June 10, 2012 Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN Sources Review

With Phish just finishing a scorching two night run in Worcester prior to jetting off for Tennessee, it is not surprising that there weren't a great many tapers there for this show.  Many of you probably, like myself, saw this show on the webcast.  It certainly doesn't offer the jamming that the Worcester shows had, but it is fun in its own right and the Tweezer and Carini>Shafty are definitely worth the re-listen.  There are two different sources available for this show.  Thanks a lot for the tapers that captured this and shared it with the scene.

Source 1 (hereafter MK21 source)
Source: Schoeps mk21 > kcy > Sonosax SX-M2-LS2 > Sony M10 (24/48)
Location: NOS/FOB
Transfer: Micro SD > Sound Studio > xACT > .flac (16/44)

16 bit source
24 bit source




Source 2 (hereafter CK-1 source)
Source: Avantone CK-1 (cardoid) > Fostex FR-2LE (24/48)
Location: FOB/DFC; ~110' from stage; mics at ~ 9 feet
Transfer: CF > HDD > Wavelab 6.0 > CD WAVE > Trader's Little Helper

16 bit source



Phish - 6/10/12 "Carini > Shafty" from Phish on Vimeo.


The MK21 source is my pick for the best of the two.  The levels are excellent, the separation is very good, and the bass response is quite good as well.  There is minimal crowd noise, which can be a problem at a festival.  The mids are noticeably superior to the CK1 source and the low-end really hits well during "the note" at the beginning of Tweezer Reprise.

The CK1 source doesn't have the tight high-end of the MK21 source and the levels get a bit crunchy at times.  The recording is quite good, but with the level problems, I would pass on this and grab the MK21.

Happy listening!