I have three possibilities to consider for the recording project I have, in what is now almost certain to be May of 2015, after the Instro Summit.

1. Borrow all the equipment I need. Unlikely but not impossible at this time.

2. Rent all the equipment I need. The pros and cons are obvious.

3. Buy all the equipment I need. I get just what I want and can keep it as long as I want without incurring extra charges if we run over in recording or post-production. But then what? I'll have all this recording equipment sitting around.

But does it need to just sit around? I have an idea, and want to get a sense of the community about starting a mobile recording business. We've all been disappointed with the audio of many videos. Either there's too much distortion, conversation by the camera, or you can't hear some of the musicians in the audio at all.

Would people be interested in someone who could come to your location with quality recording gear, who loves and appreciates surf and related music and a good recording of it, and who could record you in your favorite location, be it your garage, back yard party, basement, wherever? At this stage I'd leave publishing to the artists, but you'd keep the finished music on an SD or flash card to use as you like.

This isn't a get rich quick scheme. I'd like to cover all my travel expenses, consumables like media, and enough extra for my time and effort to make it worthwhile.

So, is this a brilliant idea, or something... less? Please tell me what you think?

Thanks!

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Last edited: Feb 19, 2015 15:50:13

A good idea. But, as a potential customer (which, being in the UK, I'm not), I would want to know what equipment you are talking about and how you would be approaching the recording process.

Los Fantasticos

When I first bought my xd 32 track i set myself up to do mobile recording. Had a huge case made and bought a ton of mics for it. I recorded a few concert bands and it was kind of fun. I lobbied high schools to record their different bands but got busy with other things and didn't push it anymore.

The Kahuna Kings

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kahuna-Kings/459752090818447

https://thekahunakings.bandcamp.com/releases

Noel, you asked...I humbly offer my honest and personal opinion.
I've worked for years with live sound PA companies, mostly stage and theater. Recording was only a small part of it. I'm far from claiming I know what I'm doing, but I've seen, heard and been part of so many messy situations and solutions it's not even funny.
Even a tiny session can take hours setup to achieve great results. Average is accessible to everyone these days. Most rooms you'll hypothetically visit will probably be untreated acoustically, you'll have to be creative and have the right tools.

Let's examine this logical progression...
1) need to record the project nicely ->
2) justify the purchase of gear ->
3) become a Recording Engineer!
?

1) can be solved with any of the methods you described. Buy what you need to make you happy now, you've earned it, the hell with excuses. You can re-sell it and it will keep it's value. Good gear does not 'sit around'. I'd stay away from low-end gear, unless you don't have anything and are really tight. Either great stuff (that can also help with the next points) if you can afford, or get great stuff elsewhere for this one gig. That will be a learning experience, you'll recognize your abilities and needs better after this session anyway. Enjoy it, the process only begins here.

2) there's a thread for that (Gearapholics...)
Realize that anyone can buy and operate a consumer recording rig same as you. What extra can you bring to the table?

3) You have no idea the amount of variables that you will encounter doing field work. In order to leave customers happy, you'll need experience+knowledge in audio, sound, fixing stuff... and much more gear than you planned initially. It's a profession on it's own, and you'll be competing with professionals who offer their services for bottom prices, for the same above reason.
It might not be as fun as you think... but you're at a place where you can do whatever you want.
From the little I know about you: You truly love music, have great ears and are creatively talented, you're an exceptionally empathic person, sensitive and been through some shit in your life. IMHO all those are the classic qualities not for a recordist necessarily, but for an old fashioned style music producer. If that job only existed today...

Last edited: Nov 27, 2014 15:27:54

raito wrote:

So how would it be different than taking a feed off the board?

If you've ever done that, you'll know the answer. Rarely does a stereo feed from the mixing desk sound anything like the sound of the band in the room. Being able to take a multitrack feed from the desk is a different matter, however.

Los Fantasticos

djangodeadman wrote:

If you've ever done that, you'll know the answer. Rarely does a stereo feed from the mixing desk sound anything like the sound of the band in the room. Being able to take a multitrack feed from the desk is a different matter, however.

I have done that, and it usually sounds better (most rooms just don't sound all that good). But it does require that everything get miked, and usually requires a different mix (like monitors, for example). Ideally, you would multitrack that feed for later mixing, as you say. And if you're after something that sounds live, you'd also put a mike out there for crowd sound.

It also requires that you have a board to mix to, which may not be the case for smaller bands/venues. I've seen a lot of band pictures here where it looks like nothing but amps and drums, and a small PA just to get the voice intros some volume.

raito wrote:

djangodeadman wrote:

But it does require that everything get miked, and usually requires a different mix (like monitors, for example).

Which is not always possible. And even when it is, it requires time, access to the desk or the co-operation of the sound engineer, which you may, or may not have.

Los Fantasticos

Last edited: Dec 02, 2014 02:01:19

What is the lineup of the band you will be recording?
What will your approach to the recording be? Will you record the whole band playing together or will you track one instrument at a time (or something between the two)?
The answers to these questions will help you decide whether those devices are adequate for your needs.

Los Fantasticos

I would not go with an 8ch. Zoom and such. It too much for home use, but not enough for this gig it seems. Looks like it's tailored to a small band, for demo's. It will not hold it's value as other gear. A worthwhile investment that you can use in a multitude of situations would be microphones.

Treat the gig like a live show. Too much time setting up before each take can break the flow, concentration and patience of anybody, and there's no second takes. You'd need everything to be as ready and as easy as possible for everybody including you, so you can all perform at your best.

Ideally you'd want to rent/buy a bunch of microphones, mic every amp/instrument separately, a pair of overheads for each drum-set, a pair of room mics. You don't want to move microphones in the middle of the session. Don't share sound sources on the same line. It can sound good but can also be surprisingly nasty. Mix it with a small stage mixer if you don't have enough channels.
Prep the room and position the players so they can hear themselves and others well. Setup for best sound on room mics. Either way, they will be your main tracks. Sound check for half a day.
Feed those channels either to a rented digital console that can handle the no. of tracks (at least 16 I'm afraid) or an analog console and mix on the fly to stereo. Monitor with closed headphones.
Check for the venue's/room's electrical integrity, or bring your own PS.
Good luck. How much money you want to pour into this, including everything?
Even cable costs can pile up...

Last edited: Dec 11, 2014 13:19:08

Simplest configuration for that:
DAW on computer(I again recommend REAPER):
track 1: add the stuff you wanna play over
track 2: armed for recording, mono input from soundcard [gtr->fx->amp->mic->pre->adc]
output: Master DAW track to soundcard to closed headphones.