MOTM

On 4/27/07, wjhall11 <wjhall@...> wrote:
>  Clearly - when there's other stuff being done, there is a performance.
>  Like Scott and Terry - or you, Doug - when you guys go out to play
>  live, right?
> [snip]
>  But - OK - so if the recording is the performance, how does one keep
>  it alive? Or is it alive? Or what?

I've been at three of the four Different Skies performances.  It's an
interesting ethic - twenty of us show up, create things for a week and
then perform them.  This has included both music and visual
performances.  One year, I showed up an hour before the show and was
able to join in - complete improv on my part, and probably my favorite
performance of the lot.

We've recorded almost everything, but for various reasons not much has
actually been released.  I think the biggest impediment has been that
many of the participants are gearheads and recovering perfectionists.
(Yours truly included...)  I recorded 15 tracks the first year, and
would have done the same for the subsequent years, but my equipment
wasn't up to some standard, and I was told not to bring it.  (rolls
eyes)  So, we ended up with a FOH recording from the video gear one
year, and a couple hand-held device recordings another.

Quite the interesting thing - do you hold out for some mythical "best"
recording gear and then panic and only get a video machine's tracks?
Do you accept a recording from a mini-disc player even if you can't do
a digital transfer?  Do you use a vocal performed through an SM-58 or
do you redo it with some kind of high end large diaphragm condenser
even if you might lose the spontaneity?

Doug

P.S. The rest of the story on the video machine track year is that it
was the only one that has actually been released on DVD, including the
visual performance!  So many times, it really boils down to one
motivated individual that makes things happen...