June 15, 2012 Bader Field, Atlantic City, NJ Sources Review

After a festival set at the 'roo, Phish took most of the next week off prior to what many believe was the real start of tour.  A three day, non-festival, stand at Bader Field in Atlantic City, NJ.  After a great start to tour in Worcester, there were high hopes for these shows and the first show did not disappoint.  Featuring a standout version of Birds of a Feather, as well as a classic Twist > Piper, this is a show to add to the collection.  There are 5 different sources available for this show.  I want to thank the tapers for recording this show and sharing it with the community.

Source 1 (hereafter AKG source)
Source: AKG392's(Right of SBD) -> Hydra Silver XLR's -> Edirol UA-5 (Oade warm mod) -> Microtrack II 24 bit @ 48 Khz
Location: Omnidirectional 39" separation, 75 HZ bass rolloff, Mics aimed at PA Stacks, approximately 12 ft high on stand.
Transfer: Microtrack II-> USB -> PC-> CD WAVE Editor -> Adobe Audition 3.0 16/44.1 conversion -> Flac Frontend

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 2 (hereafter M934c source)
Source: Schoeps m934c> M221B> PS> Aeta PSP-3> SD 722 (@24bit/96kHz)
Location: FOB, DFC, DIN, 6' Stand, m934c/cardioid
Transfer: SD 722> Samplitude SE 9.1.1(dither/resample)> CDWave> flac(16/44.1)

16 bit source
24 bit source

 
Source 3 (hereafter MK21 source)
Source: Schoeps mk21> KC5> M222> NT222> Aeta PSP-3> SD 744t (@24bit/96kHz)
Location: FOB, DFC, DIN, 6' Stand, NOS
Transfer: SD 744t> Samplitude SE 9.1.1(dither/resample)> CDWave> flac(16/44.1)

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 4 (hereafter MK4v source)
Source: Schoeps Mk4v> KCY>Schoeps Vst 62IUg>Aeta PSP-3>Mytek 192 adc aes/spdif>R44(OCM)24/96
Location: FOB, DFC,Din, 6' Stand
Transfer:SDHC>Audacity 16/44>Amadeus Pro>xACT

16 bit source

Source 5 (hereafter MK41v source)
Source: Schoeps MK41v(NOS)> Kcy > Sonosax SX-M2/LS2>R44(OCM)24/96
Location: FOB, DFC 6' Stand
Transfer:SDHC>Audacity 16/44>Amadeus Pro>xACT

16 bit source



Phish - 6/15/12 "Birds Of A Feather > Back On The Train > Heavy Things" from Phish on Vimeo.

The AKG source has less separation than the M934c source and lacks in tonal clarity at the lowest frequencies.  Basically, it is not as crisp sounding as the Schoeps sources.

The M934c source gets my nod for recording of the evening.  The bass tone is excellent without being overpowering and the high-end is fantastic.  This recording has great tone and is well balanced from the lows to the highs.  I think this is a new set of mics for taylorc, I could be wrong about that, but he consistently produces great recordings and this one is no exception.  There is a fair amount of crowd noise, but it is not super distracting.

The MK21 source is also quite good. The companion source to the M934c, it just doesn't have the great highs of the M934c, though the bass is quite good, possibly a touch more rich than the M934c's.  However, at closer listen, I like the balance of the M934c's a bit better and definitely like the high-end more.

The MK4v is a very, very good recording.  The low-end has a bit more punch than the MK21 or M934c sources, but the levels are a bit lower and the highs don't sound as nice.

The MK41v, a companion source to the MK4v, sounds a bit distant and is quite bass heavy.

Happy listening!