Siphon sound from the house and make great live recordings. A live CD! Every band or performer wants one - a recording with all the excitement and energy of your live show, an album capturing that elusive vibe so hard to re-create in the studio. Sooner or later you'll probably want a good live production. Fortunately, recent technology affords the means to make high-quality recordings at a gig without having to hire a big crew and a 40-foot sound van.

Almost everyone is familiar with the casually rendered board tape, where you simply plug a tape recorder into the main outputs of the sound console and hope for the best. Everyone is also familiar with the mediocre results: inconsistent audio levels, little or no room ambience, and a mix that seemed great for a live audience but turned out to be all wrong for a recording. It doesn't have to be that way. With a little planning and ingenuity, you can rise above the limitations and make (drumroll, please) . . . the ultimate board tape.

PLANNING How to make a live recording depends largely on why you're doing it. If the objective is to monitor your musical progress or to give yourself something to listen to while driving home from the gig, you can simply connect a recorder to the board. Even a simple cassette deck will work. But if your aim is to make something good enough to put on CD, you have to do better.

The first step is to decide whether you want to record multitrack or 2-track stereo. The best thing about the latter option is its simplicity: 2-track stereo recording requires less time, attention, and (usually) gear. The downside is that you'd better get the mix right the first time - at the gig, that is - because you can't fix it later. Multitrack setups are more complicated - they require a lot of attention during setup and at sound-check time, but they yield recordings you can more easily mix and manipulate. Multitracking generally offers better results but requires considerably more time and effort, both before and after the actual recording date.

CHOOSING YOUR WEAPON Once you've decided on the format, the next step is to settle on a machine to do the job. Stereo recording machines include DAT and MiniDisc recorders, and there's also at least one portable 2-track hard disk recorder on the market. Multitrack machines include ADAT and Tascam DA-series tape-based digital recorders, as well as various hard disk-based units with capacities ranging from 4 to 24 tracks. (For a while, several MiniDisc multitrackers were available, but most companies have begun to phase them out.)

Give proper consideration to the question of whether to use removable or fixed media - especially if you plan to do a series of recordings over time. The term removable media refers to a device small enough for portability. The most common types of removable media are tape (DAT, ADAT, DA-series 8mm), MiniDisc, and removable hard drives (now used in some multitrack systems). The term fixed media refers to the internal hard drives found in computers and in all-in-one recording systems such as the various Roland, Korg, Yamaha, and Fostex digital multitrackers. Removable media are generally best for live recording. When you're done for the night, you can remove the media, label them, and file them away. Besides contributing to a sense of orderliness, that frees up the machine to record again immediately.

A lengthy taping session generally uses up machines with fixed media. You must transfer the recorded material to another medium before you can continue, and that means carrying more equipment, much of which is not particularly roadworthy. For example, generally used backup devices such as Zip and Jaz drives can't withstand the rough handling they're likely to receive on tour. Also, many hard disk-based recorders can't record on all channels simultaneously; a typical 8-channel machine might record only four to six tracks at once.

SOMEONE TO PRESS THE BUTTON Once you've chosen your technique and gear, you need to assign someone the job of doing the actual recording. At the very least, that should be a technically adept band member capable of setting up the equipment, pressing start at the beginning, and checking during breaks to make sure the medium isn't running out.

A better approach is to find a person from outside the band - someone you trust - to take responsibility for the recording from beginning to end. This takes the pressure off the performers and assures that someone will be watching levels and changing the tape or other medium when necessary. As your ambition increases and your setups become more sophisticated, you'll need an individual with greater technical expertise.

THE EASY WAY: DIRECT TO STEREO Of course, you can always make a basic 2-track stereo recording by simply plugging the appropriate recording device into the main output from the house mixer at line level, but I've already talked about that method's downside. A better approach for live stereo recording is to augment the house mix with a pair of high-quality microphones set up to capture audience reaction and the room's sound. You can route these mics through the main board, but you will need a separate mix through the board's auxiliary channels. That creates headaches for the house mix engineer, who probably won't welcome the additional last-minute responsibilities. The best way to reach the next level is to introduce a second mixing board just for the recording (see Fig. 1).

The secondary mixer needn't be fancy. You need a minimum of four channels: two for the incoming house mix, branched off the main board, and two for the room mics you've set up independent from the sound system. For this type of recording you definitely require someone to operate the system and monitor the levels. The blend between the raw board mix and ambience mics is critical, and because it's going down in real time, you can't adjust it later.

MIC THAT ROOM The operator needs a good pair of closed-ear headphones for monitoring purposes, in order to maintain the balance between the console feed and the signal from the room mics. Headphones are about the only option, because you're monitoring the recording in the performance space. No headphones, regardless of how expensive or highly rated they are, can provide a total seal from ambient sound at concert levels, so make careful judgments when wearing them. Doing a test recording during the sound check - and then listening to it in a reasonably quiet setting - helps ensure that you have good balances. You should also make sure that the tape machine or mixer driving the headphones has enough oomph in its headphone amps to provide sufficient volume to overcome loud ambient conditions.

