September 4, 2011 Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO Sources Review

Phish wrapped up an epic three night run outside Denver with a smoking show.  Along with the previous two nights, if you don't download this show, you are missing out on some of the best top to bottom shows of the year.  Like the previous night, we are blessed with a plethora of recordings to choose from.  Thirteen different sources have shown up for this night, making my job more difficult, but ensuring that the best recording is truly fantastic.  Thanks again go out to all the tapers who get out there and capture this great music and share it with the community.  Thanks a lot fellas!

Source 1 (BSC2 source)
Source: Busman bsc2 K31(hypers)>sd702>wav24/48
Location: OTS>15ft
Transfer: CF>goldwave(dither resample 16/441)>cd wave>flac level 8

16 bit source

Source 2 (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

Source 3 (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
24 bit source


Source 4 (DPA 4022 source)
Source: DPA 4022 (nos)> Oade m248> SD 744t
Location: FOB/DFC 6.5'
Transfer: 744>samplitude>cd wave> tlh

16 bit source

Source 5 (SKM184 source)
Source: Neumann skm184>sd744>wav24/48
Location: OTS>15ft
Transfer: CF>goldwave(dither resample 16/441)>cd wave>flac level 8

16 bit source

Source 6 (VM44 source)
Source: Milab VM44-link > Lunatec V3 (24/44.1k) > Sony D50
Location: FOB/DFC 6.5'
Transfer: D50> Amadeus Pro > xACT

16 bit source

Source 7 (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 8 (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: CDWave->FLAC

16 bit source

Source 9 (BSC1 source)
Source: Busman Audio BSC1/K21 (A/B @ 3 ft) > GAKable XLR > Busman HD-P2 (24/48)
Location: FOB/LOC 10ft 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 10 (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 11 (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 12 (MK21 source)
Source: Schoeps mk21  > kcy > Sonosax SX-M2/LS2 > Mytek 192 > Tascam HD-P2 (24/96)
Location: ORTF wide/FOB
Transfer: CF > Sound Studio > xACT > .flac (16/44)

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 13 (DPA 4021 source)
Source: DPA 4021 > Lunatec V2 > Sony D50 (24/96)
Location: ORTF/FOB
Transfer: Memory Stick > Sound Studio > xACT > .flac (16/44)

16 bit source
24 bit source


Phish - 9/4/11 "Bathtub Gin" from Phish on Vimeo.

The BSC2 source lacks good separation throughout the sonic spectrum and the low-end lacks the umph of the better sources.

The MK22 source loses some of the tonality at the lowest frequencies.

The MK5 source is superb.  The levels are excellent, there is good balance between the instruments, the bass has good tone as well as kicking the sub nicely.  This source gets my nod ever so slightly over the VM44 source because it sounds slightly brighter.

The DPA 4022 source is a bit more bass heavy than the VM44 source, but the highs aren't as nice.

The SKM184 source sounds a bit bass heavy and lacks high-end.

The VM44 source is excellent. There is a tremendous dynamic range.  The tone of the bass is great, even at the lowest frequencies.  In the end, the differences between this recording and the MK5 are slight.  This recording seems to lack a touch of the brightness of the MK5 recording, which is why it did not get the nod.

The AK40 source is really bass heavy and lacks the crisp highs of the MK5 or VM44 source.

The DPA Matrix source has lots of bass, and like so many matrix sources, loses a bit of the high-end.

The BSC1 source lacks good separation and sounds a bit bass heavy.

The CCM4 source sounds a bit distant compared to the VM44 source, but the sound is quite good, if a touch heavy on the bass.

The MK4v source is quite nice sounding, with good bass tone, however some of the tone is lost at the lowest frequencies.

The MK21 source is quite good.  The tone is nice down low, however it lacks the great highs of the VM44 or MK5 source.  I would say this is probably the 3rd best recording of the night.

The DPA 4021 source doesn't have the tone down low of the VM44 or MK5 source, and the highs aren't as nice either.

Happy listening!

September 3, 2011 Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO Sources Review

I want to apologize for the delay in getting this review up.  There were 14!! sources to listen to.  As most of you know, this was a fantastic show and should be downloaded by everybody who is into Phish.  I want to thank all of the tapers who captured this night and shared it with the community.  Thanks a lot fellas!

