Friday, October 8, 2010 - Austin City Limits Tapes Reviewed

Well, at this point (Sunday afternoon) there is only 1 source available (other than the sbd source from phish.com).  The source is as follows:
Source: Mod Nak 701’s -> Luminous Audio P/S -> Korg MR-1 (1bit/2.8MHz DSD)
Location: fob, 6’ right of dfc, 60’ from stage
Transfer: Korg MR-1 -> AudioGate (16/44) -> CD Wave -> FLAC

Etree source

My frequency analyzer says that this tape is fairly bass heavy, but my ears tell me differently.  One thing the frequency analyzer is right about, however, is that the levels are low on this recording.  The levels peak at -10db, which leaves plenty of room for the taper to boost it, certainly after the fact. There is definitely something missing at the low end.  When Mike lays a bomb, there is no blow to the gut, which is kind of the way I like it.  Mike actually sounds kind of buried, particularly in the low end, where the attack and sonic quality of the note seem to be lost. However, at this point, this is all that's out there.  The drums are well defined with no whirring in the high-hats.  Trey is not as out in front as he usually is.  This is a very listenable tape however.  There is some muddiness in the middle of the spectrum and there isn't great separation between the instruments.  However, this could well be the result of the "festival mix" which is notoriously not as good as what Phish brings to the table on their own.  I will continue to look for other options as the week goes on.