Music is often at its very best when it is performed live in front of an appreciative audience. 

   Here at Blantone Music we offer some mighty fine equipment and the expertise to capture your performances at their very best!  More on that in a bit.  First, let's take a look at the larger picture.

    Most quality venues have great production equipment in their front-of-house (FOH) deployment: a snake to accept microphone input for connection to the mixing console where the FOH engineer makes the magic happen as they support and assist artists in their presentation, combining all the elements of instruments and vocals and routing these through the speakers which fill the room with their refined output.  This output is tailored to the room in which the presentation is made.  This, in turn, means that the instruments and voices are most often frequency equalized, compressed (tweaked for presence, punch, an/or volume in the mix), and subsequently placed judiciously within a stereo spectrum representing the side-to-side distribution of the sounds which are already occurring naturally in the room as the musicians occupy a space( both physically and sonically) and play from these respective positions on stage.

    So, then, what are the considerations we performers should make in anticipation of capturing what we do "live", and what are our options in doing so, whether for reference, or for the production of the material relative to a consuming fan base?

    One of the first and most important considerations is whether to use solely the output given through the room itself in conjunction with what the FOH engineer produces.  Can this output be combined with the recording medium to yield usable results?  In some instances it can, but most likely only for 'reference' purposes used to document a performance, and likely, too, only for consultative purposes wherein artists use these to gauge the quality and impact of their performances.  These would not be intended for release publicly.  Where this is the case the recording quality need not be pristine.  Depending on the acoustics of the room, however, these might be used for more, including release publicly or commercially...so much depends on the room.  Most recordings of this type are two-track stereo taken from the FOH mixing console.  Moreover, as most rooms DO REQUIRE processing sounds via the FOH engineer relative to frequency equalization, compression, volume, et cetera, these changes to the sound will be represented in what is captured in the recording. This would not be the most ideal way to sonically craft a live recording.  Once EQ or compression have been added to a recording, it's indeed difficult to undo those changes...

    The method which would yield the most control over the material to be recorded involves splitting the signals from the stage so that the FOH engineer gets one 'feed' and the recording engineer gets THE SAME BUT SEPARATE FEED, all in a multi-channel format, of course.  The recording engineer then has the liberty to apply processing...or not, without concern for what is happening with the FOH.  Generally, the recording engineer will eschew any significant audio processing in the initial recording stages, opting later to apply these to the material as needs dictate...and, in the familiar confines of his own studio and control room!

     Blantone Music can travel to the venue of your choice.  When we get there, we will be using some of the finest equipment available, including some of our classic, venerable microphones!  We take care of the split with FOH by providing transformer isolation, ground lifts, and all the cabling necessary.  Currently we are able to record 16 quality tracks.  This generally proves to be plenty for most small to medium-sized acts.  Of course, this includes enough to bring in the sound of the room so that you and your recorded-music-audience get the feeling that you are indeed right there!

    We've recently been out on location to record some mighty fine material.  Please do surf over to the MUSIC PAGE and check out the live clips from Kellin Watson, Velvet Truckstop, and Hollywood Red.  That will give you as good an idea as an mp3 can of the quality we pride ourselves on here.  Check out the EQUIPMENT PAGE.  And then, WE WILL LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU...

 

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