
Listening to it on the way home in my mates car, we were both so stoked about
what we had acquired. That personal memento of a great show, that could be relived
any time I want, or when anybody else wanted to listen, they could. That was
a special feeling that I hope to feel again sometime.
My first soundboard recording...will it be my last?
My first live recording...it wont be my last!
3rd April 2002
The following is the gear I use to make live recordings. For the price, Minidisc
can provide great quality digital recordings, albeit compressed. I have been
impressed from what I've heard and my personal experiences aswell. Hopefully
in the future I will purchase a DAT for my recordings, but I don't see that
happening too soon.
I researched a fair bit before I invested in my first mics. I think the Low
Cost Core-Sound Stealthy Cardioids will suit me fine. This is my current rig:
LCCSSC
> Sharp
MD-MT99W(S)
At the moment I can only do analogue transfers from my minidisc headphone jack to the line in on my computer. This digital to analogue to digital conversion does have quality loss, however it is all that's available to me at the moment. My next purchase will be a sound card with digital inputs/outputs
23rd April 2002
Last night I taped Skip Sail and Bob
Brozman at the Basement in Sydney. I have emailed Bob about his thoughts
on audience taping for non-commercial listening and free trade distribution,
but never got a reply. So Bob, if you ever read this, let me know what your
thoughts are on me trading this tape, if you want a copy of the tape, or if
you want me to burn it - either way, I'd like to hear.
Anyhow, for a first recording, I think it turned out ok. Not knowing Bobs or
the Basements taping policy, I decided to go stealth. The MT99 doesn't have
a backlit display so i was forever trying to get the levels right by trying
to catch the incoming light and still remain inconspicuous. I decided to err
on the side of lower levels because I knew I could boost them later with CoolEdit.
The low cost cardioids from core-sound were awesome. I didn't think the recording
would turn out half as well as it did. There was only slight distortion early
in Skips set before I had adjusted the levels. Since the mics went straight
into the mic-in, I had to rely on the plug in power. I think I may invest in
a battery box so that the full range of the microphones can be utilised via
the 9 volt phantom power supply.
14th May 2002
I tried to assemble a battery box via the instructions at MICDIYERS using parts I bought from Dick Smith. My lack of patience and poor soldering skills resulted in me buying a battery box from the Sound Professionals.
So my rig is now:
LCCSSC > SPSB-1 > Sharp MD-MT99W(S)
Sunday 2nd June 2002
Last night I taped Peter Green Splinter Group at the Metro in the city.
Another stealth job.
I had a hard time seeing the levels on the minidisc since I accidentally left
my light source (mobile phone) in the car. I had to rely on the little red LED
key ring light you get from sound professionals. NOT ideal!
Running the mics through the battery box and into the line in, the first couple
of songs were really distorted. I lowered the levels and the next couple of
songs were a perfect level.
Still blindly changing the levels, I settled again on a lower level, and as
a result it is a pretty quiet recording. Yet this can be fixed when I learn
how to properly master in CoolEdit. Maybe I should look for a tutorial on this...
Friday 7th June 2002
Good news! I have purchased my first DAT. It is a second hand sony
TCD-D8 that I picked up on eBay for a good price. It came with a 7-pin to
toslink I/O cable and an active coaxial to 7-pin input cable. Coming in the
mail soon will be my new Zoltrix
Nightingale Pro 6 sound card that has digital optical and coaxial I/O. Now
I will be able to make uncompressed live recordings and transfer in digital
format for the best quality.
So my rig is now:
LCCSSC > SPSB-1 > Sony TCD-D8
and conversions will be:
Sony TCD-D8 > (optical) > Zoltrix Nightingale Pro 6 > CoolEdit Pro 2
Thursday 4th July 2002
I taped Jack Johnson at the Metro with my minidisc in his only Sydney
gig this tour. It was a great gig, and the tape came out ok. There were heaps
of hyperactive middle aged women around me. They were flicking their hair and
other bits all around- it was dangerous! But we were all having a good time;
Jack, Merlo and Adam all put on a great show.
The encore break provided the perfect amount of time for me to swap discs cause
I was recording in sp mode. I borrowed my mates MDS-JE320 for the conversion.
Using its' line out is a heaps better than the headphone out on the MT99, but
still a far cry from digital.
I've got this show up on Furthur, and traded a fair bit for it, so it's out
there, that's the main thing.
Friday 5th July 2002
I was really keen to see The Hive at the Basement since the last time
I saw them at the Hopetoun, I didn't have any taping gear. This was their rebirthing
show as they changed their name to Baggsmen. Once again, the D8 had some shutter
problems, so I took along the minidisc again. I pulled a pretty good recording,
a bit of phasing though. They put on a good show, too bad the crowd wasn't really
into it.
Bonus of the night was catching the last 15 minutes of Decoder Ring. Soaring
80s hair metal blended with trippy indie reel-to-reel film made this a show
I wont forget in a hurry. They were fucken awesome! I can't wait to see these
guys again!!
Saturday 20th July 2002 - SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS
Before I set off for Byron, I made stop off at Dick Smith Electronics
and picked up a breadbox and a 4xD cell battery sled. I had an old sony plug
on a length of wire. My ambition was to build an external battery box to power
the DAT for longer than 2 hours, as was the current duration available with
the 4xAA cell internal battery shoe.
