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LIVE RECORDING…

Posted by Aynsley on Thursday 3rd September, 2009.

So here I am just taking five following the weekends fun and just before I head out to the continent for the start of the upcoming European jaunt.
Well, one question I often get asked is whether I look at the forum or not and the answer to that is yes although not every day and not at every single thing that is posted. Following the weekend of course it was quite clearly buzzing about the live recording and so I thought I would give my own overview as to how it went…

Live recordings are always tricky: record just one live gig and there is no margin for error, technical problems, etc etc…. you can guarantee the one night you decide to get a team in to record a regular gig, something will not go according to plan. Of course on the other end of the scale, a live recording is not meant to be studio perfect and have overdubs etc. a live recording should be exactly what it says: live.
So, to the plan: the concept was to hire a venue for two days. Day one would be where we could set everything up and spend as long as we needed getting the sound right. Being comfortable with the room, the stage, the sound and everything is imperative if you are to perform to your best so we spent that first day getting settled in. We played through the stuff I had decided on and checked everyone was happy with how it sounded recorded. By the end of the day everyone was happy and we all retired for an early night.

On arrival back at the venue on Sunday afternoon it really felt great that all the hard work had already been done the previous day and so all that was needed was to just have a relaxed jam to make sure everything was still fine with how we had left it. The Tower really is a fantastic venue with a great sound and it’s this kind of thing that really makes the difference.

I decided to start the afternoon with a handful of solo numbers to get into the swing of things before a little break, after which I came back on with the band…. then off we went. The audience were nicely appreciative and it was a nice relaxed atmosphere. Unlike a normal gig though, each song was given it’s own space and we took a few moments before each for everyone to focus. Basically, the idea was to get as best a live version of each song as possible and so if we needed to take a moment to run over or check anything beforehand then we would. Like anything though, you can rehearse something a million times but it’s not until you actually perform it that it actually becomes real. Possibly one of the hardest jobs was taken care of by Dan who had not only had to learn around half of my live repertoire but perform it to his fullest potential aswell, despite a few heckles from the attendees. Dan along with Simon and Midus did a sterling job on the day and I think we captured some really cool stuff.

The plan right now is to sift through what we got and put together a live album. What will go on and what won’t will all be decided once we start to listen to it after a good break.

So for now, that ends part one! More news on that shortly. Right now, I’m off out in the rain to get the van ready for tomorrows trip to Holland.

See you all soon ;0)

AL