La Blogotheque - Take Away Shows

[Christian Spaeth]

Some of the videos these folks make have been mentioned in some thread or other, but I feel the website should be mentioned here. Awesome if you have some time to spend and like music. And of course a testament to production sound

 

http://en.blogotheque.net/

[Matthias Richter]

nice!!

 

watched the Baden Baden one (http://www.blogotheque.net/2013/02/22/baden-baden/) and just don´t get it how they achieved this consistent, well balanced sound. You don´t see any lavs (could be hidden) on the singer, acc or drums and the camera goes 360 all the time making the sound mixer jump around too - still no change in the mix. There are some shadows near the end where you can see an ORTF mic on a boom.

 

Really well done.

[VASI]

It's for reference the sound for post. Not the primary.

The primary mix (for CD etc) it's coming from studio.

BTW I like it this page! Fantastic!

 

Thanks Christian!

 

[Christian Spaeth]

It's for reference the sound for post. Not the primary.

The primary mix (for CD etc) it's coming from studio.

BTW I like it this page! Fantastic!

 

Thanks Christian!

 

 

All their videos are with live sound, and you can tell that this one is too, but I agree with Matthias that it's extremely well recorded. You can hear the wind towards the end, the bicycle... maybe a mic was hanging from that old tree?

 

Great band by the way.

[VASI]

Also you can create mix in post with atmosphere from location and the quality music from studio.

How can you have this brilliant sound from glockenspiel coming from location recording?

The quality of harmonics is extremely well to become from location.

 

It's different this story.

 

Neumann TLM 127

x2 Beyerdynamic MCE86s ("hide")

 

On that it's different. It's on inside.

If you recording exterior music in post after you can't remove background noises

because if you cut some frequencies you cut and frequencies and from instrument.

If you use a denoiser for example the results is to altered the harmonics from instrument.

 

And at these videos you hear a brilliant harmonics and all frequencies from instruments.

[Boomboom]

Wow, terrific website, thanks the link Christian .

[Matthias Richter]

It's for reference the sound for post. Not the primary.

The primary mix (for CD etc) it's coming from studio.

well that would mean it´s either PB on location or a studio version done after the guide track was recorded. I doubt that. What would be the point? The idea is to have these bands play live just there and then.

I thought about one / couple of mics coming from the top too. But there are some shots from low angle pointing upwards and some wide - shots too. Must be hidden lavs plus a bit of the stereo boom for ambience.

[VASI]

Definetely is not stereo technique. No one can hear the stereo image it's to perfect according moving with camera guy.

You can't have this stereo image with that moves.

 

It's not only the perfect stereo image. It's many things to search and listen again and again to understand this sound it's not only from location.

 

If this sound it's only from location (and I don't believe that for many reasons) I will go to be an astronaut.

 

You can hide a lavalier to electric guitar. Dah... Think out of the box.

[Matthias Richter]

well the guitar´s mic would have to sit next to the amp (the box sic!) But after listen again I think too it can´t be live.

There is a van passing by in the BG and you hear no noise, the bicycle sound is just too clean (like an film effect) and the bit in between the two songs got just a bit of ambience with the band´s voices off mic.

At least they got me spend an hour playing Sherlock Holmes ;-)

[VASI]

well the guitar´s mic would have to sit next to the amp (the box sic!) But after listen again I think too it can´t be live.

 

There is a van passing by in the BG and you hear no noise, the bicycle sound is just to clean (like an film effect) and the bit in between the two songs got just a bit of ambience with the band´s voices off mic.

 

At least they got me spend an hour playing Sherlock Holmes ;-)

 

[Christian Spaeth]

As for the Glockenspiel, Vas, it's the loudest non-percussive instrument I know. I played clubs without amplifying the Glockenspiel because it's so loud and clear. Also look at the guitar picking and especially the vocals. Seems almost too hard to do in post, and I don't think they have the kinds of budget to get a band in a studio and make them play to picture. The final and strongest argument why I think it's not don in post is the fee of the music. As a musician I'm pretty certain that repeating that kind of vibe while paying close attention to being in sync is just not possible.

[Matthias Richter]

I sent them an email to shed some light on it. Just so we can go back to business

[VASI]

Explain me technically who it's possible:

 

1. The correct stereo image (if this is M/S or different stereo technique)

2. No background noise (like bicycles, people, cars etc) without to change the harmonics from vocals, drums etc.

3. About the electric guitar (it's a little VOX I think this silver).

4. About the movement camera and "soundman" without to lose "on-axis" - "off-axis".

5. The tonal from vocals (all frequencies from vocals it's "clear").

 

Technically.

You must know in the video clips you sync the video into sound. Not sound into the video.

[Christian Spaeth]

OK lets play. Of course its all quite hypothetical. You could be right, but one could argue against it too.

 

1. ORTF hanging from the tree not too far from the band, maybe supported by a hidden lav on the singer.

2. They play very loud. The acoustic guitar is barely audible even though it is not a quiet instrument and he strums. The voice is loud, the Glockenspiel is very loud, electric guitar is amplified (=as loud as you want).

3. see 2.

4. its not the only mic. see 1.

5. So?

 

If video is recorded to a pre recorded track then why does it sound so un-studio like?

