August 15, 2011 UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL Sources Review

Phish brought their traveling circus back to the Midwest for a 3 night stand at UIC Pavilion.  The site of many legendary shows, the anticipation level was high and Phish delivered the goods.  This first night provides many highlights and is a show that deserves several re-listens.  There are seven sources available for this night.  I want to thank all the tapers who recorded this show and shared it with the community.  Thanks guys!

Source 1 (hereafter KM84 source)
Source: (2) Neumann km84i  > Sound Devices 722 (24/96, 40 Hz rolloff @ 12 dB/oct.)
Location: DINish, OTS 4' LOC, ~ 12' high
Transfer: 722 HDD > Audiogate (+4 dB, fades, tracking, dither/re-sample to 16/44.1) > xACT (flac 8 w/ SBA & tags)

16 bit source
24 bit source


Source 2 (hereafter KM140 source)
Source: Neumann skm140 > Sound Devices Mixpre > Korg MR-1(24/96)
Location: OTS/~DIN/JLOC/11' High
Transfer: Korg MR-1(24/96) > Audiogate(dither[Korg AQUA]/resample to 16/44.1) > CDWave(tracking) > FLAC(16/44.1/Level 8)

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 3 (hereafter Busman source)
Source: Busman BSC1-K31 > Naiant Littlebox > Edirol R-09HR (24-Bit/96kHz)
Location: DIN Configuration, OTS, 4' LOC, 10' High
Transfer: SDHC Card > Audacity > .wav (16-Bit/44.1kHz) > CD Wave Editor > .flac (Level 8)

16 bit source

Source 4 (hereafter MK41 source)
Source:Schoeps MK41(dina)> Kcy >Sonosax SX-M2/LS2 >R44(ocm)24/96
Location:OTS Stand 8ft
Transfer:SDHC>Audacity 16/44>Amadeus Pro>xACT

16 bit source

Source 5 (hereafter CCM4 source)
Source:SchoepsCCM4(din)>Sonosax SX-M2>R44(ocm) 24/96
Location:OTS Stand 8ft
Transfer:SDHC>Audacity 16/44>Amadeus Pro>xACT

16 bit source

Source 6 (hereafter SP source)
Source: Sound Professional AT 853 Cardiods -> SP P/S -> Edirol R09-HR

16 bit source

Source 7 (hereafter Senn source)
Source: Sennheiser MD441U > Edirol R4Pro ( Oade preamp mod ) @ 24/88.2
Location: pointed at PA array, 2 feet right of center, 12.5 feet high.
Transfer: R4Pro > WaveBurner ( track on sector boundaries, fades, SRC, BDC ) > xACT ( to flac, and for tagging and checksums )

16 bit source


Phish - 8/15/11 "Undermind" from Phish on Vimeo.

The KM84 source is my pick for the best of the evening.  There is nice separation of the instruments and the bass response is just right.  The clarity of the bass is ever so slightly better than the MK41 source and kicks the sub nicely.

The KM140 source lacks the bass clarity of the KM84 or the MK41 sources.  The highs are also a bit subdued.

The Busman source, like the KM140 source, lacks the clarity of the bass, particularly at the lowest frequencies, of the KM84 source or MK41 source.

The MK41 source is the second best recording to my ears.  It is much crisper than the CCM4 source and has better bass definition.  The differences between it and the KM84 are subtle.  Notice when Gordon comes in for the first time on Steam, on the MK41 source it has tone, but much of the attack is lost.  On the KM84 source it is there in all its glory.  That said, this is an excellent recording.

The CCM4 source lacks tonal clarity at the lowest frequencies and is a bit low overall. 

The SP source has very little bass response at all.  It sounds almost like there is a roll-off below 120Hz or so and all of that is just implied rather than actually on the recording.  I didn't do a frequency analysis or anything, suffice it to say, this recording will not kick your sub.

The Senn source, on the other hand, has a plethora of bass.  It kicks the hardest of all the recordings.  However, like several of the other sources, the lowest notes are lost on this recording, rendered as subkicks rather than tone.

Happy listening!