by Susan Steely,
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UNITED STATES, Nov 03 — I have specialized in live recording from my very first day as an intern. Although I enjoy studio recording, I love the excitement and adrenaline rush of live recording. And in live recording, nothing beats festival recording. By being prepared before the gig, you’ll be able to improvise when needed
I
have specialized in live recording from my very first day as an intern. Although I enjoy studio recording, I love the excitement and adrenaline rush of live recording. And in live recording, nothing beats festival recording. Whether you do the gig with a “FlyPack” or in a remote truck, with preparation, a studio engineer can make a festival gig a successful one.
What follows are some live recording tips and hints for the recording studio engineer.
PREPARATION
Preparation is crucial to a successful festival gig. Get as many details worked out as soon as possible. Things are so insanely hectic during the festival, you won’t want to figure things out at the last minute. Contact whoever is in charge and get the details. Find out all you can about the facilities, the video crew, sound reinforcement, webcasting, and the artists. Don’t wait for anyone to contact you, get on the case on the double.
Try to get the input list as soon as possible so you can plan ahead. Sometimes the artists will have a list of instruments and set lists as well.
Equipment
Get all the gear and materials together and prepared for the gig. For example, when I was first starting out in the business I was taught to prepare a box for each artist with set lists, input lists and documentation. I also put recording hard drives, archiving drives and CDs in each artist’s box, all temporarily labeled with permanent labels printed and ready to go.
Make sure you have enough channels and recording tracks to do the job. For most festivals the minimum is 48 tracks for the instruments; oftentimes they’ll want you to record more. Of course, you’ll need a completely separate and independent redundant recording system as a backup.
Typically, mics at festivals are provided by either the house sound reinforcement or by the artists’ FOH. You should nevertheless bring your own stash of mics just in case. Bring four to six mics to pick up the audience. Same goes for cables and mic stands.
You’ll need some equipment specific to this kind of work.
Since communication with the stage and video truck will be necessary, an intercom of some sort is required and can be rented beforehand. You’ll also want some video monitors so you see what is happening on stage.
You’ll want an isolated split from the mics on stage and most often, the sound reinforcement company will have a splitter. Make sure they can accommodate you. Call and ask. You might have to rent one; a transformer isolated splitter with ground lifts on each input. A three way split is necessary: one for front of house, one for monitor world, and one for the recording truck. Find out beforehand what kind of connectors are on their splitter and get the appropriate audio snake.
Since it’s likely there will be video, you’ll need a way to synchronize your recording devices to a video reference like black burst. You’ll also need a way to slave to a positional reference: SMPTE time code. Make sure your equipment can do this. In addition, you’ll need to feed your mix to the video truck and get a video feed from them as well. Don’t forget to bring all the necessary cables! The video guys can’t help you.
Hire some good people. You’ll need a forceful but affable person with intercom taking care of business on the stage. It would be nice to have someone with you to watch out for you while you mix and to do some of the admin tasks such dealing with the intercom, note taking, labeling, and backups.
Some other things to bring
Make sure to bring some signal measurement and analysis equipment and/or software. If you’re close to the stage, you’ll hear so much bass from the subs it’ll be hard to know what to do with the low end while mixing. A good spectrum analyzer is essential.
Bring plenty of cables, soldering iron, test gear.
Don’t forget to bring plenty of recall sheets.
At the Gig
Get to the site early. Once you’re there, find the electrician and get power for your truck and gear. Find and get friendly with the stage manager, the house FOH and house monitor engineers. You’ll want to gain their trust and keep you in the loop. These folks are essential to a successful gig. Also, try to meet and become friendly with all the crews involved. Smile, talk, shake hands, and let everyone know who you are. A little personality goes a long way.
Get all you gear and cables set up early and ready for line check. During the sound check you’ll need to be fast and efficient with micpre, EQ and compressor adjustments. Everything happens much faster in the live world. Don’t make anyone wait for you. This might mean getting familiar with the equipment beforehand.
Don’t be shy about asking someone change a mic or its position if something doesn’t sound right to you. You’ve gained their trust, right?
Be ready with recall sheets during the sound check and take excellent notes. You’ll have precious little time between performances to get setup once things get rolling.
Once the festival performances begin, all that’s left to do is to make the most musical mix possible. Call a trusted engineer friend beforehand so they can listen to the web cast and offer suggestions.
Last Minute Changes
Keep in mind that often times there are last minute changes. Try not to let it throw you. Keep your cool and try to roll with it. By being prepared before the gig, you’ll be able to improvise when needed.
With some work and preparation, you can make a music festival recording one of your best.
Communicate directly with Susan Steely, the author of this article. Ask questions, send suggestions, comments, engage in conversation, or perhaps you would like to submit a project.
Click Here to ask a question, send a comment, or proposal.
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