The Song Fight Bulletin Board

My friend runs an art space/hang out sort of place a little out of town and my band and I are planning to play a set there and record it.

The things we're stressing are:
-Clarity
-Ability to mix and clean-up seperate tracks in post
-Crowd noise

I've thought of a few ways to do it, so, allow me to divulge:

A) The Super Duper Master Method
This one seems like the best and gives me the most options in terms of final product. I don't know if its overkill or if it makes sense, but:
-Each channel on mixer goes into the computer, each recorded to a seperate track
-Stereo pair of condensors, about 30 feet away, pointing at the PA (left and right respectively; this will help get not only the room reflections and the final mix through the PA, but will definitely get the crowd)

PROS:
-Gives us complete control over final live recording
-Records from basically all sources possible

CONS:
-A lot to set up, involves a ton of cables

B) The Cheapie, No Hassle Method
-Stereo pair of condensors, about 30 feet away, pointing at the PA (left and right respectively; this will help get not only the room reflections and the final mix through the PA, but will definitely get the crowd)

PROS:
-Will efficiently pick up PA output and crowd-noise
-Easy set-up

CONS:
-Doesn't allow us to mix/clean up tracks in post

C) The Line
-Line out from the mixer into the computer

PROS:
-3 seconds to set up
-No mic/line hassle, just one cable

CONS:
-Probably won't pick up crowd noise
-Doesn't let us edit tracks later

Which of the above suggestions, do you think, will work the best? Or, maybe some combo of the above, or something completely different? Let me know!

Why are you doing this anyway?

How many inputs do you have?

If you just want to record it for fun and listen to later, just use a stereo mic somewhere in front of the band. This worked for me a many times.

The easiest is going to be a stereo pair in the room and the direct outs from the board. Blend them together favoring the room mics.

Ken

We're planning on releasing it to bridge the gap between our 2nd and 3rd record.

If you plan to release the recording, you'll want as much of the raw sounds as possible to tweak levels in the mix afterwards. There are a host of issues to consider about mic placement that, without the help of a sound engineer, you'll have a hard time getting right. (For example, if you place the room mics in one of the room's modes, the bass response you capture will be uneven.)

If I was recording a show with the intention of releasing it on CD, I wouldn't consider anything but option A.

You could also always add A) and C) together so that you have a "master" recording of the main out as well as each channel in its own file. I recommend A) as well - I've done live stuff, and I only really have the ability at the moment to do C) and I have run into problems where it would be lovely to edit stuff - but nothing doing because all the tracks are together. So before you back yourself into a corner, just record everything separately. Once it's done you're out of luck. What's your band?
-bill

If you are in the band yourself, then that means you're not going to be able to monitor the mix yourself during the performance - if that's true, then that's, like, sixteen votes for multitrack. Unless you have somebody you trust who can do that monitoring for you, which probably should not be the same person who's doing the live mix.

Long shot, maybe, it being the summer, but if there is a community college near you that has recording classes, you might make a phone call or two and see if there's somebody (or a few somebodys) who would like to come and record your band as a class project... they might even be able to bring some better gear than you have available.

Charles (KA)