High-quality cardioid condensers are good for miking a room. Typically you'll use one on each side to create a left-right stereo ambient field. Spacing between mics isn't critical - you don't need to have them very far apart to get a stereo effect.

PUT IT WHERE YOU WANT IT You do need to keep in mind several considerations for microphone placement. The first is to follow the golden rule of live performance recording: keep out of the audience's way. A live performance is for the sake of the audience, and you must make recordings without interfering with the show. Setting up two 15-foot boom stands in the middle of the dance floor is asking for trouble, especially if some wise guys figure out what they're there for and decide to shout choice profanities at inappropriate moments. Keep the room mics discreetly positioned and out of the audience's way. (Such discretion helps the musicians as well - many performances have suffered because the players were too aware of the recording equipment.)

You can usually set up the pair of microphones on or near the sides of the stage. Sometimes it's enough to put them on short stands at the edge of the stage and point them toward the audience. If you have extra time and resources, an excellent technique is to "fly" the mics by suspending them from ceiling beams or other high spots with small nylon ropes. This takes time to set up and then to tear down but can give you an excellent sound perspective. If you do opt to fly your mics, make sure you keep them away from air ducts and any other noise sources near ceilings.

It's a good idea to keep the ambient mics well away from P.A. speaker stacks and to direct sound from the stage itself (except in the case of quiet acoustic music in small venues, when you might use the sound of the P.A. to enhance the quality of the recordings). And because it's likely the ambient mics will be subject to random low-frequency energy from in-house machinery and traffic on the street, always use a good low-cut filter at the preamp stage. A filter that rolls off steeply below 75 Hz is a good choice.

USE YOUR IMAGINATION There are lots of creative ways to mic a room. Using a matching pair of cardioid condensers to get broad coverage is just one option. Another is to get a sound perspective that mimics what an audience member hears, by separating the two mics with a baffle. You can build such an assembly yourself; typically you'd hang it from the ceiling in the center of the room (see Fig. 2).

Because of the need to control relative balances between sound sources, professionals rarely use ambient mics as the sole source for a high-quality recording. Don't get too carried away with precision here. In mixer-based recording of pop music, their role is simply to enhance.

SENDING A CABLE You have two choices when running cables from the room mics to your audio recording setup. The first (and best) way is to borrow a couple of spare lines on the multiline snake cable that takes audio from the main stage to the sound mixer. If no spare lines are available or it's a really small venue with no snake, you'll need separate long cables to reach the recording position. Advance planning and an early arrival will help out here. In any case, make sure any cables you run through the venue are well secured and out of the audience's way.

Depending on the type of music performed, the contribution of room mics varies in importance. In general, loud rock bands in huge reflective halls benefit less, whereas acoustic music performed at moderate levels in a hall with good sound benefits more. Also keep in mind that sometimes all you get from the mixing board (depending on its features and other circumstances) is a mono feed. In that case, the stereo effect from room mics may make a big difference in the perceived spaciousness and quality of your recordings.

MIXING TO 2-TRACK The basic strategy in recording to 2-track stereo is completely straightforward. With your recording mixer, establish a blend of the house mix from the board and the two channels of room-microphone inputs. Sometimes this is all you need to make a decent recording. The mix between the board sound and the room mics is critical. Too little of the room mics and the audience sounds feeble; too much and it can sound like the band is playing in a cavern. Worse yet, if you overdo the room mics in the mix, the audience can seem louder than the band. Typically about three-fourths of the final recording level should come from the board mix, with the remaining fourth coming from the room mics.

Remember that the overall sound level in the venue will always have an influence, good or bad, on your mixing efforts. Some instruments, such as guitars in rock bands, have tons of stage volume, and therefore end up lower in the house mix. Other sound sources, such as keyboards, vocals, and acoustic instruments, are miked close up (or taken as direct-wired inputs) and depend on the house sound system entirely.

The use of room microphones can make up for some of the imbalance. However, the hollow tone of stage sources coming through the room mics doesn't blend well with close-up sounds coming from the board. To fix this, you need a mixer with at least six or eight inputs. Just make direct connections to your recording mixer from those channels on the house board that need a boost (guitars, in the previous example). Blending the additional sources with the board and the room-mic feeds can compensate for sounds that come out weak in the house mix.

No matter what your setup is, try to record some test takes during the sound check. This gives you the opportunity to make adjustments in the relative levels of your various sources before the show. And remember that bands often play louder and with more intensity during an actual performance, so expect the levels to get hotter.

MORE TRACKS, MORE CHOICES Multitrack live recording is the deluxe way to go, as it eliminates many of the problems involved in the stereo 2-track technique. The biggest advantage to multitracking is that you don't have to get a perfect mix on the spot. Just record clean tracks - you can manipulate them in all kinds of ways during the mixdown stage. You can configure a multitrack system in many ways. Regardless of the technology you use on the recorder side, you should consider several setup variations, depending on the circumstances.

Mobile recording professionals - those people with the vans and the megabuck equipment rosters - use a multichannel microphone splitter, which allows them to share all the sound sources with the house audio system. They can go nuts with levels and settings without interfering with the house sound mix. It's a great approach, but one that's both expensive and complicated. It requires an independent dedicated mixing board with lots of inputs and extensive capabilities, plus a parallel universe of audio cabling - not to mention a talented staff. Most self-made recordings should avoid that duplication. It's far more practical to piggyback off the in-house mixing console.