I only had to angle grind the sled down a bit to fit snugly into the box, drill
a hole in the side, put the wire through then solder the wire to the terminals.
Piece of piss really...
Theoretically, it will power the D8 for about 45 hours. But due to the voltage
drop prone to alkaline batteries, it will only have enough juice for about 16
hours. Until I buy some NiCads or NiMH rechargeable's, it'll have to do.
Sonic Studios sells
sort of the same thing, yet it is hooked up to a dummy internal shoe, so it
doesn't go through the voltage drop regulator components in the external power
socket. But they want US$95, which is a fucking joke.
Splendour was my first time taping a live gig with my DAT, apart from the home
jam sessions, so I was a little paranoid about security and how it was going
to go - and not only because we stopped at Nimbin!! ;)
I was rigged up with mics, battery box, dat, and power box all ready to go as
I always do when going to a gig. But there was a ton more security here than
at club gigs - I was hoping they weren't going to recognise the strange bulges
and protrusions...Got through no worries!
First gig I was ready for was Jebediah. I had a 3 hour dds in the D8 ready to
go. We squeezed ourselves right to the center, just FOB. Theoretically, this
was the best position, sound-wise, in the place. The fact that I was in the
middle of a throbbing mass under a big top wasn't taken into account. It should
have been!
I have my mics clipped onto my shirt lapels, so they sit about 5 feet off the
ground. But since we were at a music festival with some of the best bands in
Australia playing, and taking into account the pogo effect, there was a fair
bit of phasing and the sound was a bit dull. But the Jebs played a good set,
and the recording came out ok.
Due to a bit of walking around after the set, the 1/8" plug from the battery
box came halfway out of the Line-in socket on the dat, giving me a mono recording
for You Am I and George. I have fixed this in CoolEdit, but mono recordings
SUCK! You just lose the whole atmosphere of the place, it seems so constricted
when you listen back.
Anyway, after that episode, I decided to put all the gear back in the car and
rock on for the rest of the night.
The next day I chose to soak up the rays, vibes and tunes whilst sucking on
a few splifs. Sometimes I wish I had taped JBT, Super Grass and the Doves, but
I had the best time in ages just cruising and chilling. Maybe someone else was
taping that day... Actually, on the first day during You Am I, I saw a dude
pull out a Sony MZ-R90 and got his girlfriend to hold his sony T-mic on top
of her head. Then later on during Paul Mac, I saw some old dude with a Sharp
SR60, some kind of single point hand held mic, and some big doofy headphones...maybe
I over estimated security?
Friday 2nd August 2002
The James Morrison Sextet was in town and I thought it was about time I caught a little culture. So off to the Basement I went, D8 in hand. They played a 2½ hour set around a 50 minute encore break. It was pretty wild at times, and they were all pretty good. The recording came out pretty good, but I missed the last couple of songs.
Saturday 10th August 2002
I was on a bit of a Neil Young rush, and I saw an ad for Local Harvest in Drum at the Cat & Fiddle. Turned out to be an awesome night. The musos were all local playing known and not so well known Neil tunes... A few guys at the end got a bit over the top, "..oooh baby, keep rocking baby..." very cringeworthy. Melanie Horsnell was my favourite. There weren't that many people, so we sat on the floor close to the stage. I got a really clear recording, very nice!
Thursday 15th August 2002
This night I taped the first The Beautiful Girls gig on this Sydney
tour at the Roma Room in the Metro Theatre. It was the second time I've seen
them, but first with taping gear. I emailed them about their taping policy,
and have yet to get a response. I did see a single point stereo T-mic > unknown
minidisc rig sitting on top of the soundboards, although I think someone close
to the band had it running.
The room gradually filled up throughout the opening act and just before the
main set we jumped over the barricade (two seats) blocking off upstairs. I positioned
myself at the front of the upstairs balcony, directly above the sound technician
and had a pretty good vantage point.
I'm beginning to realise the that my mics are exactly what they promise to be
- quality bargain starter mics. The time for an upgrade is apparent, but until
the funds come my way, they'll have to do.
The tape came out ok, after a bit of fiddling in CoolEdit it should be a bit
better.
Mat from the Beautiful Girls emailed me back and said live recording is allowed!
Friday 6th September 2002
We were a little late getting to this John Williamson gig, so I missed
the first 20 mins or so, which was a bummer cause I heard Mallee Boy whilst
I was held up in the foyer. It was reserved seating, so I was glad I got
my tickets early and were in the third row, right in front of the right speaker
stack. This is probably my clearest live recording to date. It sounds exactly
as it did live, including the guy next to me with the cold. :(
I made up some artwork for this one, just cause I know I wont find any on the
net. I'm not sure how big the John Williamson live trading scene is...
Friday 1st November 2002
Made it inside The Gaelic Club and upstairs to a nice vantage point just before The Ring came on. I was almost directly above the right ground stack on the balcony, however after listening to the recording, maybe I should have been a little further away. Still a nice recording though from a wicked, tripped out show.
