June 12, 2011 Merriweather Post Pavillion, Columbia, MD Sources Review

Phish wrapped up their two night stand in Maryland with a show that offered some excellent highlights including the only performance of Sanity this tour.  That and Makisupa usually mean that the band is having fun and it shows on the recordings.  There are 7 sources available for this evening.  I want to thank the tapers for getting these recordings out to us.  Without their efforts, this blog wouldn't exist.

Source 1 (hereafter DPA source)
Source: DPA 4022 (ortf)> sonosax sx-m2> mytek stereo 192 adc> sd 744t
Location: OTS/JROC/7'
Transfer: 744>samplitude>cd wave editor>tlh

16 bit source 
24 bit source

Source 2 (hereafter AKG460 source)
Source: AKG C460Bs/CK 63-ULS ->Kind Kables->Naiant LittleBox->Segue Dogstar Silver-Clad Interconnect->Edirol R-09HR (24 bit/48 kHz)
Location:  DINa, ~5' ROC, OTS, on stand ~7'
Transfer: SDHC -> PC > Fade in, fade out, dithered to 16 bit, resampled to 44.1 kHz & tracking using SoundForge 9.0. > FLAC frontend 1.7.1 used to align on sector boundaries and for Flac16 Conversion @ level 8

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 3 (hereafter MK4v source)
Source: Schoeps mk4v's(DIN)>kc5>m222>nt222>aeta psp-3>744t
Location: OTS/Row DD
Transfer: 744t>CD Wave>Wavelab 5>Flac

16 bit source

Source 4 (hereafter MK41 source)
Source: Schoeps MK41 (DINa) > KCY > Schoeps VMS-5U > Mytek 192 > Tascam HD-P2 @ 96 kHz, 24 bit
Location: OTS (stand approx. 8', centered, 3rd row of section):
Transfer: Tascam HD-P2 > via firewire > Dell XPS m1730 > edited/resampled/dithered in Sony Vegas 9.0 > FLAC'd using Trader's Little Helper 8/8

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 5 (hereafter MK4 source)
Source: Schoeps CMC6/MK4 -> Sound Devices 744T (24bit/44.1)
Transfer: Samplitude Professional v11.2 -> FLAC/16


16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 6 (hereafter AKGCK93 source)
Source: AKG-CK93 > PS-2 > DEAD-20 > MARANTZ-PMD661
Location: BOB
Transfer: MASTER > AUDACITY > CD WAVE > FLAC LEVEL(8)

16 bit source

Source 7 (hereafter Neumann matrix source)
Source 1: ak50(nos)-lc3-km100-shorty xlrs-sd744@24/96
Source 2: km140-darktrain xlrs-sd722@24/96-digi out-sd744 channels 3-4
Location: row dd seat 126 back left corner of sbd on THE TREE
Transfer: All editing and tracking done with sf10

16 bit source


Phish - 6/12/11 "Steam" from Phish on Vimeo.

There are some great recordings here and the best of them are better than the best source from the previous night.

The DPA source starts out with fairly low levels, but this is rectified later in the set.  Like the previous evening, the bass could be a bit higher in the mix.  The high-end sounds a tad muted in this mix as well.

The AKG460B source has better definition in the bass and the high-end than the DPA's.  However, the bass could still stand to be a bit higher in the mix.  When you compare the intro to First Tube with the Neumann and MK41 source, you really hear the difference.

The MK4v source suffers from fairly low levels throughout and the low end is not particularly descript.

The MK41 source comes out as the best of the evening.  As usual, the Schoeps provide excellent highs, however the bass is fantastic in this mix and the overall levels are superb.  Great separation throughout.  As with the previous night, there is noticeable wind noise, however not as pronounced as either the night before or PNC.

The MK4 source is really boomy at the lowest frequencies and doesn't have the definition I would like from the bass and kick compared to the MK41 or Neumann sources.

The AKGCK93 source has nice bass levels and bass tone as well as excellent highs.  However, in comparison to the Neumann and MK41 sources, just doesn't deliver the punch that I like.

The Neumann matrix source has low levels to begin with, but this is fixed fairly rapidly.  The bass definition is excellent, however the highs are not as crisp as on the MK41 source.  I would say this is the second best source of the evening.  I would have liked to hear just the KM150's as they have proved to be excellent sources all tour.

Happy listening!