Active Band Man Chats - Recording and Video Recording Edition

Does kizuhiko—or rather, do The Captains—ever record when you're in the studio?

You mean in a rehearsal studio? Personally, I don’t record very much.

I see. When I’m making new songs, I pretty much always record. I check them later, or use them to come up with bass phrases.

That’s impressive! So diligent!

Especially when I’m writing new songs, I always record. Since I keep recording as the arrangement progresses, I end up noticing multiple patterns.

Stuff like that could later be released as an outtake collection…

Well, if we were a big-name band, that might happen. I do manage everything on my computer, but depending on the song, there can be a huge number of takes… I end up losing track, so now I always put the date in the file name. Otherwise, I can’t tell which take is the newest.

That’s true.

By the way, there are multiple versions of the stuff I helped you with for your solo album too. There may be an outtake collection someday (lol).
Also, sometimes I record even when I’m not working on songwriting and it’s just for practice.

Wow, that’s impressive!

It’s pretty important, right? Listening back to your own playing. When you’re performing, you get really absorbed, so when you listen to the recording later, it’s surprisingly often different from how you imagined it. Recording your practice once in a while is a good idea since you can listen objectively.

I’ll… I’ll do my best…

Whenever the arrangement of a song changes, I record it each time. Then I add the date.

I see.

With my band it doesn’t get that messy, but when I’m doing support work, sometimes the arrangements are one-off… So, I always bring a recorder to the studio when I’m supporting and then I’ll record everything.

That’s so impressive! (third time)

Right now I’m using a recorder called the ZOOM H1n. I guess the H1n is the newer model now?

ZOOM really knows how to provide exactly what you need.

I feel like ZOOM was the first to come out with these kinds of handy recorders… Is that true? Before that, wouldn’t it just have been voice recorders?

Probably. The kind you use in meetings, right?

A lot of people use their smartphones too. I don’t, so I’m not too familiar with it… Are there good apps for that? Sometimes people send me recordings they made on their phones, and they’re actually really good recordings.

Yeah, I can see that. In The Captains, our bassist Ted handles the arrangements, so he’s the one who records the rehearsal studio sessions. He records on his smartphone, but the separation is actually quite good.

As expected of Ted-san! Come to think of it, there are microphones made for smartphones too. With ZOOM, the iQ7 is for iPhone, and the Am7 is for Android. The Android version uses a Type-C connector, so that’s something to watch out for.

ZOOM / iQ7 — MS stereo microphone for iPhone

ZOOM / Am7 — MS stereo microphone for Android devices

Oh, I’ve been a little curious about the iQ7! It seems like it’d be good for live streaming too.

As expected, kizuhiko-san, you’re always thinking about streaming… There are quite a lot of review videos, so it might be good to check them out. By the way, my friend Wasada-kun, who shows up sometimes, also uploaded a review video of the Am7, so I’ll go ahead and promote it for him (lol). A review of ZOOM’s Am7 microphone for Android smartphones! With recording samples included◎
‘Thank you for watching. I’m Wasada, a bassist. Today I’m reviewing the ZOOM Am7 smartphone microphone I bought the other day. The Am7 is the Android version of the iQ7 sold for iPhone USB, and it’s a mic you plug into a USB Type-C jack…’(to YouTube)

I’ll take a look!

Back in the day, we used to record using the deck that was permanently installed in the studio. On cassette tapes… Later some places started having MD decks too. That was quite a long time ago though (wry smile).

Yeah, yeah. You’d record with the mic hanging from the ceiling. Now it’s CD-R, right?

Right. And of course, you could only record one tape, so afterward we’d dub copies and pass them around…

And do the lettering…

And break the tabs… way too much work (lol). These days it’s so easy that you just transfer the data from a handy recorder. Those were the days.

Yeah, it’s so much faster now. There’s no degradation and labeling is easier too. It’s a good time for sharing.

What about video, not audio? Do you ever record The Captains’ live shows and watch them back later…

I don’t watch those either… A live show is something for that moment! I do not look back! I REFUSE to look back! That is my creed…

How admirable (monotone)

If I watch them back, I start worrying like, “Ahh, my pitch was a little off there…” Ah! So that’s why people watch them back!

Yes… that’s exactly what I was talking about (lol). Once again, I use a ZOOM product—the Q2n model to record video. The successor now is probably the Q2n-4K, which can record in 4K.

ZOOM / Q2n-4K — 4K handy video recorder

4K! And the K stands for…?

N-no way…

Fufufu, yes, THAT way! The K stands for Kizuhiko!

(ignoring that) This one’s good too. The field-of-view options are limited to five, so that part’s a little restrictive, but since it’s a ZOOM product, it cleanly records audio.

Ohooo—

ZOOM is great. Their after-sales support is solid too. If I talk too much about it, people might suspect I’m a shill, so I’m just gonna stop here (lol).
Instead—? I’ll post a video of us recorded with the Q2n. Never mind the performance… I just hope it gives you an idea of what it looks like, for reference. It’s promotional too (lol). 【Drummer Recovery】SWIM / ナショヲナル - YouTube
“2021.10.31. ＠Shimokitazawa Daisy Bar. Kawasaki-pro’s fractured right foot was (pretty much) healed, so this was the first concert after recovery. I was so excited that my playing got a little sloppy (lol…) ...”(to YouTube)

As for ZOOM products, I really find the multi-stomp useful.

That one’s good too. By the way, even though I say I record, I don’t record from the front of the stage. I always record from the side.

Ahh, I saw the video on Twitter.

Filming from the front can be troublesome in various ways… so I record from the side of the stage. Originally, I started filming because I wanted to objectively review my own playing, including the sound.

I see… being objective is not my strong suit…

kizuhiko-san is always subjective, right? But… that’s important too!

Thank you!

So the sound I capture isn’t the well-balanced mix that the audience hears, but the on-stage balance from my exact position… and I use that as reference later just by itself. Even for things like sound-making.

That’s impressive…

Oh, and of course video files are huge, so dealing with them afterward is tough. When I get home after a live show, the first thing I do is turn on my computer and start importing the video files. It takes time, so I start the import and then take a shower. It’s surprisingly a lot of work (lol).

And after you shower, you’ve got to put on cologne too, right!

“Live your life with a single wink…” — wait, that’s BOØWY’s “NO. N.Y.”! I do like that song, though…

“You’ll just turn into a star…!” — anyway, the topic was that the files are big.

Yes, that! (lol) Well, I guess I could put it off, but when shows pile up, managing everything later becomes a pain, so I try to organize everything that same day.

You’re so diligent… I want you on staff.

I already the staff, aren’t I? By the way, in a band called Lime Light, I upload the videos I take as unlisted on YouTube so the members can share them. It’s a band that’s really strict about things like tempo feel, so reviewing the footage later probably helps (lol).

You have such good sense!

Back in the day, live houses used to film shows for bands, right? Of course it cost extra.

It used to be a single wide-shot camera, but these days they use more cameras.

Aside from that, people brought in big equipment… When you think about all that, things are so much easier now. These are some good times we’re in. (Second time saying that)

Yeah…

“A live show is only for that moment,” yes, but still—recording or filming it and looking back later is important.

Gulp!

Because that reflection can lead to better performances and better shows the next time.

I—I’ll do my best! Yes, because everything is…?

For love!