I taped Brad at the Metro this night. After unsuccessfully trying to obtain a soundboard feed, I positioned myself about 4 feet from the right stack, (Stones side). I missed the first song and a half due to a sticky hold button, but the rest of the show turned out fairly well. Shame about the whistle hounds and the conversationalists, but that sorta adds to the atmosphere! Awesome show though!!
Friday 24th January 2003
The security at the Enmore for this gig was the heaviest I've ever
encountered, apart from clubs. But the ease at which we evaded the big guys
with the wands gave the impression that is was more for show than thoroughly
checking for weapons and various other objects. Although the chicks wearing
spiked collars did get the treatment.
Betchadupa were awesome, can't wait to see these boys opening up for Pearl Jam.
I was keen to tape them as well, though there a few security guards roaming
through the front floor section, and I didn't want to do too much before the
lights went down.
QOTSA had a really poor sound, overwhelming bass and really soft vocals. I thought
the recording was going to turn out really shit, but it wasn't too bad. Wasn't
too good either, a B+ at best, but surprisingly almost better than the original
show - although that could have something to do with my state of mind at the
time.
A loose connection gave me about 30 seconds of silence during the first set,
and a few glitches are present also.
I didn't see any other tapers, but there was a dude with a handycam, up on the
balcony, then stage left, probably some band project.
Saturday 8th February 2003
The first Pearl Jam show of the Australian tour, and my first Pearl Jam gig
in 5 years. Security was pretty intense. I scoped out the situation for a while
and figured out that everything had to be dacked to get in as every person was
being stopped and patted down. I had to put the battery in my bag as I couldn't
fit it *all* down there.
On approaching the security guy, I had the bag open and got waved through without
even a glance in, or a pat down!? Good thing I'm not a terrorist.
We had 16th row seats which was pretty cool. The left stacks were suspended
directly in front of me. The security on the floor was pretty intense also.
People around me were getting ejected for using cameras, even disposables!
Some little dude next to me was flailing around a bit and knocked me a few times,
but no damage was done, good to see youngsters getting into PJ!!
I listened to the tape on the way hope and was pretty stoked with how it came
out in such a large venue.
I missed the beginning of Johnny Marr and didn't want to risk a tape swap anyway.
Betchadupa weren't present, I was looking forward to these guys.
PJ were awesome!! A few lyric flubs by Ed, but that's come to be part of the
show. Closing with Crazy Mary was unbelievable! Great night!
Sunday 9th February 2003
There seemed to be less people lining up to get in this night. I didn't
have a bag this time, so a friends purse had to carry the fatbat in. Everything
was in place and I approached the security dude on the end and voluntarily assumed
the position. After no patting for a few seconds, I turned around and he was
off talking to some chick, how easy was that! It's pretty disappointing rather,
imagine if someone did have something that belongs on the "Not Allowed" list. I just hope someone got a Hi8 in!
We were in 6th row tonight! Problem was, there was a 3 meter gap between 5th
and 6th rows! Security guards were never more than 2 meters from me the whole
night. I had to set record and hold in the dunnies and hope that the levels
hadn't moved too much from the night before. Unfortunately they were a little
high, but still passable. Another great show.
I didn't tape the first two sydney gigs due to time restrictions, and that I just wanted to flail around a bit myself. I managed to hear the last half of "You've got to hide your love away"on the 11th. My fifth row dead center fanclub tix were awesome!!
Friday 14th February 2003
This show was being broadcast on MMM tonight, but I couldn't tape that
due to a previous engagement ;) The security at the previous two nights in Sydney
looked impressive, although it was spoiled by an open side door designated exit
only. Real smart!
Friday was a different story. That door was shut. I asked my mate to dack the
fatbat for me. It took us three goes for both of us to get in undetected, lucky
there are a million entrances to the ent cent.
Johnny and the Healers were as clinical as ever. We had 10th row, Mikes side
tonight. Finally got to hear Alive live! 5 shows and still no Release, I guess
I should have got tickets to Japan! Great Tour Pearl Jam!!
Thursday 27th February 2003
Back to the Basement I went to catch World Blues Virtuoso, Bob Brozman!
We got there a little after the scheduled time of the first act. Turns out,
there was no first act and it was Bob picking away. Hence I missed the first
set. I didn't bring the fatbat this night, thinking that a 2 hour tape and 2
hours worth of AA's will get me through. It didn't.
I got an hour and a half of Bobs second set - the guy played for nearly three
hours!
We had to stand up near the bar because 'people are having dinner' near the
stage, as the waitress put it. During the intermission I went out and turned
on. Then we went and sat down at the front table anyway, about 3 meters from
the stage. I only got about 90 minutes of playing time, but it was great! Mainly
due to the fact that the first set was mainly old songs and old jokes, most
of which I taped a year ago. The second set was pretty new. Our old mate Skip
Sail made a return to the Ban-Jo, as well as Casbo and the Tuba. Lots of sing-a-longs
and crowd interaction. Another great night!
Thursday 6th March 2003
I'd heard mixed reviews about the Dirty Three, and after seeing them, I can understand both sides. I thought it was killer! Probably the LOUDEST gig I'd ever been to, but well worth being deaf for. Unfortunately, the levels were so hot that the tunes got distorted throughout all but the soft songs. This was a shame, although I'm keen to see these guys again.
