01-01-11 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York Source Review

Finally, we come to the end of an epic 5 night run.  For many folks, myself included, some of the music from these 5 nights stands as the best Phish has done since coming back.  The Ghost from the 31st makes my skin tingle.  The closing night offers some prime cuts as well, and there are some great recordings from this evening to choose from.  As always, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the tapers that get in there and get these recordings out to folks so quickly.  I want to make one small request, in response to a reader comment, please don't buy a taper ticket unless you plan on taping.  This is especially true if you are ordering mail order tickets.  Don't select taper preferred unless you plan on taping.  If a taper can't get a ticket, than he (or she) can't make a tape.  Further, the taper's section should be a bit quieter and more subdued than the rest of the venue, and it sucks when a tape is ruined by somebody screaming or talking the whole show.  Alrighty, enough of the rant.

Source 1 (hereafter MK41>CMC6 source)
Source: Schoeps MK41>KC5>CMC6>Sonosax SX-M2>Apogee Mini-me(aes out 24bit/96khz)>COAX>Edirol R-44
Location: DIN Just Right of center from Taper's section
Transfer: SDHC Card>usb>Macbook Pro>Wave Editor(tracking,fades,resample(isotope)/dither(mbit+) to 16bit/44.1k)>XAct(FLAC 8,ffp,fix sbe)

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 2 (hereafter BSC1 source)
Source: BSC1-K3 (hypers)>Lunatec V3 Analog>FR-2LE [BA TMod] (24/96)
Location: OTS (Sec. 11 Row E Seat 8)/LOC/DIN/approx. 9' high
Transfer: CF Card > Audacity (fades, tracking) > r8brain (downsampling) > TLH > Flac (level 8)
Tags added in Foobar

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 3 (hereafter KM150 source)
Source: Neumann KM150's>Aerco MP2>Sound Devices 744t (24bit/48khz)
Location: Section 11 Row B Seat 14
Transfer: SD744t>Sound Forge Pro 10 (mix,fades, iZotope 64 BIT Sample Rate Conversion /iZotope MBIT+ Bit depth conversion to 16 Bit/44.1khz)>CDWAV>FLAC

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Source 4 (hereafter MK41v source)
Source: Schoeps mk41v's(DIN)>kc5>m222>nt222>744t
Location: OTS/Section 10, Row B
Transfer: 744t>CD Wave>Wavelab 5>Flac

16 bit source

Source 5 (hereafter SennME80 source)
Source: Sennheiser ME-80's>Sound Devices 744t (24bit/48khz)
Location: Section 11 Row B Seat 14
Transfer: SD744t>Sound Forge Pro 10 (fades, iZotope 64 BIT Sample Rate Conversion /iZotope MBIT+ Bit depth conversion to 16 Bit/44.1khz)>CDWAV>FLAC

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Source 6 (hereafter TLM170 source)
Source: Neumann TLM-170 (hypercards) -> Sound Devices 722 (@24/96)
Location:  Official tapers section. about 10 seats to the right of center
Transfer: FLAC File processing in SoundForge Audio Studio 10.0c (L/R channel time sync; volume normalization; resample to 44.1 with iZotope 64-Bit SRC set higher than "Highest Quality" setting w/anti-alias filter; 24->16 bit dither using iZotope MBIT+ Dither with Ultra noise shaping, High dither settings;) Tracked in CDWav.

16 bit source
 
Source 7 (hereafter MK41 source)
Source: Schoeps mk41> KC5> M222> NT222> Aeta PSP-3> SD 744t (@24bit/96kHz)
Location: Section 10, Row B, Seat 2, 9' Stand, NOS
Transfer: SD 744t> Samplitude SE 9.1.1(dither/resample)> CDWave> flac(16/44.1)

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Source 8 (hereafter Senn441 source)
Source: Sennheiser MD441U > Edirol R4Pro ( Oade preamp mod ) @ 24/88.2
Location: pointed at PA array, 1 seat left of center aisle, 12.5 foot stand.
Transfer: R4Pro > WaveBurner ( track on sector boundaries, fades, SRC, BDC ) > xACT ( to flac, and for tagging and checksums )

16 bit source

Like the 28th, there are lots of sources to get through here.  I apologize for taking so much time to get to this show, as it really is great and deserves several listens.

The MK41>CMC6 source has, like most Schoeps sources, excellent highs and great separation in the mids.  However, this source lacks punch and the bass is often lost in the mix entirely, and when present, is often overshadowed by Fish's kick drum.

The BSC1 source has lots of crowd noise in it.  I love the way the snare sounds on this source, but, as with the MK41>CMC6 source, there just isn't enough bass response to really do it for me. 

The KM150 source has much more low-end than either of the previous sources, however the bass lacks clarity and ends up soundy boomy.  Also, the mids lack a certain amount of separation.  Overall, there are just some better sources to choose from.

The MK41v source doesn't sound as good as it did the previous two evenings.  The bass is present, but it lacks clarity, particularly at the lowest frequencies.  You get the thud and kick of the bass, but you don't get the nuances of the note, making it often sound like a kick-drum with sustain on it.  This is particularly evident during the intro to Jiboo.

The SennME80 source has lower levels than the better sources.  It has nice bass, but the high-end lacks the crispness and shimmer than you get from the Schoeps sources. 

The TLM170 source is the best sounding to my ears.  It has tighter bass than the other Neuman source (KM150), as well as nicer highs and mids.  In fact, the highs and mids are quite comparable to the Schoeps sources, with much richer bass, even at the lowest frequencies.

The MK41 source, is as usual, the most popular source for downloads.  However, it lacks the bass punch of the TLM170 source.  The bass does, however, have better clarity than the MK41v source, which marks an improvement over the previous two nights.

The Senn441 source has a lot of bass, but it is rumbly.  It sounds like somebody has turned the bass knob up on one of those old treble/bass EQ's.  The high-end, like the SennME80 source, just doesn't sound as crisp as it does on the TLM170, the BSC1, or any of the Schoeps sources.

Just as a heads up, as long as there are multiple sources, I will be doing reviews of the upcoming Trey tour.  I've heard rumors of a Mike tour in the spring too.  Again, multiple sources will mean that I review it.  Hope you enjoy my picks.

Happy Listening!