share your attempts to sneak recording equipment into a club

[Jenks]

I wish, mate. I fucking wish!

Sort your djs dude. lol. Next time James goes 3 bars in the red, smack the back of his head and tell him, "HEY...LEVELS MAN, LEVELS!!"










Just kidding james if you're reading this, grant is a wuss, max the shit out of the levels!!!













:P

[GrantT]

By the way, if you wanted to be extra-careful when you're doing a recording I'd use a combination of the DI box with auto-level control as well; assuming it's a quality ALC. This means that as the night or set progresses, and the DJ is increasing the gain, that your recording will be consistently the same level.

This is also particularly helpful if you're unable to be next to your recording gear at regular intervals (smaller DJ booths etc) and want to err on the side of caution.

The downside is that ALC's sensitivity plays a big part in how it comes out. eg: Zabiela 2004 Lot 33 set. I put ALC on that and you can hear it with build-ups. The parts where there's no kick drum or significant bassline get slightly louder and a bit too bright... then the bass kicks back in, and it corrects and makes it significantly softer and then averages out. It disrupts my listening; so it's a matter of experimenting with your gear.

I didn't use it on the NYE set for this reason.. but I had clear access to the stage where he was playing, so I could visually check the rec levels on the DAT and correct afterwards. I kept my DAT rec level at about 60% which gives plenty of headroom for upwards movement, and since DAT is high quality I was less concerned about digitally amplifying it later on to give a more uniform sound.

I've sunk god knows how many hours and how many dollars into getting the product I wanted. I'm happy to help others if they want to head down the same road.

It really depends on how picky you are. I'm just fairly picky, but the results - for me - are worth it.

[asdf_admin]

Never done that, and never will. I respect artists.

Plus I do not steal. Thank you.

No different from the assholes that RIP music and share a good production with no cost. We all need money to live. Point in, and point out.

[minneec]

Re: share your attempts to sneak recording equipment into a

ugh, i never have a problem with going into crobar with stuff. i never get checked at the door. just walk right past them. and i brought a recorder in once. by mistake, during last year's sasha and digweed @ crobar. but the recording sucked, so not really worth all the trouble. and it used to be that you could just step out of crobar for a bit, make sure you get the smokin stamp and walk right back in. my friends and i have even gone back to apts, chilled for a bit and then returned to the club...myabe things have changed?

[GrantT]

You know the really painful thing though?

My DAT recorder died while I was recording Desyn Masiello the other week. The good news is that it died after I'd recorded the first 2 hours of a fucking wicked set.

The bad news is that 7 days from now I'm meant to be recording Dave Seaman and will be going back to laptop-based recording (not so bad - I have an Edirol USB sound card) but I'm thinking of buying an Archos Gmini 400 rather than replacing aging DAT equipment.

Decisions, decisions!

[GrantT]

Ethics aside - you can get half-decent quality bootleg recordings if you invest in shithot mics and understand the limitations, as well as the environment. Personally, I don't think it's worth it because it completely ruins your night, and is genuinely a rip-off.

To be honest, the hardest part of doing recordings is going through the approvals process both before and after the events. It does get easier as you build a respectable reputation.

I did two dodgy recordings (of the same person) earlier on of someone that did not give me prior approval. That was the last time I've done it and even though they're two of the best sets I've ever witnessed (one's been released, the other not) I wish I never did it.

The DJ in question is (still) a huge name and would have almost definitely said yes... it was a bad combination of promoters not doing what they said they would, and me being a bit naive and believing what I wanted to believe.

Live and learn!

[miketpoto]

dunno... i heard it sraight from the guy who worked with JZ before and he said James' mixing always makes the levels go through the roof...

anyway, just called Crobar and they said NO CAMERAS! of ANY kind!

I bring my camera every week and make no secret of it, and at the end of sander it was like everyone was havin a kodak moment... a tresor minimalist edgy one, but kodak nonetheless

[th33f]

anyway, just called Crobar and they said NO CAMERAS! of ANY kind!

I bring my camera every week and make no secret of it, and at the end of sander it was like everyone was havin a kodak moment... a tresor minimalist edgy one, but kodak nonetheless

maybe it's just this night or something, but a lady picked up the phone today and told me absolutely no cameras. whatever... it's not like i won't be able to use my phone for that.

i was at their 4th floor office today as well, and left a message for a guy who books their DJ's, so by tomorrow i'll know if i should bring my laptop and direct box, or go with a stealthy setup.

Grant, i invested into a little gadget by Microphone Madness, that people say works very well for doing crowd-rips. two condenser mics with excellent stats, and VERY small. though i hope i won't have to use that... i'll send you another PM in a few minutes.

[hansh20]

just 3 words, it wont work, sorry mate, i give you no chances for this one, surely you will enter with you MD, but anyway, havent you watch/listen any videos from the gigs, the only thing that can be heard is distorsion :? , but good luck anyway

[miketpoto]

she said no cameras without you asking? when she answered the phone? You are bringing your laptop to crobar? Do you actually like sasha, or are you the fucking papparazzi?

[th33f]

geeez! what's your problem? of course, i asked first! and yes, if all goes good, i'll be getting a direct signal from JZ's mixer that will end up on my laptop.

as for Sasha - i'll have to say he never really impressed me. i'll be there strictly for JZ.