Wednesday 2nd April 2003
Back to the Basement, again. Bob was back in town accompanied by Jeff
Lang. This time I got there in time and we scored a table near the front. Jeff
and Bob played a few songs together, then Bob solo, then Jeff and his drummer,
then all three together. I'd never seen Jeff before, but it was a great experience
and I'm keen to see him again. He's a got a bit more of a mainstream feel about
him, well, compared to Bob anyway!
One drawback was the constant loud chat and laughing by the pissed middle-aged
women behind us. Even during the quiet songs they couldn't quite fathom that
people paid money to hear the guys on the stage. My mate got the shits and asked
them politely to keep it quiet. It worked for about 3-4 seconds. Thankfully
they left soon after. I can't understand why people would pay $25 to fuck up
everyone else's night. Gives me the shits! </bitch>
Tuesday 8th April 2003
Great news, today my AT831s came in the mail all the way from the Sound Professionals! I'll have to experiment a little with them at home jam sessions. They are much bigger than the Core-Sound Low Cost Stealthy Cardioids, however I've already sorted out a way of stealthing with them, thanks to my Pearl Jam bucket hat!
My rig is now:
AT831 > SPSB-1 > Sony TCD-D8
Thursday 10th April 2003
Ben Harper. Need I say more? GREAT show! Got there a little late (7:45pm!?)
and Jack was already on stage. I only managed to get the last half of his set,
which was a pretty standard set, only Horizons was newish. I was hoping for
maybe a few more new/unreleased songs. First time I get to see Jack and Ben
together, and no Flake duet. Maybe they've retired that one in favour for High
Tide Low Tide. Pity. Solid hour long set though, it was pretty packed out already.
By the time Ben and the criminals had come out I'd made it to about 10 meters
from the right stack. It was my first time using the new AT831s. I had them
clipped to the inside of my PJ hat and it worked out pretty well. Although I'm
more conscious of moving my head from side to side during gigs now due to the
weird effect caused upon playback.
There were only a couple of talkers around me that night and the tape came out
really well. And has hence been spread far and wide. A pity no other tapes were
made/released (so far). Would have loved to get a full Jack set.
Tuesday 15th April 2003
Got there early enough to get both Jack and Ben tonight. Although the
booze was hit tonight, the tape came out good, A-.
I made it to about 15 meters from the left stack this night.
I was a bit paranoid about my levels this time as dB range at the previous gig
was huge. The soft songs were barely audible and the loud almost clipping. So
the D8 was at 10 for the solo acoustics and about 5 for the rest of the gig.
It was a bit awkward changing all the time, especially after Burn one down.
Wednesday 16th April 2003
Went solo this night. I sat in the stands up on the left almost square on the stage. View wasn't the best, although the sound was pretty good. Lots of people coming and going in the stands, the constant thuds are footsteps! G.Love's harmonica solo during mudfooty was killer!
Friday 2nd May 2003
Out to the Bridge to catch an Australian pub rock legend tonight, Mark
Seymour! He played mostly new songs, some of which were really good, some not
so much.
I was using the new mics again. I don't think I'll go back to the LCCSSC, leave
them for home jams. One thing about the ATs, they pick up everything in a small
place like the Bridge. I had an unobstructed line to the right stack for most
of the set, then when it got a little more cosy, the conversation took precedence!
:( Another shocker were the dicks constantly spweing "Holy grail, holy
grail, play holy grail Mark. Hey Mark, play holy grail. Throw your arms around
me, hey Mark, play some more Hunters. More Hunters, play holy grail..." He caved in the end, but I think he had to leave it to last to keep the place
full. Classic songs though. Wouldn't mind seeing Mr. Seymour again, even getting
his new album!
Saturday 31st May 2003
I won two free tix and an album from a Decoder Ring comp in Drum Media. I've seen the ring twice before, both being mind blowing experiences. This gig at the Annandale exceeded ALL my expectations.
These guys are our generations Pink Floyd!!
And I think it's showing with the gig selling out before the boys even
took the stage!
I emailed their management before the gig to check if taping was cool, it is,
and encouraged!
I took the clips off the ATs and sticky taped them to the inside of my beanie
tonight, getting a bit chilly in Sydneytown... I was about 5 meters from the
stage, dead center. Although the mics were pretty much AB, the proximity to
the speakers gave a nice stereo effect. The tape came out really well and has
been on constant rotation since.
Once again, DECODER RING! see you in the grass!
Thursday 26th June 2003
Went across town to catch Dirty Lucy at the Brass Monkey in Carringbah tonight. The venue was a small dark Tapas bar, but quite cosy. The place was no where near full, so we managed to get a table right in front of the girls. The sound was ok considering I just had the mics lying on a jumper more or less aimed at the P.A. The show was split into two sets, so I used two BASF 64min DATmaster tapes, unfortunately, the second got lost! But the one remaining is enough for me. Not really my cup of tea, but it's always good to try something new.
