I think it was Bob Marley who said, ‘One thing about music, when it hits you, you make a dope live video of it.’ …Or something like that. But there’s no doubt that live performances have a way of captivating the masses and touching the soul, and what better way to share that lyrical love than with some vibrant visuals? With the release of our new Vimeo Original Toro Y Moi: Live from Trona, it seemed fitting to delve even deeper and see just how the musical masters behind great live-music videos make it happen. So we reached out to three Vimeo faves, Yours Truly, Musicbed and Kawehi, who collectively have earned a whopping 13 Staff Picks. They graciously laid some knowledge on us about how they execute those live edits, and their insight is rich with tricks and tips you can apply to your next video. So sit back and prepare to be musically marveled. Vimeo: Live shooting often limits the ability to control an environment. How do you approach technical components, like lighting and camera placement?  Musicbed: With today’s digital cameras, you can usually work with the available stage light in most venues. We usually have at least 3-4 cameras going, if not more. And when you’ve only got one chance to capture a performance, having as many angles and options as possible certainly helps. It’s also a good idea to have zoom [lenses] on hand if you can’t get close to the performers and need to be versatile. Canon’s 70-200 is one we have utilized on several live shoots. Kawehi: [Having one camera moving, one stationary] is a great way to get both the crowd shots and the more intimate, up-close shots that wouldn’t translate far away. [That way you can edit] between the moving camera and the stationary camera to keep things interesting to the eye. Yours Truly: This all depends on the artist … if they have a visual language, play off of it. If they use specific lights or have a designer, speak to them and tell them what you need. Communication is the most important thing because what may look great for a live show won’t always work in-camera. Do you have advice, or common pitfalls to avoid, for capturing audio in a live scenario?   Musicbed: We use a combination of lots of different Rode mics on the different instruments: a pretty typical setup is an M1 and NTR for kick drum, NT6 mics on toms and snare drums, the NT5 as overheads (or the beautiful NTR ribbons depending on the style). Most percussion will be tracked with the NT55/5 and vocals will be the S1 or M1 dynamic, depending on style and volume. We like to mic the room/audience with a spaced pair of NT55 with pad engaged. Guitar cabs and bass cabs are mic’d with an M1. Some of the time we don’t actually know what we captured until we get back to the studio, and sometimes even encounter problems … but typically [it] can be fixed with studio magic. Kawehi: You could use raw audio from speakers ‘¦ but you won’t get the best quality.  Everything will sound like it’s underwater. Yours Truly: The sound engineer is recording the show through their own mix, and you should request to get the entire board feed afterward. Make sure you get each instrument and channel so you can create a mix in post. Make sure they have room or crowd mics going so you can pepper in the live audio to get an atmospheric sound. You can also ask to plug in an H6N field recorder. The sound engineer should be able to help you out and get you a decent mix. The problem is you won’t have all the separation since it will be recording a mix, so your flexibility in post is tough. Overall, the sound is MOST important. A bad recording will ruin any bad visuals and the artists themselves will not be happy. If you make a portrait of an artist about their art, you want them to support it and be behind you when you release the piece. What are the most important things you’ve learned when it comes to live-music shoots? Musicbed: It’s immensely helpful if your team is familiar with the songs beforehand. This way, the operators can anticipate musical changes and can be most effective in terms of what to be focusing on during a particular moment in the performance. Kawehi: Both live venue and at-home shooting have their advantages. You can hear the audience and see their reaction in a live-venue situation, which is pretty neat. But with a home/studio shoot, you can make sure everything’s lit perfectly. Yours Truly: Having a bit of voiceover, b-roll, or vérité moments in the film before, during, or after the performance adds so much. Having context for who and what you’re watching goes a long way to getting an audience to have a reaction to the music they hear. Attach a voice and personality to the music beyond the performance and the song. Thanks, everyone! Now that you’ve picked up some insider tricks for achieving high-quality visuals and audio, you can go forth and rock the live-music scene yourself. And if you’ve got tips of your own, let us hear ‘˜em in the comments. Until next time — peace, love, music, and videos!