Live recording and compressors/gates

[juncher]

I´m about to make a live recording of my rockband using a 4 track MD and 2 AKG C1000s mics. I will record 3 tracks simultanesly. Track 3 will be the vocal directly from the mixer. Keyboards will be recorded on track 4 later. I have 2 questions:
- I will record the whole band in stereo using the 2 mics. Should I use my ALESIS NANO comp between the mics and the recorder and what should be the settings.
- Should I use a compressor with gate for the vocal track, trying to isolate the vocal and "kill" the band.
Or shoul I forget about the fancy stuff and just plug the mics into the recorder?
Best regards
Peter (the dane) Live from Copenhagen!

 

[alu]

I only have little experience recording live bands, but I think you should record the band separately and do the vocals later.Record the band without the compressor. Use the compressor on the vocals using an insert point on your mixer. then record the keys. When mixing down, either compress the two channels where the band´s been recorded using the insert points or compress the whole mix. Experiment with the settings until you´ve got a sound you like. Remember, you can do many different mixes till you´re satisfied.Hope this helps you or you can blame me! Good Luck!

 

[juncher]

Thanks for your comments. Me idear was to use the compressor to kill the peaks from the mics before it was recorded on the MD. Maybe to kill the drummer, as he seems to be the guy who makes the most noice on our recordings. Your suggestion would be to ask the drummer to be nice on his drums, and then use the compressor to mix the 2 recorded mic tracks?
We will record the vocal directly together with the band. Recording the signal on a seperate track from the mixer gives us the chance to get the vocal mixed to the right volumen in the final mix. We are a rock´n roll band who likes to play, and hates trick recordings. (playing without vocals)
Any hints for our session will be appriciated in Copenhagen.
Peter