Wednesday 2nd July 2003
My second hand Zefiro Inbox / Denecke AD-20 arrived this week courtesy of eBay. In the package was also a Denecke PS-2 and a pair of optimus 33-3017 cardioid mics. I'll have to wait till I upgrade my mics before I can use the PS-2 (I'm looking at some AT853Rx, but not for a while). And the Optimus mics will just be used for jam/band sessions, as I'm more of a stealth taper and couldn't really conceal two eight inch protrusions without looking slightly suspicious!! I still have to wait until I get a mini jack > dual male XLR connector before I can use the AD-20 though.
Wednesday 9th July 2003
I managed to win two tickets to Powderfinger's Sydney album launch party at the Metro. Hadn't seen the boys since livid the year before, so it was good to catch up! They blew me away! Middleton was shredding and Fanning is just turning into a rock legend! I'm not sure if they were trying to create a dirty sound to coincide with the new 'rocky' album, but the vocals were really muddy and not too impressive. However the guitars were awesome and came across really clearly. Overall, great gig, I give the tape B+/A-.
Saturday 12th July 2003
I saw that Decoder Ring were playing at the Spanish Club in Sydney
only hours before the gig. I made sure I was there! There were a few problems
with the PA system early on. Lots of crackling and bangs, but after a few minutes,
it was smooth sailing. The Ring debuted a few new songs tonight, some were crackers.
Although it seemed that the layoff over June had them out of synch slightly
early on, by the end of the gig (the first in Sydney with new bassist Ben Ely),
it was sounding pretty cool.
There was a fair bit of loud crowd chat on the tape, sort of ruined it! Still
a good gig though, a nice precursor to splendour.
Saturday 19th July 2003
Splendour in the Mud. Great times even with the deluge. I only taped on the first day because it was pissing down all day Sunday. I got Sarah Blasko, Decoder Ring, The Music, The Living End and Powderfinger. The sound at Splendour was pretty bad, worse than last year I reckon. But the atmosphere was great! I also taped Coldplay off JJJ LATW.
Wednesday 13th August 2003
I went and checked out JBT at the Central Coast Leagues club tonight. I couldn't bring any taping gear in due to there being a strict dress code, (no head wear). And the fact that John wasn't very taper friendly on this tour due to his live cd being hotly promoted. In any case, it was a good gig, and the remaining zucchini cake from Nimbin went down a treat! Thanks Mother Earth!!
Saturday 23rd August 2003
My mini jack > dual male XLR connector arrived from the Sound Professionals today. I sent out enquiries to local audio and cable engineers about developing my own cable as opposed to importing a ready made one. Some said that the job was futile, others said they would do it but wouldn't give a guarantee due to stress tension deficiencies. Others just didn't reply. So back to the big two, Core-Sound or SP. I was all ready to go with core-sound, then I checked the SP web site and, as it turned out, they were having a sale that week and the cable I was after was the cheapest I'd seen it. I also got a small variable attenuator cable, just in case!
So now my rig is:
AT831 > SPSB-1 > AD-20 > Sony TCD-D8
Saturday 6th September 2003
I attempted to tape Pete Murray at the Avalon RSL tonight although my 6v sla fat bat was d-e-d. Double and treble checking from now on!
Saturday 27th September 2003
Was super keen to catch Decoder Ring at the Harboard Diggers tonight,
and to test out my newish AD-20. The ring put on a good show with new unreleased
songs comprising half the set. I fixed my mics onto a table very close to the
stage, not realising there'd be dancing girls and guys forcing me to move to
a less obstructed position halfway through the set.
Even on the lowest setting, running my mics through the AD-20 gave me levels
which were just too hot, (wish I had brought that little attenuator cable).
So halfway through the first song, the mics were out of the AD-20 and into the
Line-In. Upon playback, the sound was hardly distorted at all during the AD-20
period which was slightly weird, but I'm sure there would have been more vicious
clipping furthur into the set as the volume increased. Thankfully the change
over was swift and there wasn't a lot of time lost. I was happy to hear the
difference between AD-20 in and out was very noticeable, can't wait till the
next show I use it at, I'll bring little attenuator just in case!
Wednesday 5th November 2003
Jack Johnson at the Enmore tonight. Lot's of trendy looking people
at tonights show, which means one thing, lots of fucken crowd chat.
Getting in this time was no worries, nothing like the security last time I was
at the Enmore. We had tickets in the standing area just in front of the stage.
I was about to tape Donavan when I found out my fat bat was d-e-d again. Later
inspection revealed a faulty power board, so even though the bat was on the
juice for a couple of days, nothing was going in. So off to the local IGA to
get a four pack of AA's.
Jack came out and played a few songs on ukelele at the end of Donavan's set
which was pretty cool. (I guess he'd been practicing it from his stint with
Pearl Jam the previous week.) I taped these in front of the right floor stacks
about 5 metres away and added these to the end of the show.
When Jack came out, we were dead centre, 3 metres from the barrier! Ideal
taping position? Yes. Great tape? Fuck no! I guess you have to take the good
with the bad, but this show was one of the worst concert going experiences for
me. Two pissed dudes behind me decided to sing every word to every song, and
when I say sing I mean bloody annoying yelling and high shrieking whistling.