FROM SIMPLE TO COMPLEX If the number of discrete sources on the stage is small (say, two or three performers, each with a vocal mic and an instrument), you can tap into the in-house mixing console at the channel preamp-out or insert stage. That gives you an independent feed and input to your system for each sound source.

You can also utilize two unused channels on the main mixer as preamps for your room mics; the faders on the main board for these channels should stay all the way down so that the mics don't appear in the house sound system. If you're using one of the popular all-in-one digital mixer-recorders, that may be your ideal setup (see Fig. 3).

If the number of discrete sound sources exceeds the number of channels on your recording system, you'll need to submix some of the sources together before they get to the recorder group (see Fig. 4). This is where your ingenuity comes into play - you have a number of options for accomplishing this task. One way is to bring in a separate mixer for recording only (in addition to the one on your multitrack machine), with enough input channels to process the required number of stage sound sources and the two room mics. The mixer should also have a sufficient number of output buses (independently controllable output channels) to provide as many submixes as you will need; usually, a mixer with 20 input channels and 8 assignable output buses will get the job done. Obviously you'll need someone knowledgeable to make such a scenario work. However, once you have the system set up and wired correctly, you can reestablish it unlimited times.

If the house engineer is willing and has a mixing board that supports it, you can get submixes straight from the in-house sound console. It's a matter of having extra unused buses on the board. A typical submix arrangement can give you rhythm guitars and keyboards on one submix, drums on another, and backing vocals on a third. Taking direct outputs from the board's input channels provides separate feeds for lead vocal and bass. That makes five channels going into your recorder, plus another two for the room mics, for a total of seven (see Fig. 5).

Even when you're doing a complex multitrack arrangement for recording, it's a good idea to make a simultaneous 2-track mix as well. Portable MiniDisc machines are excellent for this purpose. MiniDiscs sound good and don't cost much, and the recorders are easy to operate. Take down the whole shebang with a pocket MiniDisc recorder, plug in some headphones, and you can listen to a rough mix right away. It's easy to do - just plug your MiniDisc into a 2-track tape out or other auxiliary output on the recording mixer.

HUMAN ENGINEERING Bands with their own sound engineers have a definite advantage. In many cases, however, you'll be dealing with a public venue's staff employees or contractors, and your recording project may threaten to increase someone's workload. At times, staff members view even the simplest request to get a patch from the mixer output as an annoyance. Avoid unnecessary conflicts by letting the sound engineer and stage people know far in advance that you'll be doing a recording. Ask where you can set up equipment that won't interfere with their work, and request the necessary electronic feeds and connections. Assure them that you will stay out of the way once you've got everything connected - then keep your promise. In most cases, technical people are willing to assist. They may even help by making sure all your audio feeds are functioning correctly. Your professionalism and tact will pay big dividends here.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Live recording can be a tricky process. Don't go into your first live recording experience expecting a perfect result. Listen critically to the recordings with a learning attitude. Improvement through trial and error comes quickly.

If you need to record a specific show in an important venue, then consider hiring location-recording professionals - getting it right every time is these people's specialty. But if you're patient, you can hone your taping skills from one show to the next. And you'll soon discover that the challenge of getting the ultimate board tape can turn into a productive and rewarding endeavor.

www.mindsear.com/remoteclassrec.smet.html Gives details on remote classical recording, by Scott B. Metcalfe.

www.professional-sound.com/sound/oct983.htm Illustrates the basics of remote recording.

www.professional-sound.com/sound/su396.htm Covers issues of studio recording.

www.radiospy.com/webcasting101/webcasting101_live.shtml Webcasting live events: how to stream concerts, parties, bar mitzvahs, you name it (you'll find some pretty cool ideas here).

www.resourcesfortraders.com/resources/sssr.html Explains stereo soundboard recording, by Gary Davis.

Live sources can have extreme volume swings. Equipment will tolerate big level peaks in live sound but not in recording. Consider using a stereo peak limiter (10:1 or 20:1) for 2-track recordings. Also think about putting limiters on vocal and percussion tracks for multitrack work.

If possible, it's a good idea to set ballpark levels during the sound check, though they will inevitably change during performance.

If you need to adjust recording levels, don't do it while the music is playing. Wait until the tune is over, then make the adjustment. Often a novice will lower the record levels just after a big peak pegged the meters. By then it's too late, and it's difficult to compensate for the level adjustment during later mixing stages.

Come prepared. Have a few cables and adapters of the types typically required to interface from mix consoles to your recording equipment.

Handle the recording process discreetly. On a number of occasions, I've been in a concert audience and had to endure a briefing beforehand: "We're making a live recording during the performance tonight, so let's have some extra hoots and hollers and lots of excitement!" It may seem like a good idea at the time, but it produces an unnatural response from the audience. It's better to let the concert proceed naturally, with the performance getting whatever audience response it will. Calling the audience's attention to the recording is seldom a good idea.