Every once in a while, I’ll show up to a gig and find that there’s video gear on site even though there was no discussion of video in the advance. It could be a simple setup with a few stationary cameras strategically placed throughout the room, run by an operator with a switcher routing to video displays. Other times it could be a truck with gear, a camera crew and director ready to create a production that would be the envy of Spielberg. Before I call management to find out if video was authorized without my knowledge (which happens once in a blue moon) I’ll find out if the video is going to be recorded, or if it’s strictly for a live feed to in-house screens.
The intended purpose of the video dictates the rules of engagement. If the video is not being recorded and it’s a reputable venue, I probably won’t need to call the office. No venue wants to incur the legal implications of a recording being leaked out without permission. Depending on the circumstances, there may be no need to feed audio to the video crew. Several times in the past when I lacked confidence about whether or not video was being recorded, I intentionally killed the audio feed to video. As you would imagine, the video crew complained. Too bad.
Questions, Questions…
An intention to record the show creates a whole different ball of wax. First, there are the legal questions: What is the purpose of this video? Did someone at management sign off on it, and if so, who? Who will own the rights to the assets (above my pay grade), and how will we receive the assets (within my pay grade)? Sometimes the answer is “At the end of the night, we’ll give you copies of the camera feeds plus the rough cut seen by the audience.” This really stinks because copying large video files takes time, and after the gig I usually have a date with my pillow. You’ll need this information ahead of time so that you can bring a (preferably fast) hard drive to copy the files.
A somewhat different possibility is that the venue has the gear permanently installed and ready to go, complete with multitrack audio capabilities. During the advance they might offer the option to record the performance for a fee. That’s also a decision to be made by management, but the companion question should be, “If we release the recording, is there a venue fee?” Some venues charge a fee if you release a recording made in their hallowed halls — even when you bring your own gear. On the one hand, it’s a BS money-grab, but on the other hand they do have a point — you might end up with a recording that sells like Kiss Alive II, for example. Most venues won’t mind if you record a two-track feed from the FOH desk, but in at least one instance, I recorded at a venue where you were permitted to record up to 16 tracks without incurring a fee. Anything more than that and the discussion goes up the flagpole for financial consideration.
Technical Details
If the legal details have been sorted, you can move on to the technical details, the biggest of which is: does the video truck have multitrack audio recording capabilities? Suppose that it does and you want to take advantage, you’ll need to know how audio will be distributed to the FOH and monitor consoles as well as the recording system. The old school way would be to use a copper three-way split with an isolated output that’s designated for the recording system. When the split is going to happen in the digital realm, you’ll need to know if your gear and the house gear can communicate (Dante, anyone?) and how to access the word clock settings on your digital desks so that you can sync them to external clock. When video is involved, it will be the clock (and timecode) master. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
If the plan is to route a stereo mix from the FOH console to the video folks, you may want to use a matrix for the video feed and do some test recordings at sound check, because what you hear at FOH and what is passing through the console may be quite different — particularly when there are loud guitar amps on stage. If that’s the case, the FOH mix from the console may not contain a lot of guitar. That’s fine for the audience, because they’ll get plenty of guitar from the stage, but the board mix will be light on guitar. The solution is to send the L/R mix plus an aux send dedicated to guitar through a matrix and balance it for the video.
Speaking of sound check, be prepared (and have your band prepared) to spend more time than usual to sort out the kinks. There may be a few adjustments that need to be made such as placing a small baffle between a guitar cab and the drum riser to help reduce leakage, and these take time — especially as you don’t want them becoming an eyesore in the video. Or there may be a small amount of noise in a bass rig that could be overlooked for a show, but not for recording purposes.
Mics, Mics, Mics…
As the FOH engineer, your participation in the recording may be limited to mic placement, so pay a little more attention to what you’re doing than you might on a typical day. That’s a reminder for myself as much as anyone else. There have been days when I’m at a venue and things are so hectic that we start sound check before I realize that I haven’t been to the stage to look at microphone placement (we don’t carry a mic package so I rely upon the house crew for mics, placement and patching). I can’t tell you how many times I’ve discovered that side-address mics such as AKG C414s or Shure KSM32s were placed with the front of the mic facing the ceiling. No wonder the cymbals sounded so dull! Such sloppiness makes for poor recordings.
You might be tempted to change your normal mic selection and placement, opting for some higher-end models. Be careful, especially when it comes to changing vocal microphones at the last minute. You may find that a mic with higher fidelity introduces more leakage from the stage, or worse, significantly changes a performer’s monitor mix. Making sure the artist is comfortable is always a big concern, but when it comes to recording live, it’s even more critical — you don’t want the musicians being distracted by changes you’ve made. Heed the adage: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Steve “Woody” La Cerra is the tour manager and front of house engineer for Blue Öyster Cult.