I was too bent to do anything about it though, and no one's a winner when you
fight at a concert. We're all there for a good time, that differs from person
to person, but you get that. I was just hoping throughout the entire show that
these guys didn't end up on the tape. Thank God for cardioid mics!
The problem with the tape is the venue. I don't think that the speakers are
loud enough. Even with a limited number of people between myself and the speakers,
audience noise is still very audible, almost intrusive to the songs. A shame
really. Besides that, and the floor boards which flex scarily when danced upon,
the Enmore is a really cool old venue.
Friday 21st November 2003
NEIL YOUNG and CRAZY HORSE. What a fantastic show this old legend put
on for us. I'd already heard a few shows from his solo tour in Europe, and the
Crazy Horse backed tour of North America, but it didn't prepare me for the show.
The Greendale set was more like a stage show or musical than a rock concert
with actors miming to Neil, props, moving platforms, giant video screens, and
dancing girls!!(Neil and Crazy Horses' wives)
We got 12th row on the floor, right of centre. The suspended speakers were directly
in front of us, same seats as PJ Sydney 2!
I was running a bit late setting up and missed the first couple of songs which
was a bummer. But the rest of the show sounded great coming through the AD20.
I might wait untill any other sources come out to splice into the front of my
tape.
The second set was killer! Hey Hey My My! Sedan Delivery! RitFW! Cinnamon Girl!
and ending with Roll another Number. Was praying for Powderfinger or Needle
and the Damage Done, wasn't to be. (I would have KILLED for SAMPLE AND HOLD!!!!)
Don't let it be another 14 years Neil!!
Sunday 14th December 2003
John Butler Trio and Powderfinger at the Entertainment Centre tonight!
Got in a bit late for JBT so only got 75% of the set, sounded good though! Didn't
include the AD-20 tonight for threat of damage on the floor! Tape came out really
good.
Somewhere in between JBT and the finger I manged to flip the input selector
on the D8 from manual to automatic(speech) which completely fucked up the Powderfinger
tape. Bummer too, cause some parts sound great!!
And I didn't bother taping the following night cause I assumed the tape came
out ok! :( Ah well, Bernie said that they were making a DVD from that night
anyway, whether it's a DVD from that night, or a compilation from the tour is
yet to be know. Either way, it should be cool.
Travelled upto the Glen Street Theatre in Belrose tonight to catch John Williamson and his Mates on the Road show. Had heaps of fun and the tape turned out awesome! Second time I've seen Johnny, some of the jokes were the same as two years ago, yet he still manages to bring out the true aussie spirit. Loved it! Once again, no AD-20, forgot to get a spare 9 volter. :( Not sure if it would've lasted the distance either as John, Pixie and the other bloke played for nearly 3 hours, great value, and a nice little theatre up there!
8th - 12th April 2004
Bluesfest. No taping, just loving.
Thursday 22nd April 2004
Radiohead. Entertainment Centre. Fucken Awesome!!! Had floor tickets
AND the AD-20. That may have been a mistake. Not for the first time have I had
the levels on the D8 almost constantly on 0dB even with the AD-20's levels at
the lowest settings. My only option at the moment is to put the little variable
attenuator cable somewhere in the line. Since it's a mini plug female to mini
plug male, the only spot is either between mics and battery box, or battery
box and AD-20. The former is just stupid, so it's upto the latter. However I'm
very reluctant to put a single channel pissweak little cable in my system. Maybe
I should investigate a third party to engineer my AD-20 to accept a Line-in
mini plug somewhere on the case. I know that soundprofessionals offer an AD-20
that has almost that, it's jack supplies a 9 volt power supply as well, but
also requires twin 9 volters. (But jacks the brand new price up by US$100) I'm
sure I can get someone to do it around here, maybe me? hehe, maybe not. Might
just make sure I'm a fair distance from the speakers if it's a loud show.
I was the same distance from the stage for both Neil Young and Radiohead, same
rig, one overloaded, one didn't, but I guess that's more to do with the music!
Ah well, just keep experimenting I guess...
NB: After close inspection of the wave and repeated listening, the only time the levels maxed out was when the fanatics around me were going apeshit, the music was at a perfect level. Once again, my faith is restored in the AD-20!
Friday 14th May 2004
Took the missus to see Mr Kelly and his nephews support act the Alpha Males
at the State Theatre theatre. Only caught the end of the support set, but they
sounded pretty cool with a few catchy tunes.
It took a while for me to get into the main set, but when I did, a great time
was had. Our seats were in the 17th row on the floor, just to the left. I'd
never been in the state theatre before, so it was a bit of an experience. Nice
old venue. I'm guessing front row of the first level would be the perfect spot
to tape from. I'll have to remember that for next time. Still pulled a nice
recording though.
Friday 28th May 2004
John Hammond was the one to watch this night down at the basement. I'm not sure if it was him, or me, or the stuff I was smoking, but it wasn't a gig that I'll remember too fondly. By the end of it, I couldn't wait to leave. I prefer this guy on cd. The recording was shite too. As always, if you're not eating at the basement, then you have little option for seating/viewing. We managed to scam a few seats up the back near the rear door. So I put the mics on the shelf above the stands, not thinking that the security guards are gonna open up the entrance so they can go and have a smoke, letting the late Autumn breeze whilstle in over the top of the mics all night. Ahh well, guess it was just one of those nights.
