The National, le 2023-05-31 à Los Angeles, CA (Greek Theatre), USA
EX AUD
ANA-M > FLAC
AKG 451E > Nakamichi 550 Cassette Deck // JEMS
The National
Greek Theatre
Los Angeles, CA
May 31, 2023
Mike Millard Homage Cassette Master
Recording Gear: AKG 451e Microphones > Nakamichi 550 Cassette Deck
JEMS 2023 Transfer: Maxell UD-XLII (old stock) Master Cassettes > Nakamichi 550 Cassette Deck > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity 2.0 2496 capture to .wav > iZotope RX 10 and Ozone 8 > MBIT+ resample to 1644 > Audacity > xACT 2.50 > FLAC
01 Once Upon A Poolside
02 Tropic Morning News
03 Eucalyptus
04 This Isn't Helping
05 Afraid Of Everyone
06 Squalor Victoria
07 Demons
08 Sea Of Love
09 Bloodbuzz Ohio
10 The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness
11 Apartment Story
12 All The Wine
13 The Geese Of Beverly Road
14 Alien
15 Grease In Your Hair
16 Quiet Light
17 Deep End
18 Carin At The Liquor Store
19 England
20 Graceless
21 Fake Empire
22 Your Mind Is Not Your Friend
23 Light Years
24 Mr November
25 Terrible Love
26 Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks
Inspired by the legendary Mike "The Mike" Millard and with the help of some connected taper friends were were able to bring Millard's famous rig--a pair of vintage AKG 451e microphones and a Nakamichi 550 portable cassette deck--to tape The National at the Greek in LA. The band did the same thing themselves five years ago recording two shows in Berkeley which were released on a Record Store Day cassette box set called Juicy Sonic Magic, which is also now on streaming services.
Going back to 1970s gear to capture a concert turns out to be rather intimidating. The deck of course is quite heavy and cumbersome (requiring eight D cel batteries to operate), setting the right recording levels is very touchy and then there's the daunting matter of flipping tapes after being out of practice for decades. Remember when you used to think to yourself, "How fast can I flip this and not miss any music? Will this song end before I run out of tape?" Good times.
Audience recording on a vintage cassette deck is like the difference between automatic and manual transmission cars--the former is certainly easier and more relaxing to drive; the latter makes you work harder but feels more satisfying and tactile to operate.
There's also that thing which feels even more pronounced with cassette masters where you wonder if what you heard is what you're gonna get. Pleased to report the a la Millard recording of The National's second night of a two-show stand came out pretty good. Does it sound like Millard recorded it himself? Of course not! Mike is the G.O.A.T. and he would have sat closer in his sweet spot and managed not to get as much audience noise for starters. Also, concert PAs don't sound the same as they did four decades ago and you can be sure the volume levels at the Greek in 2023 don't match Led Zeppelin at the Forum in 1977. And yet there is something distinctive, nostalgic and appealing about the sound of this analog cassette master made with the same gear he used. Samples provided.
The National's set offers several songs from their new album First Two Pages Of Frankenstein that all sound more rocking than their recorded counterparts. They also changed up the set considerably night to night on this tour and there are a lot of fan favorites like "Demons," "Sea of Love," "Apartment Story," "All The Wine" and "Quiet Light" that they haven't been played a lot in recent years.
To be fair, we didn't roll into the show in a wheelchair with the tape deck hidden in the cushion. Hopefully someday we'll get up the courage to go Full Millard at a concert.
BK for JEMS
Greek Theatre
Los Angeles, CA
May 31, 2023
Mike Millard Homage Cassette Master
Recording Gear: AKG 451e Microphones > Nakamichi 550 Cassette Deck
JEMS 2023 Transfer: Maxell UD-XLII (old stock) Master Cassettes > Nakamichi 550 Cassette Deck > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity 2.0 2496 capture to .wav > iZotope RX 10 and Ozone 8 > MBIT+ resample to 1644 > Audacity > xACT 2.50 > FLAC
01 Once Upon A Poolside
02 Tropic Morning News
03 Eucalyptus
04 This Isn't Helping
05 Afraid Of Everyone
06 Squalor Victoria
07 Demons
08 Sea Of Love
09 Bloodbuzz Ohio
10 The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness
11 Apartment Story
12 All The Wine
13 The Geese Of Beverly Road
14 Alien
15 Grease In Your Hair
16 Quiet Light
17 Deep End
18 Carin At The Liquor Store
19 England
20 Graceless
21 Fake Empire
22 Your Mind Is Not Your Friend
23 Light Years
24 Mr November
25 Terrible Love
26 Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks
Inspired by the legendary Mike "The Mike" Millard and with the help of some connected taper friends were were able to bring Millard's famous rig--a pair of vintage AKG 451e microphones and a Nakamichi 550 portable cassette deck--to tape The National at the Greek in LA. The band did the same thing themselves five years ago recording two shows in Berkeley which were released on a Record Store Day cassette box set called Juicy Sonic Magic, which is also now on streaming services.
Going back to 1970s gear to capture a concert turns out to be rather intimidating. The deck of course is quite heavy and cumbersome (requiring eight D cel batteries to operate), setting the right recording levels is very touchy and then there's the daunting matter of flipping tapes after being out of practice for decades. Remember when you used to think to yourself, "How fast can I flip this and not miss any music? Will this song end before I run out of tape?" Good times.
Audience recording on a vintage cassette deck is like the difference between automatic and manual transmission cars--the former is certainly easier and more relaxing to drive; the latter makes you work harder but feels more satisfying and tactile to operate.
There's also that thing which feels even more pronounced with cassette masters where you wonder if what you heard is what you're gonna get. Pleased to report the a la Millard recording of The National's second night of a two-show stand came out pretty good. Does it sound like Millard recorded it himself? Of course not! Mike is the G.O.A.T. and he would have sat closer in his sweet spot and managed not to get as much audience noise for starters. Also, concert PAs don't sound the same as they did four decades ago and you can be sure the volume levels at the Greek in 2023 don't match Led Zeppelin at the Forum in 1977. And yet there is something distinctive, nostalgic and appealing about the sound of this analog cassette master made with the same gear he used. Samples provided.
The National's set offers several songs from their new album First Two Pages Of Frankenstein that all sound more rocking than their recorded counterparts. They also changed up the set considerably night to night on this tour and there are a lot of fan favorites like "Demons," "Sea of Love," "Apartment Story," "All The Wine" and "Quiet Light" that they haven't been played a lot in recent years.
To be fair, we didn't roll into the show in a wheelchair with the tape deck hidden in the cushion. Hopefully someday we'll get up the courage to go Full Millard at a concert.
BK for JEMS