I am new at recording so just bare with my lack of understanding of the recording process. Our band is playing at a gig and I was wanting to record the live music. We use an Allen & Heath mixer board and I was wondering what would be the best way to record it and get a decent recording and where would I plug into on the mixer to grab the mix to record it ? What is the best way, and what are the alternatives ?
Recording Live Question ?
- Thread starter IBJammin
- Start date
Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
Depends on a few different things. In smaller venues, USUALLY there's mostly vocals in the PA as the stage volume carries the instruments. Recording from the board yields a mix that's all vox and not enough of the band. If you have a pair of decent condensors and preamps, I'd put them in the sweet spot of the room (where the front of house mixer sets is ideal) and record the room as that's what the band is sounding like anyway.
We will be playing outside to an audience of about 200-300 people. Even though that's not that big of an audience, we normally send everything through the mixer board so that the sound can be controlled by the guy on the board. Prevents guitarist and others from overpowering everyone else. Amps on stage are mainly used for monitors for each player to hear themselves out of the mix.
Massive Master
www.massivemastering.com
I do this quite a bit, but it requires an OBSCENE amount of time at sound-check...
If you're multi-tracking, just go out of the "DIRECT OUT" on each channel and ignore everything else below.
Assuming you're using an AH with enough AUX sends (2200 maybe?) and you can spare two of them, use AUX 1 for LEFT and AUX 2 for RIGHT (or 3&4, or 5&6). Plug the aux sends into your recorder...
These need to be POST fader - Flip that switch if you need to...
Once you can get a decent sound check, even if you're running the mix in mono, you can use the aux sends to build a separate, stereo mix. Both aux's will have to be at the same level to achieve a center (vocal, snare, kick, bass...), but you can manipulate the 2 sends like a "manual pan control" to build it up. Monitor the headphone out on the recorder. If you've got one handy, going through a bit of compression wouldn't hurt too much.
The taper on most AH potentiometers will give you unity at around "7" for full left or right (drum overheads, dual guitars, B-Vox wash). If you're sending mono, you'll get you level (BOTH knobs now...) at around "4.5" or "5" (stereo pan law... long story). Of course, if you want something "tilted" to the left or right, start at "3" on one and "6" on the other or so.
I know that 's a lot to take in if you've never tried it. But if you have the time, you'll love it.
This may not get you an "album quality" live recording, but it'll sure beat the FOH mix that you'd get through the tape-out.
John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com
If you're multi-tracking, just go out of the "DIRECT OUT" on each channel and ignore everything else below.
Assuming you're using an AH with enough AUX sends (2200 maybe?) and you can spare two of them, use AUX 1 for LEFT and AUX 2 for RIGHT (or 3&4, or 5&6). Plug the aux sends into your recorder...
These need to be POST fader - Flip that switch if you need to...
Once you can get a decent sound check, even if you're running the mix in mono, you can use the aux sends to build a separate, stereo mix. Both aux's will have to be at the same level to achieve a center (vocal, snare, kick, bass...), but you can manipulate the 2 sends like a "manual pan control" to build it up. Monitor the headphone out on the recorder. If you've got one handy, going through a bit of compression wouldn't hurt too much.
The taper on most AH potentiometers will give you unity at around "7" for full left or right (drum overheads, dual guitars, B-Vox wash). If you're sending mono, you'll get you level (BOTH knobs now...) at around "4.5" or "5" (stereo pan law... long story). Of course, if you want something "tilted" to the left or right, start at "3" on one and "6" on the other or so.
I know that 's a lot to take in if you've never tried it. But if you have the time, you'll love it.
This may not get you an "album quality" live recording, but it'll sure beat the FOH mix that you'd get through the tape-out.
John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com
What kind of equipment would it take to multitrack verses a live two track recording ? If you multitrack would you get the live presense like you do on a lot of pro live recordings ? Massive Master, you got into some things that went right over my head there. My AH mixer is a 16:2 MixWizard and it has 6 aux. sends. To keep from stressing you guys out, Is there a book or video for DUMMIES I could buy to help teach me the ends and outs of recording music whether it is live or in a studio ? I have always been fascinated with recording music but never tried to learn it in my younger years.