Friday 8th October 2004
Caught Decoder Ring at the Gaelic Club on their Somersault tour supporting
their new album, the soundtrack to the movie, Somersault. Something strange was happening tonight though, both Ben Ely and Kenny Davis Jnr. weren't present. In their stead, was Lenka on vocals and keys, some big smiley dude on bass, (even though Geoff Towner was in the audience), and some little dude who was munching durries all night on synthesiser. This added to the doubts planted by reports that their are only 3 "musicians" left in the band, even though the liners notes in Somersault read: Tom Schutzinger, Pete Kelly, Matt Fitzgerald, Kenny Davis Jnr, Ben Ely. Now I know that Ben has been doing his thing with the 'Gurge lately, so that was his excuse, but is this a permanent thing? Who knows, well obviously a few people, but not me. But who cares, it was a great night with great tunes and good times.
I've acquired some "Industrial" Energizer AA bateries that I'm using in place of the fatBat. According to reports, the TCD-D8 should tape for two hours on normal AA's, however I've had a few bad experiences testing that theorey. Yet these industrial babies powered the D8 for the recording of the ring, rewind of the tape, and kept the D8 running in sleep mode for 3 days afterwards - so I'm sure that they might even make a 3 hour tape? We'll see...
I kept an eye on the bouncer guarding the stairs to the loft on the second floor of the Gaelic club so when he did drop the rope, we were among the first up to the second level for prime vantage point.
Didn't think much of Terrapin who opened the show, but the Presets who followed them absolutely rocked! A mate reckoned they wouldn't have been out of place in the early 80's disco scene, I think they'll be ones to watch!
When the ring came on, everything was running smoothly, then Simons Reels started ticking really loudly right next to me, so I had to move. We went back dowstairs and managed to get about 10 metres from the stage - much better sound and vibe!
The tape came out well, even with the change in positions. Will be keen to find out what's going on with the lineup though...
Friday 3rd December 2004
Got tix to The finn bros for tonights gig at the State Theatre. I'd been looking forward to seeing Neil Finn again. The last time I saw him was a three night stand at the Metro in 2001 supporting One Nil. Now that was a great gig and made me get my ass into gear regarding taping shows.
Tonight, a little lady who'd been making waves in the media lately was opening. I hadn't heard much of her music, but I knew she opened for JBT. There weren't too many people in their seat when Missy Higgins took the stage, their loss. I thought she was great. It was just her and a dude on an acoustic guitar, so really intimate.
She had a different voice, kinda overemphasising her accent, which is strange because I don't often notice Aussie accents.
I liked her bouncing around behind her piano, she really got into it. Good tunes, good tape.
I brought the AD20, but not the adapter cable! So line-in on the D8 she went. We were 7th row, slightly to the left again.
When the Finns came out, the place was packed. They played some cool new ones, and lots of old classics. Highlight was when Neils sons came out and played on "I see Red", Finns x 4, Liam on lead and the youngest smashing the skins. Great times. Good tape as well.
Bluesfest. No taping, just loving!
Wednesday 20th April 2005
Bought a Connor CTD-8000R-S DDS2 internal tape drive off eBay for A$21 today to go with my Adaptec 2940UW SCSI card I picked up for 99 cents. My aim is to get this drive flashed with the audio firmware 5.ac so that I can use it to transfer my dats to wav files without wasting the heads on the D8. They also transfer at 2.2x which is shithot. I'm sick of waiting for realtime transfers. Haven't managed to accomplish this as yet, making progress slowly though...
Saturday 23rd April 2005
Put the D8 in for a service at AllisonAudio at Brookvale. It's been a while since it's last service and I just wanted it to be shipshape for my meeting with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at Luna Park on the 16th May.
Monday 9th May 2005
Bought a Sony SDT-9000 DDS3 internal tape drive off eBay today for A$71. These drives from Sony are the only audio capable dds3 drives out there. This is in my system because it will provide faster transfers again, a backup transfer method and possibly a means of making DAT clones. I haven't got this one flashed with the correct audio firmware either. Apparently there were two versions of these drives, ones with AHA chips, and ones with other older chips. The readily available 12.2 audio firmware works with the older chips, but since mine is a newer AHA chip, it requires the 13.1 audio firmware and as I can report, doesn't work with the 12.2 firmware.
Getting the 13.1 firmware will be the challenge...
Monday 16th May 2005
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds @ The Big Top, Luna Park Sydney. Still hadn't got my DAT back from its service, so I had to whip out the old Sharp minidisc. It's been a long time since I use this baby in the field. And it showed. I taped 2½ hours of silence!!
It's a shame too, as Nick and the Seeds put on a great show!! Luckily some other punter taped it and I'll try to get that copy soon.
