Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine MP3 players and concerts

Does anyone know anything about the recording quality on an MP3 player at a concert?

It depends highly on the brand and the band. If you've paid $100 for a cheapo MP3 player to take to a Motorhead gig, chances are all you'll get is distortion. But a good unit and a less intense concert experience will yield better (clearer) results.
It's kinda like asking if a piece of string will hold two objects together - how long's your string, and how heavy are the objects?

It also depends on the venue. And I don't mean for acoustics. Security is so tight nowadays that they confiscate pens because it could hold an MP3 recorder or camera. No matter the type you take good luck getting it in.

Or... you could go to a Foo Fighters concert, where you will find the flash of cameras, video recorders and such provides a merry counterpoint to the light show, and Dave Grohl will pose for you to take shots on your camera phone.

I shit you not. Happened here in OZ. Maybe our promoters aren't as tight-assed as the ones in the US? Or maybe the Foo just encourage this sort of thing...

Some bands are cool about it but usually, at least in SLC, the arenas have security that won't allow anything in even if the band allows it. The last concert I went to had more security than the airport. And that was at least four years ago.

What gets me is when the guy running THE TROCADERO in Philadelphia insist on searching patrons as they go in. This is NOT an arena. It's a movie-house-sized theatre. And a RUN-DOWN theatre, for cryin' out loud! They just have freakin' ATTITUDE problems, is what it is... (Like the "doorman" one night who resembled a gorilla who tried to rip me off for too much money... then, when I called him on it, he handed me back my money and said, "GOOD NIGHT." Took 10 minutes before his BOSS came around and let me in... by which time, the evening had been ruined for me.)

what a coincidence
I went to The Troc this summer, I went to see UFO and i actually got into the show for free cause some guy was standing outside and offered me and my bro free tickets. Anyway, i had my digital camera and they didnt have any problem with it. I also went to a couple concerts before and after that show. I saw Def Leppard/bryan adams, UFO(hampton beach) and ozzfest, all concerts allowed me to bring my digital camera in. I went to see The Stones where they said you were NOT allowed any cameras, then they let cellphones in, by the time i got there security was so lax that i coulda brought a video camera in. And it was no problem for pearl jam, now hopefully my luck will continue when i go see MOTLEY CRUE.

I think most record companies these days realise they are pushing shit up hill. I have found you have to be really unlucky to have anything said and generally you can use your recorders and zoom lens and whatnot unlkess you get one of the seats next to where a security gorilla plants himself.

actually, they do have a paroblem with telephoto lenses. My brother was not allowed his camera, which is like a professioal camera, but i got into motorhead with it but it was pointless to take pics casue we were to close and lights and the sound and the moshing.

Che-che-che-check it out... Beastie Boys push the envelope once more...
Boing Boing: Beastie Boys give cams to fans, who film concert: "Awesome!"

going to motley crue tonight, got my nephews mp3 player, not expecting much in the way of sound. Wish me luck!!!

Good luck Lab.

You seem to get a fair amount of good gigs out your way.

well it didnt work, the band is too loud and the mp3 is not the best quality, oh well/ The concert kicked ass and i managed to get my camera in to get video clips and pics. The pics arent good cause it was so dark and smokey on stage most of the time. The video is ok, picture is blurry cause of all the smoke and the sound is distorted cause of the volume of sound. As far as getting good gigs out this way, its few and far between this past year has been good, motorhead, tragically hip, rolling stones,pearl jam,motley crue and up in may alice cooper and inxs with jd fortune from nova scotia!!