Venue does live recordings

[LowActionHero]

A place we've played once before is now offering to record bands and give them a cd for $150 (up to 4hrs). They'll also put it on a thumb drive if you want to remix it later. Anyone have any experience with something like this?
My drummer has already set it up, so we're going in 2 weeks. My job will now be to force them to focus, make a set list in order of what we want recorded, and try to get them to practice that stuff only and not get side tracked with our other songs or adding new ones.
The venue also has nice amps and a drum set, so I'm guessing we'll be using all that. We did when we played there months ago.
Anything else to consider? Sounds too good to be true. Or it could go horribly wrong....

 

[charlie monroe]

How much does the gig pay?

 

[LowActionHero]

How much does the gig pay?

Welp, in this case we're paying them. I don't think they open til later. Oops, just checked - they open at 2, when we would start. Yeah. . .

Well, drummers can't be reasoned with, so we're doing it.

 

[LowActionHero]

Looks like it's a Sunday. That's open mic night for this place. Seems like it's when they try out new bands before they book em on a paying night.

 

[bassboysam]

generally these recordings turn out sounding like garbage.

 

[LowActionHero]

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I've made decent ones in my basement. Relatively free...

 

[bassboysam]

how do they plan on providing separate tracks for you to mix? most venues just give you the output from the soundboard which will be all vox and snare

 

[LowActionHero]

how do they plan on providing separate tracks for you to mix? most venues just give you the output from the soundboard which will be all vox and snare

Bass is DI from their amp. Guitar amps and drums are mic'ed. They actually have a nice setup for live music. They told my drummer they could put it on a thumb drive, but I don't know what size thumb drive it would take to hold 4 hours of raw separate tracks. I thought this thing sounded fishy. Maybe I better talk to the drummer before he hands them any money.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I would not do it unless/until you can see one they have done. For that price you should get a pro mix and more than one camera.

1. You aren't going to use it like that to get gigs. Promo tapes are a couple of miniutes max, and usually cuts of several songs.

2. You are better ofc when there is a crowd. Before I did that I would try recording a gig yourself.

 

[LowActionHero]

I would not do it unless/until you can see one they have done. For that price you should get a pro mix and more than one camera.

1. You aren't going to use it like that to get gigs. Promo tapes are a couple of miniutes max, and usually cuts of several songs.

2. You are better ofc when there is a crowd. Before I did that I would try recording a gig yourself.

I appreciate the advice.
Could I give you my drummers #?

 

[buldog5151bass]

I appreciate the advice.
Could I give you my drummers #?

Just sit him down over a coffee or beer and ask what he expects to get from it. Show him the thread.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I am a sound person at a venue, and we offer stereo room, or multitrack recordings at exrra charge. You'll most likely get a raw recoeding of individual tracks with no procesing. If the instruments sound good going in and the engineer does a good job, you'll have good material to mix. There have been albums releaaed from the live recordings we've made. So it depends on the equipment, how they're dialed, the engineer, and who mixes them, you might have great or terrible results. Not to mention the performance.. break a leg!

 

[buldog5151bass]

Unless you are the first guinea pig, they should be able to show an example.

 

[JMacBass65]

generally these recordings turn out sounding like garbage.

Well that depends on how they go about it and the talent involved (on both sides of the board......).

My first and only album credit as an AE was one of these. I worked for a guy who had a PA installed at a local club. I ran it about five nights a week. Behind a locked case he had one of those Tascam 8 track recorders (the analog one, this was 1990). We split the signals off the mixer to feed it. It worked well for smaller bands, separate tracks for:
Kick
Snare
Toms Left
Toms Right
Overhead
Bass
Guitar
Vocal group

Anything more and we had to be a bit more clever, but still it worked.

I tracked a three piece band at two separate gigs, they brought the tapes to the guy's studio and he mixed them there. They decided to use six songs tracked live by me for their CD, the rest were traditional studio recordings. I came across the CD a couple of months ago - hadn't heard it in FOREVER!! Still holds up.

We charged $100 for the tracking.

 

[obimark]

Just another version of p2p. One of my bands did this. Never got a paying gig from the venue.

 

[JMacBass65]

I am a sound person at a venue, and we offer stereo room, or multitrack recordings at exrra charge. You'll most likely get a raw recoeding of individual tracks with no procesing. If the instruments sound good going in and the engineer does a good job, you'll have good material to mix. There have been albums releaaed from the live recordings we've made. So it depends on the equipment, how they're dialed, the engineer, and who mixes them, you might have great or terrible results. Not to mention the performance.. break a leg!

Yeah, all of this.

 

[REV]

Don't play too loud.

 

[Kmonk]

The venue is using as a profit center. All they are going to do is give you a crappy recording direct from the board which you won't be able to mix correctly. At best, you might be able to clean it up a bit but you won't have a good quality recording.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Just another version of p2p. One of my bands did this. Never got a paying gig from the venue.

Goal is not to get a gig, but a recording. Question is whether it is worth it.

 

[Aidenn7]

here's the deal. before you pay. you better hear their catalog.