Source 1 (hereafter MK4v source)
Source: schoeps mk4v(din)> kc5> m222> nt222> Lunatec V3 (ACM)> SD 744t
Location: FOB/DFC 6.5'
Transfer: 744>samplitude>cd wave> tlh

16 bit source 

Source 2 (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
24 bit source



Source 3 (hereafter BSC1 source)
Source: Busman Audio BSC1/K21 (A/B @ 3 ft) > GAKable XLR > Busman HD-P2 (24/48)
Location: SBD/LOC 10ft 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)
Tagging: FLACs Tagged With Mp3tag v2.46a

16 bit source

Source 4 (hereafter Senn source)
Source: Sennheiser MD441U > Edirol R4Pro ( Oade preamp mod ) @ 24/88.2
Location: pointed at PA array, centered, 12.5 feet high
Path: R4Pro > WaveBurner ( track on sector boundaries, fades, SRC, BDC ) > xACT ( to flac, and for tagging and checksums )

16 bit source

Source 5 (hereafter DPA 4021 source)
Source: DPA 4021  > Lunatec V2 > Sony D50 (24/96)
Location: ORTF/FOB
Transfer: Memory Stick > Sound Studio > xACT > .flac (16/44)

16 bit source

Source 6 (hereafter DPA 4022 source)
Source: DPA 4022(din)> oade m248> SD 744t
Location: FOB/DFC 6.5'
Transfer: 744>samplitude>cd wave> tlh

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 7 (hereafter AK40 source)
Source: Neumann AK 40 (NOS) > Lc3 > Km 100 > Aerco Mp2 > Sd 702 @ 24/48
Location: FOB/DFC
Transfer: Cf Card > *Wavelab 6.0 (resample,Uv 22 HR) >
Cd Wave > TLH > 16.44 FLAC

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 8 (hereafter VM44 source)
Source: Milab VM44-link > Lunatec V3 (24/44.1k) > Sony D50
Location: FOB/DFC 6.5' (thanks again for the clamp space Adam!)
Transfer: D50> Amadeus Pro > xACT

16 bit source

Source 9 (hereafter MK21 source)
Source: Schoeps mk21  > kcy > Sonosax SX-M2/LS2 > Mytek 192 > Tascam HD-P2 (24/96)
Location: NOS/FOB
transfer: CF > Sound Studio > xACT > .flac (16/44)

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 10 (hereafter SKM184 source)
Source: Neumann skm184>sd702>wav24/48
Location: OTS>15ft
Transfer: CF>goldwave(dither resample 16/441)>cd wave>flac level 8

16 bit source

Source 11 (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 12 (hereafter MK22 source)
Source:Schoeps MK22 (stc 22g)> 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 13 (hereafter BSC2 source)
Source: Busman bsc2 K11(cards)>sd744>wav24/48
Location: OTS>15ft
Transfer: CF>goldwave(dither resample 16/441)>cd wave>flac level 8

16 bit source

Source 14 (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: CDWave->FLAC

16 bit source


Phish - 9/3/11 "Tweezer" from Phish on Vimeo.

The MK4v source sounds a bit muffled in the low-end and loses some tonal characteristics at the lowest frequencies.

The MK5 source is my pick for best of the night.  Frankly, its a toss up between the VM44 source and the MK5 source.  They both have great sonic separation and they both have great bass response.  The levels on the MK5 source are slightly better and I like the tone in the mids a bit better.  Plus, this one is also available in 24 bit for you die-hards out there.

The BSC1 source sounds a bit muffled at the low-end.

The Senn source doesn't have very much bass response at the low-end and overall doesn't sound as transparent as the MK5, VM44, or DPA 4021 source.

The DPA 4021 source is quite good.  I would call it the 3rd best recording of the night.  The bass response is excellent and the separation is also quite good.  However, the high-end just isn't as crisp on this one as the VM44 or MK5 sources.

The DPA 4022 source is, like the 4021's, quite transparent, however the low-end isn't as punchy as in the MK5 or VM44 sources, or even the 4021's for that matter.

The AK40 source is quite nice sounding, but like the 4022's, just doesn't have the bass response of the better sources.

The VM44 source, just like the night before, is excellent.  The sonic separation is fantastic, the bass response is exactly what I am looking for.  There are really only subtle differences between this recording and the MK5.  Easily the 2nd best recording and if your tastes differ slightly, you might prefer it.

The MK21 source, like the 4022's sounds quite nice but doesn't kick the sub like the better sources.

The SKM184 source is quite clean sounding with good separation, but it doesn't have the bass response of the MK5's, the VM44's, or the 4021's.

The CCM4 source sounds a bit distant and the bass doesn't have the tone or punch of the better sources.

The MK22 source, like the CCM4's and MK21's doesn't kick the sub as hard as the better sources.

The BSC2 source sounds distant and muffled.

The DPA Matrix source has quite nice bass response, but like the night before, sacrifices high-end in the process.

Happy listening!