June 19, 2012 nTelos Pavilion, Portsmouth, VA Sources Review

Phish moved down the eastern shore a bit from Jersey down to Virginia.  nTelos was the smallest venue of tour and launched a meme that Phish played with all tour.  On top of tucking, Phish played a version of Split Open and Melt that is definitely worth a re-listen.  For a Tuesday night show, there were a ton of tapers on hand.  There are 9 sources available for this night!  I want to thank the tapers for all that they do and for sharing their recordings with the community.

Source 1 (hereafter M934c source)
Source: Schoeps m934c> M221B> PS> Aeta PSP-3> SD 722 (@24bit/96kHz)
Location: FOB, DFC, DIN, m934c/cardioid
Transfer: SD 722> Samplitude SE 9.1.1(dither/resample)> CDWave> flac(16/44.1)

16 bit source
24 bit source


Source 2 (hereafter Busman source)
Source: Busman k11 > BSC2 > Lunatec V2 > Tascam DR100-mkII (24/44.1)
Transfer: SDHC > Sound Forge 10 > CD Wave > .flac (level 8)
Location: FOB / DFC / Mics up 6 feet, ORTF

16 bit source

Source 3 (hereafter MK4v>KC5 source)
Source: Schoeps mk4v's(DIN)>kc5>m222>nt222>aeta psp-3>744t
Location: FOB/SLOC
Transfer: 744t>CD Wave>Wavelab 5>Flac

16 bit source

Source 4 (hereafter B&K source)
Source: B&K4022(xy) > Sonosax [55%] + B&K 4027(ortf) > Sonosax [45%] > 744T
Location: fob 1st row seats dfc
Transfer: 744T>soundforge 10.0>cd wave>flac

16 bit source

Source 5 (hereafter MK4v>VST source)
Source:Schoeps MK4v(Din)> Vst 62IUg>Aeta PSP-3>Mytek 192 adc aes/spdif>R44(OCM)24/96
Location: FOB, DFC 6' Stand
Transfer:SDHC>Audacity 16/44>Amadeus Pro>xACT

16 bit source

Source 6 (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

Source 7 (hereafter MK21 source)
Source: Schoeps mk21> KC5> M222> NT222> Aeta PSP-3> SD 744t (@24bit/96kHz)
Location: FOB, DFC, NOS
Transfer: SD 744t> Samplitude SE 9.1.1(dither/resample)> CDWave> flac(16/44.1)

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 8 (hereafter Nak source)
Source: franken nak 300>cp-1>r4 oade tmod 24/48
Location: fob loc 4 ft pas @9ft
Transfer: r4>pc audacity dither 16/44.1>cd wave splits>tlh flac 8

16 bit source

Source 9 (hereafter MK41 source)  ****24 bit only****
Source: Schoeps MK41 > KCY > Schoeps VMS5-U > Mytek 192 > Marantz PMD-661
Location: FOB (just) at left corner of FOH On Stand, approximately 8'
Transfer: SDHC Media Card -> Dell m1730 via media card reader > Sony Sound Forge 10 @ 96kHz, 24

24 bit source





Phish - 6/19/12 "Maze" from Phish on Vimeo.

Once again, the M934c source is my pick for best of the evening.  It is extremely clear from the lowest lows to the highest highs and has great presence and levels.  The low-end has plenty of umph to it and the tone is very natural.

The Busman source  doesn't have the low-end punch of the M934c or MK21 sources.  It is quite clear though.

The MK4c>KC5 source is a bit boomy and there is a fair amount of crowd noise.

The B&K source is very muddy sounding, particularly in the low-end.

The MK4v>vst source is nice and clean sounding, but just doesn't have the punch of the MK21 or M934c sources.

The MK41v source sounds a bit distant and doesn't have the definition of the better schoeps sources.

The MK21 source has excellent low-end and is very clean.  There is plenty of low-end without being boomy.  However, the tone is slightly different from the M934c and I don't prefer this source quite as much.  That said, if you already have the MK21 source, by all means keep it.  It is really good.

The Franken Nak source is quite good for a Nak source, however the low-end just can't compare to the MK21 and M934c sources.

The MK41 source is incredibly in your face and is really present.  However, there is a bit of crowd noise and the low-end isn't quite as punchy as the MK21 or M934c sources.

Happy listening!