September 2, 2011 Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO Sources Review

Coming right off the heels of a pretty good second leg of summer, Phish settled in for what many thought would be the last shows of the year out in Colorado.  A large gathering with onsite camping made for a very festival like atmosphere, and Phish did not disappoint.  The first of these shows, now forever known as the "S" show offered a ton of rare songs, including a bustout of Sparks which hadn't been seen in 15 years.  This is one you definitely want to download.  Making my job difficult, but rewarding, are 11 different sources for this night! I want to thank all the tapers who recorded this and shared it with the community.  Thanks a lot fellas!

Source 1 (hereafter AK40 source)
Source:  Neumann AK 40 (NOS) >  Lc3 > Km 100 > Aerco Mp2 > Sd 702 @ 24/48
Location: FOB/DFC 50' Back
Transfer: Cf Card > Wavelab 6.0 (resample,Uv 22 HR) > Cd Wave > TLH > 16.44 FLAC

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 2 (hereafter MK22 source)
Source: schoeps mk22 (stc 22g)> kc5> m222> nt222> Lunatec V3 (ACM)> SD 744t
Location: FOB/DFC 6.5'
Transfer: 744>samplitude>cd wave> tlh

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 3 (hereafter MK5 source)
Source: Schoeps mk5> KCY> VST62IU> EAA PSP-2> SD 744t (@24bit/96kHz)
Location: FOB, DFC, 6' Stand, cardioid/ORTF
Transfer: SD 744t> Samplitude SE 9.1.1(dither/resample)> CDWave> flac(16/44.1)

16 bit source

Source 4 (hereafter BSC1 source)
Source: Busman Audio BSC1/K21 (A/B @ 3 ft) > GAKable XLR > Busman HD-P2 (24/48)
Location: FOB/LOC 8ft up
Transfer: CF > WaveLab 6 (-24dB @ 85Hz, -12dB RMS Normalize, Fades,
Convert to 16bit, Resample to 44.1 with Apogee UV22HR Dither) >
CDWave (Tracking) > Traders Little Helper (FLAC6)

16 bit source

Source 5 (hereafter DPA 4022 source)
Source: DPA 4022(din)> oade m148> sd744t
Location: FOB/DFC 6.5'
Transfer: 744>samplitude>cd wave> tlh

16 bit source

 Source 6 (hereafter Milab VM44 source)
Source: Milab VM44-link > Lunatec V3 (24/44.1k) > Sony D50
Location: FOB/DFC 6.5' (thanks for the clamp space Adam!)
Transfer: D50> Amadeus Pro > xACT

16 bit source




Source 7 (hereafter DPA Matrix source)
Source: [DPA 4027(ORTF/FOB)->V2->Mytek 192 + DPA 4022(XY/FOB)->V3(analog)] -> Busman DR-680(24/96)->UV22HR(16/44.1)
Transfer: UV22HR(16/44.1)->CDWave->FLAC

16 bit source

Source 8 (hereafter SKM184 source)
Source: Neumann skm184>sd702>wav24/48
Location: FOB>LOC>10ft
Transfer: CF>goldwave(dither resample 16/441)>cd wave>flac level 8

16 bit source

Source 9 (hereafter CCM4 source)
Source:Schoeps CCM4 (Ortf)>VMS5u>R44(OCM) 24/96
Location: FOB, DFC, 6'
Transfer:SDHC>Audacity 16/44 >Amadeus Pro>xACT

16 bit source

Source 10 (hereafter MK4v source)
Source:Schoeps MK4v(ortf)> Kcy > Sonosax SX-M2/LS2 >Mytek 192 adc aes/spdif>R44(OCM) 24/96
Location: FOB, DFC, 6'
Transfer:SDHC>Audacity 16/44 >Amadeus Pro>xACT

16 bit source

Source 11 (hereafter BSC2 source)
Source: Busman bsc2 K2(Omni)>sd744>wav24/48
Location: FOB>LOC>10ft
Transfer: CF>goldwave(dither resample 16/441)>cd wave>flac level 8

16 bit source


Phish - 9/2/11 "Seven Below > Suzy Greenberg > Scents And Subtle Sounds" from Phish on Vimeo.

The AK40 source doesn't have the clear bass that you have on the 4022's or the VM44 source.  The recording is a bit boomy as well.

The MK22 source is quite good, though the bass could be a bit higher up in the mix.  Further, the bass is not as clear tonally as I would like.  When you compare the attack on Mike's bass on this recording vs. the VM44's, there really is a big difference.

The MK5 source sounds fantastic.  Unfortunately, the levels are a bit high, resulting in some crispiness during the louder parts.  Barring that, this would be my pick of the night, but with those problems, just couldn't pick it, particularly considering how nice the VM44's sound.

The BSC1 source sounds a bit boomy compared to the VM44 source.

The DPA 4022 source is quite punchy on the bass, with great mids.  However, the high-end just doesn't compare to the VM44 source.

The VM44 source is my pick for best sounding recording.  The bass is excellent and has great tonality throughout the frequency range.  The high-end is fantastic as well.

The DPA Matrix source has a very muffled high-end, though the low-end is quite nice.  Just doesn't have the dynamic range of the VM44 source.

The SKM184 source is not as punchy or as clear as the 4022 or the VM44 source.

The CCM4 source is probably the 2nd or 3rd best of the evening.  The low-end is quite clear and distinct with good dynamic range and tonality.  However, there is a pretty fair amount of crowd noise, and again, the highs aren't as nice as the VM44's.

The MK4v source sounds pretty good, with again, great, punchy low-end, but again, the high's just aren't as nice as the VM44.

The BSC2 source sounds very distant and boomy and has lots of crowd noise.

Happy listening!