Sunday 28th May 2005
Success!! I had been having tremedous troubles flashing my Connor (Archive Python) drive with the audio firmware, namely, after booting with a DOS boot disc, and running the FUP executable, I was recieving the following error: "FUP8111 error: The DOS ASPI Manager was not found. Check your config.sys"
Now I knew I had an entry in my config.sys, but until today, didn't realise I needed the /d switch at the end of the entry. After adding that, the firmware flashed without a hitch and I have been transferring old dats ever since using DAT2WAV. The only problem is that the DATs get mighty hot in the drive, so you have to be sure to leave them in there only when reading.
Wednesday 1st June 2005
Got another Sony DDS-3 drive off eBAY, this one has an AKM chip on the bottom and was able to be flashed with the 12.1 firmware and is now audio capable. Transfers shows at 4x. Woohoo!!
Sunday 3rd July 2005
Caught the Ring out at the Annandale tonight celebrating 5 years of live music at this cool venue. Had the AD-20 inline and was able to get about 3 metres from the stage, dead centre just before the boys (and girl) came out.
They opened up with the classic Welcome Shoppers then played a few new tracks off their forthcoming album "Fractions". The new songs were pretty dancy with some cool drum rolls.
Lots more singing by Lenka on these new tracks, which is very different from the older opinion the boys had about 'front men'.
The gig went for an hour including a short encore break and they closed with an oldie dedicated to (one of) their former
bassist(s) Geoff Towner who was side stage.
Overall, a great gig with a bit of rust in parts. We'll see what show they put on up at Splendour.
Taping wise, the signal coming out of the AD20 is so perfect that I haven't needed to adjust any levels any time I use it. From the Ent Cent to the Annandale, never any clipping due to speaker sound. The only problem tonight was a bit of static when I clipped the cord with an empty. And the transfer was so quick, I was able to listen to the show again on cd going to sleep!
Saturday 23rd July 2005
Splendour again, reminds me of my youth. Only taped the Ring this time. A shame they had some laptop issues, but I'm sure most of the crowd didn't notice (including me until playback!)
Very similar set to the Annandale gig. Quite a few new songs, one or two each from Spooky Action, LP and Somersault. None from the 'lost period' as I call it. This is a bummer cause some of their best work was between the first album and Somersault - possibly never to be heard again!
Still a great gig. Loads more people checking them out this time. You can't keep a good thing down!
Friday 21st October 2005
Caught the Ring at the Metro on their Fractions tour. I'm really digging this CD. Somersault was cool, but this is the Decoder I know and love. Dancy beats blended with chunky bass and trippy effects. Monochromic had the prime possie at the soundboard, so I took the misus front and centre. Forgot that I had cardioid mics and I was right in front of the bass amp! This equates to a bassed out tape - but a great night. Managed to score a setlist and pick aswell. I don't think the setlist is changing too much these days. Maybe on the next tour they'll mix it up a bit.
Friday 11th November
Scored tix to Bernard Fannings first attempt at a solo gig. I got tickets late to the Sydney Theatre gig, 3rd row from the back, which lessened the guilt of not bringing any batteries!
A really enjoyable show with loads of crowd interaction, great musicianship and nice tunes.
Ben Harper and the IC at the Entcent tonight. Although Ben was doing a fair ammount of publicity for this tour, it seems that his popularity is in the decline. The fact that on his last tour he played 4 gigs in Sydney and only 1 on this tour says as much, if not for the decreased quality of his studio work. A personal observation ofcourse.
In any case, live shows are what this group is all about. Unfortunately, they also failed to live up to expectations in this arena.
They tried hard, but the magic just doesn't seem to be there anymore. The crowd only really got into it when the house lights were cranked for the last song.
Taping wise, everything went without a hitch. We made it to 10 metres from the stage in front of the right side PA. Once again, the levels were only slightly hot on the lowest setting of the AD20 - but I can blame Juan for that. Overall, a nice tape that has been snatched over 100 times on Dime.
I have been using these Industrial Energizer AA batteries in the D8. They read half full after taping for nearly 3 hours! I might not have to worry about using the FatBat any more!
Now, if I can get some 9v versions for the AD20 I'll be set.
23rd July 2006 - Spendour in the Grass
Billed as Somersault in the Grass, this was an experimental gig in that the Ring were going to play the Somersault soundtrack in its' entirety. The GW McLennan Theatre was absolutely chockas after
José González, (with good reason!), so after the trendites went off to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs we were able to score a great seat and wait for the display.
The crowd slowly grew till the theatre was again almost full, a more comfortable full this time with a cruisy atmosphere. True to their word, Somersault was presented to us in it's entire audiovisual splendour, with a track from Fractions thrown in. A nice gig that has reaffirmed my appreciation of this band.
The tape turned out to be a cracker. All that was required was a slight low-end cut, resample from 48Khz and a hard-limit to boost.
This gig was a great soundtrack to listen to on the long drive home on Monday - farewell Splendour for another year.
Upcoming Gigs
Pearl Jam/Kings of Leon - 7th November 2006 - Sydney Superdome
Pearl Jam/Kings of Leon -
8th November 2006 - Sydney Superdome
Pearl Jam/Kings of Leon - 13th November 2006 - Rod Laver Arena
Pearl Jam/Kings of Leon - 18th November 2006 - Sydney Superdome
DISCLAIMER: I don't condone the sale
of any of my amateur recordings.