[miketpoto]

With all the live mixes floating around out there, u seem dead set on getting a mint condition copy of a set you haven't even heard, coming and going in and out of the club, first not knowing if there are metal detectors, then calling and no cameras allowed, then all of the sudden you are in the offices on the 4th floor, getting approval and info from a booking agent on what equiptment to use to tap in directly, with, correct me if I am wrong, no prior permission from the DJ himself.

Mainly I find it highly upsetting that you seem to have no enthusiasm about the night itself or anything about the music specifically. And I'm gonna speak for most music lovers now, if an artist doesn't "do it" for you or isn't your style, then you aren't into them... it has nothing to do with their failure to "impress" you. P-diddy impresses me, but I'm stumped as to how he got this far with that much. Love or hate him, Sasha has some "impressive" groundbreaking originality under his belt. JZ rocks too, in his own original way as well, I like it. I might be wrong, but I would put money down that you tend to "exaggerate" in trying to "wow" people and telling them what "you think" will "impress" them. Each post got grander and in no realistic sort of time frame, staten island is a fuckin hike kiddo.

[lilsensa]

Every recording method besides plugging your record medium into the soundboard system sucks anyway. Not worth recording a gig if you have no access to the mixer IMO.

soo true...all your gonna hear is low ass bass and really high highs and nothing in between........waste of time and effort..

[GrantT]

Right-o... just while we're on the topic, let's remind ourselves just why James Zabiela is so worth catching live!

He just sent me this link. 10 tracks in 5 minutes. Hoooooooooooooooly shit!

http://homepage.mac.com/jameszabiela/robotsandrave/FileSharing18.html

Cheers James.

[th33f]

With all the live mixes floating around out there, u seem dead set on getting a mint condition copy of a set you haven't even heard, coming and going in and out of the club, first not knowing if there are metal detectors, then calling and no cameras allowed, then all of the sudden you are in the offices on the 4th floor, getting approval and info from a booking agent on what equiptment to use to tap in directly, with, correct me if I am wrong, no prior permission from the DJ himself.

Mainly I find it highly upsetting that you seem to have no enthusiasm about the night itself or anything about the music specifically. And I'm gonna speak for most music lovers now, if an artist doesn't "do it" for you or isn't your style, then you aren't into them... it has nothing to do with their failure to "impress" you. P-diddy impresses me, but I'm stumped as to how he got this far with that much. Love or hate him, Sasha has some "impressive" groundbreaking originality under his belt. JZ rocks too, in his own original way as well, I like it. I might be wrong, but I would put money down that you tend to "exaggerate" in trying to "wow" people and telling them what "you think" will "impress" them. Each post got grander and in no realistic sort of time frame, staten island is a fuckin hike kiddo.

can't believe i'm actually reading this... you're calling BULLSHIT on all of my posts???

o.k.
i'm gonna clear up a few things for you, which will also serve as a nice introduction of myself to everyone on the board, though i admit it's a bit late for that.

i'm 24. my clubbing days are over, since 3 years ago. just like it was yesterday, i remember popping my last couple of pills at Sound Factory on NYE 2001. this might seem a little too personal of a memory, but maybe my sharing it will do you some good in the long run... coming back from the club in the morning, i looked around the limo and found my friends (all of whom took a few hits more than myself, with my best friend Mike setting his personal record at 10 pills a night) looking quite miserable after MDMA effects had worn off. by then i was feeling pretty stable myself and had this kind of a sober perspective on things, and i realized that for the past two years of tripping on ecstasy every weekend our actual lives have become nothing but dull, emotionally empty existances. i'll spare you the lecture on drug abuse, but right then and there i announced to everyone i was going to quit the E-routine. haven't been to a club since!

about my taste for music... i used to like everything! starting with Junior Vasquez and Danny Tenaglia to psychodelic trance and hip-hop. i don't know if you know about long-time withdrawal effects from drugs(and it wasn't just ecstasy) but in the next year or so i've lost interest to everything mainstream, stumbled onto the good old rock classics like Zeppelin and Beatles, and then GU series caught my eye(ear). then NuBreed came out and i was blown away! Satoshi Tomiie was one of my favorites for a while... up until i heard JZ's Four promo! something clicked and i couldn't get enough of his "artwork". for some time now i've been collecting his livesets, and have all but one, ever recorded and circulating HD's. so simply put i'm a huge huge fan of the guy, and wouldn't miss this opportunity for nothing... one thing that didn't change is my admiration of "The Prodigy"'s Liam Howlett since 1994.

why am i not enthusiastic about the night? that's not hard to answer... i got two tickets, but the girl had to work. i'm going alone. since i set out to do this recording thing - i see it as hard work, rather than good time.

now, i never said i got approval/permission from anyone to record tomorrow's set. my exact words were "if all goes good", meaning all i can do is hope the guys at Crobar let me go through with this. as for JZ - he knows i'll be there, but i haven't spoken to him directly, which i will at the club and that'll decide the outcome. you say i exaggerate, while i all i've been doing is asking for your help figuring out what i'll have to deal with if things don't go as planned. and stop picking on the word "impressed"! it just means i don't like Sasha's music all that much, you read into things too much. and finally, the last thing i'm trying to accomplish is impress anyone on this board. just setting the record straight...