May 31, 2011 PNC Bank Performing Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ Sources Review

I had hoped that after a week more than two sources would show up, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  So, I'll tell you what I think of what we have and keep my eyes open should something else appear.  After the blistering shows in Bethel, Phish brought their circus to the wilds of New Jersey, Trey's home state.  I want to thank the tapers who recorded this night for us.  Without their efforts this site wouldn't exist.

Source 1 (hereafter Busman source)
Source: Busman Bsc1(Hypers)>Fostex Fr-@LE
Location: OTS>POS @ 9'
Transfer: None given

16 bit source

Source 2 (hereafter ME66 source)
Source: Sennheiser ME66s > Lunatec V3 > Tascam HDP2 (spidf @ 24/44)
Location: PAS, LOC 3', Sec303 RowAA Seat103
Transfer: Adobe Audition (Fades, tracking, minor level adjustments) > xACT (flac level 8, tagged)

24 bit source



Phish - 5/31/11 "Maze" from Phish on Vimeo.

Neither of these sources are perfect, but they are both quite listenable.  Both sources suffer from wind noise, that while not necessarily the rough noise on the mics themselves, creates noticeable phase shift in both recordings that can be a bit annoying at high volumes (and if you can, shouldn't Phish always be listened to at high volumes?). 

The Busman source is very crisp in the mids and highs.  The low-end lacks the punch of the MK4v sources from Bethel, and worse, many of the low notes are simply lacking in definition.  You get the punch but not the feel of the note itself.  That being said, this is still the best recording of the evening.  One note, the tracking is not correct on the notes and several songs are actually tracked together rather than separately.  Take a look at the first page of comments under the torrent for the correct tracking.

The ME66 source has more punch on the low-end than the Busman, but, like the Busman source, doesn't have particularly good definition on the bass.  The really low notes are lost in mud.  However, the mids and highs are just not as nice on the Busman source.  This source is only available in 24 bit, so if you want to burn to CD without re-sampling, the Busman is the only source for you.

Happy listening!