 

 

I hope you get your reply soon Matthias, or I will get no sleep

 

We should place bets shouldn't we?

[VASI]

And they look to play hard to explain this S/N?

It's not metal band.

 

ORTF? Let's play. Go outside and record similar band and project.

Go to post. You will find your answers.

 

Maybe you have confused and not me.

It's music. We are talking for music. Not for dialogue. Music.

[VASI]

Send this video in one studio and get opinion from audio engineer.

Not one. Two, three, four if you like and listen.

Listen both. And the sound from video and the audio engineer what he/she say.

 

If you are continuous to believe that sound it's coming only from location what can I say anymore.

[Matthias Richter]

got an email response from Christoph Abric, CEO of La Blogotheque saying it´s done all live! I have asked for more details and told him to have a look at this discussion. We´ll see ...

[Richard Thomas]

I reckon- stereo pair over band (hung from tree?), mainly getting trumpet (sounds a bit off-mic, mainly pointing at the ground) and percussion, ambient sound- could be a good few metres away.  Stereo image seems to be static, rather than going with the camera.

 

Lav on singer (sounds really good)

Both guitars are amped (there's a pickup on the acoustic too) and recorded separately.

 

There's a credit for 'mix' at the end in addition to the sound recordist

 

I did something similar last year- this is an MS pair (short gun in centre) 

(performance at 1:30 ish)
 

[Richard Thomas]

You can get away with putting mics quite a bit further away with instruments/singers

[Matthias Richter]

Christoph did forward my email to the sound mixer and sound director. There is some light on the end of the tunnel ...

[VASI]

hung from tree?

 

- Where is the shadows? 1 meter or 2 meter up to "hide" the shadow and that quality? In that scenario what about on axis - off axis again? And for lavs. Where is in at the trumpet?

 

I can predict the answers from the creators.

The marketing is more important. Especially in these days it's hard to find advertisement.

 

recorded separately : You can't do it. The Christian say: As a musician I'm pretty certain that repeating that kind of vibe while paying close attention to being in sync is just not possible.

 

Richard did you hear your vocals at your job? And after did you hear the vocals from Baden Baden?

 

got an email response from Christoph Abric, CEO of La Blogotheque saying it´s done all live!

 

- And Glenn from Zaxcom, Jon from SD say it has the best recorder (for example). And that means? The Zaxcom it's better than SD and vice versa?. No.

 

Think OUT from the BOX.

[Matthias Richter]

take it easy guys! anyway here is the sound mixer´s response:

 

Hello Everybody,

I'm sorry but i did not do that one. Francois Clos did and it was mixed by Julien Perreau. I'm having a blast reading the message board though (the line "If this sound it's only from location (and I don't believe that for many reasons) I will go to be an astronaut." cracked me up). Funny enough, I can't even spot the microphones either... I'm sure Francois will share his secrets though.

Cheers!
Henri

[VASI]

He shocked? Don't worry.

 

I'm having a blast when someone spoof me and cracked me up.

[Pablo Villegas]

The point of the Takeaway concerts is exactly that. To record life performances in unconventional places. I've been following them for a while, and the have gotten very good at recording bands in all sorts of locations playing all sorts of instruments. You'd be surprise to learn that they are using zoom recorders and G2 wireless with stock mics to record many of the performances on the site. I was lucky to record one of they're takeaway concerts actually.

[HenZ]

Hello everybody,

My name is Henri d'Armancourt and I've been working as a sound engineer for La Blogotheque more than a year now and been following them for even longer.

 

Concert a Emporter/Take Away Shows started back in 2007. They are ALWAYS live performances of artists or bands, filmed on location, with whatever we have and are usually long shots. They have improved for the past years especially sound wise with the arrival of François Clos (sound director in this Baden Baden take away show) and JB Aubonnet. The concept is to take bands out of their comfort zone (a studio, a stage) and confront them to the city/nature...

 

As surprising as it can sound, this film is not post-production synched. It is live, raw, on location footage. We do spend some time in post-production mixing it properly of course. And sometimes that means cleaning the sound, spending hours taking off clicks and wireless mics interferences.

 

Our gear is usually an Edirol R-44 (4 track), 2 lavaliers mics with wireless transmitters/receivers, a boom-pole with mics in ORTF stereo position (2 Oktava with cardoid capsuls) and we sometimes pop in a Zoom H4 or two in there. I know that François also brings some of his own gear on the Take Away Shows he shoots (and that is extra lav mics and a 788T). Basically, we usually mix studio and cinema sound recording techniques.

 

As i said in my mail to Matthias, I have not worked on this one. But i do know François sometimes leaves the boom on the ground or hidden somewhere. I don't think it's the case here though. I consider François as my mentor on these films and he is a badass sound engineer indeed!

(i mean, just check out this one too and you'll understand my point: 

)

 

Now i don't mean to take the piss here. In fact i'm sure François and the Blogotheque sound department are honored by these kind of conversations and observations. It's really satisfying when you realize your work is taken in consideration and, somewhat, analyzed like you've been doing. I'm sure François will share his secrets too because, as you know, it's not always about the gear: it's what you can do with it. I guess.

 

Hope this helps!