Qs re: recording live hardcore punk shows

  • Thread starter Thread starter lo.fi.love
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lo.fi.love

lo.fi.love

Functionally obsessed.
Hello folks,

I'm new here and I've searched the forum quite a bit. I haven't yet found any good tips for what I'm trying to do...

I will be taking a Marantz PMD-430 stereo cassette field recorder to a bunch of local hardcore punk shows, and I'm mostly ignorant when it comes to microphones. My goal is to get a fairly decent recording despite not being able to plug into the sound board.

I'll be standing somewhere in the room with two microphones, and since the bands will be LOUD with a lot of noise bouncing off the walls, I will want microphones that will be able to capture the sound without getting a blaring, distorted recording.

A somewhat-knowledgeable friend of mine recommended the Shure SM57 mics. I understand that these are great mics, but I'm curious to know whether they're suited for this purpose.

Does anybody have an opinion about using SM57s for live, loud recording? Is there anything else that someone can recommend at a cost less than US$100/mic?

Your help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!
 
I was at a show not too long ago where a guy was wearing a baseball cap with a small mic clipped to either side of the brim. I have no idea what particular type of mic this was, but you might want to investigate something like that.
 
I think what I should have asked was "Is the Shure SM57 good for this purpose?"
 
lo.fi.love said:
I think what I should have asked was "Is the Shure SM57 good for this purpose?"
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I would say no. SM-57's are good mics, indispensable really (or mics like them anyway, like an Audix i5). They are good for live recording when you can be right up on the speaker cabinets. I mean inches or less. They would't do a very good job recording high fidelity from 25 feet away.

Other with more live recording experience than I have will hopefully chime in. I would suggest a (matched) pair of small diaphragm condensor (SMC) mics for that application. They are very good at recording at some distance, because they are very wide, flat frequency response and quite sensitive.

There are a bunch of SDC's that I could recommend, but they are all much more than SM-57s. You might look at trying something like AKG C-1000's, which come in two-packs that aren't terribly much more than a couple SM-57's, and would work much better for your application. Good luck!
 
@Eddy Current: Thanks for your help! I'm going to keep searching...
 
Eddy Current said:
Grab a pair of these!: (link removed)
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Whoa! That mic sounds like a good fit, according to the manufacturer's description. I'm curious, though, since they're only $32/each, if they're of good quality. Do you have any experience with these, or know someone who does?

Thanks!
 
lo.fi.love said:
Whoa! That mic sounds like a good fit, according to the manufacturer's description. I'm curious, though, since they're only $32/each, if they're of good quality. Do you have any experience with these, or know someone who does?

Thanks!
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I've been hearing quite a bit about these mics. I haven't used them myself, but have a pair on order. I have heard good things about them on The Gear Page. This guy seems like the real deal.

Remember, these are condensor mics, so they have to be powered. If your recorder doesn't supply phantom power, you'd have to power them somehow. Naiant has some options for phantom power in their accessories section.
 
Eddy Current said:
I've been hearing quite a bit about these mics. I haven't used them myself, but have a pair on order. I have heard good things about them on The Gear Page. This guy seems like the real deal.

Remember, these are condensor mics, so they have to be powered. If your recorder doesn't supply phantom power, you'd have to power them somehow. Naiant has some options for phantom power in their accessories section.
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I noticed that you edited your original post. In the original, you linked to the X-Q. In the edited version, you link to the X-T. Is the X-T the one you're ordering?
 
I found this great thread here: "The Full Scoop on Naiants".

After reading the thread, and Naiant's "application" matrix, I think that either a pair of the X-T mics or a single X-S will be good for doing the recordings that I'm planning. Deciding on whether get a single binaural mic or a pair of mono mics is something else that I'm looking into. Hopefully I'll find some good suggestions by searching the board more...
 
PM board member "mshilarious". He's the guy that makes and sells the Naiant mics. I have a pair of his original omni condensers and they're nice little mics.
 
OK, I ordered one X-S microphone. I'm really stoked. I will definitely post a review of this microphone for this particular application (live, LOUD shows w/ the X-S) once I get a chance to record a show.

Totally unrelated note: I finally got around to testing my Marantz PMD-430 stereo cassette recorder last night, using two cheap dynamic mics. I'm still impressed by how much you can do with a Type II cassette and a good recorder. I can't wait to see what a good mic can do in combination with Type IV cassettes...
 
lo.fi.love said:
OK, I ordered one X-S microphone. I'm really stoked.
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I hope you've taken into account that your recorder doesn't provide phantom power for these microphones, and they DO require it. You'll need some sort of power supply to sit in between the mics and the recorder in order for them to work at all.
 
Gilliland said:
I hope you've taken into account that your recorder doesn't provide phantom power for these microphones, and they DO require it. You'll need some sort of power supply to sit in between the mics and the recorder in order for them to work at all.
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Yes, I am quite aware of this, but thanks for looking out.
 
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Adam P said:
I was at a show not too long ago where a guy was wearing a baseball cap with a small mic clipped to either side of the brim. I have no idea what particular type of mic this was, but you might want to investigate something like that.
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I have to admit that I dismissed this idea as being kind of goofy when I first read your post, but I'm now actually considering sewing a loop of fabric onto a hat to hold the X-S, since it is such a small microphone.

... Which is still a little silly, but so is holding a post in the air, in the middle of a hectic live hardcore show :)
 
All those new portable digital recorders like the Zoom H-2 etc look great for this type of stuff. Make sure whatever you use can take the beer, blood, and crust!
 
Sloan said:
All those new portable digital recorders like the Zoom H-2 etc look great for this type of stuff. Make sure whatever you use can take the beer, blood, and crust!
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Honestly, the new digital recorders look like overpriced crap. I can get a fantastic recording out of a good analog field recorder and a Type IV cassette. I'd even venture to say that my new setup can outdo a contemporary rig.

And trust me with the beer, blood and crust... it's been my life for as long as I've known ;)

Jeff

PS. I'm open to tape trades once my label is running...
 
OK, status update:

I've been in contact with Jon from Naiant and I can't say enough about his excellent customer service. He has been very patient and generous with me as I've asked him numerous "newbie" questions. You just don't get customer service like that very often anymore.

The order is two X-S mics and a battery box. Color me stoked!
 
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