Saw Alison Krauss & Union Station last night!

Beech · 6th September 2005, 09:38 AM

Just thought I'd report on the gig. For any bluegrass lovers out there, this is a must see show. Even if you're not particularly of the bluegrass brotherhood this is recommended because of the unusual slant that Alison puts on it. The standard of musicianship is absolutely crazy. These guys are surely among the best on the planet at what they do. Apart from Alison on vocals and fiddle, there was Jerry Douglas (dobro), Ron Block (ac guitar and banjo), Dan Tyminski (ac guitar and mandolin) and Barry Bales on acoustic bass. There was a drummer / percussionist too but I didn't catch his last name (Larry ?).

Anyway, they were recording the the gig, both audio and video for some tv show in the US. The FOH sound was excellent. It was being recorded onto a Radar and it looked like they were taking a feed from the Yamaha console for the record. The Yamaha was one of those high end digital jobs, afraid I don't know which model.

The choice of mics was interesting. I didn't recognise what Alison was singing into but it sounded great (of course!). The rest of the vocals looked like SM86s. I've just looked them up on the Shure website and it seems they have the same characteristics as the SM series except that they are condensers. Nice sound without that 8khz boost and also a very nice rolled off bottom end filter...no nasty pppops here. Must check one out. By the way, all bar the drummer sang at some point or another. Some of the most in tune vocals I've heard in a long time.

Acoustic guitars and mandolin were miced with AKG 535s. A fine choice indeed for what many might consider one of the lesser known mics in the AKG stable. The banjo was miced with an U87 (my personal favorite).

I can only guess as to the fiddle mic as it had a windshield on it but it looked like one of the newer KSM series, maybe a 141. Again very cool sounding without the scratchiness often associated with the violin. Might have something to to with the player of course.

Dobro was being fed through some kind of pedel board at Jerry's feet and was also be miced with a Sennheiser 421 (not the black one).

There appeared to be four camaras, one back, one one either side of the room and one floating on stage. I'd love to know a little more about this camara system as they were compact with no cabling that I could see. Wonder how they lock up to the audio? Must investigate more.

Anyhow, nice one Alison Krauss and Union Station.

doorknocker · 6th September 2005, 10:24 AM

Great! Really hope to see them live sometime.

The Live DVD is amazing too. These are surely some of the best musicians anywhere, I'm a big fan of Jerry Douglas.

They really shows how you can be accessible without 'dumbing down' and keep it fun while doing very challenging music.

Such a breath of fresh air after all the current Nashville productions.

According to Jerry as stated on his website, he uses a Shure KSM 32 mic in combination with a Fishman pickups for his dobros.

You see KSM 32s all over the place on the DVD (and double-CD set from the same gig) mentioned above.

Alison's brother Viktor is an amazing musician too. Check out his 'Far from enough' solo CD, it features a band with Bill Frisell, Steve Jordan on drums and Jerry Douglas mostly on lap steel where he also shines.

Viktor is playing upright bass and composed all the tunes, it's kinda 'soundtrack noir', very appealing stuff. There's also a great cover of Robert Plant's 'Big Log' featuring a heart-melting guest vocal by Alison.

djui5 · 6th September 2005, 11:14 AM

Alison is one of my fav singers of all time. She's too much for words. Union Station is quite a hell of a collection of outstanding musicians also.

Never seen em all live though. Thanks for the report, it's almost like being there, sorta :)

boomed · 6th September 2005, 12:35 PM

HDNet shot the presently available DVD and is georgeous in it's full HD glory. Fiddle was a Shure SM81 of all things. I believe Alison used a Neumann KMS105 but my memory isn't what it used to be; could have been some version of a SM87. Dobro was a KSM32, and I think Ron's guitar was a Neumann KM54 or 64.

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6th September 2005, 09:38 AM	#1
Beech Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Dublin Posts: 636	Saw Alison Krauss & Union Station last night! Just thought I'd report on the gig. For any bluegrass lovers out there, this is a must see show. Even if you're not particularly of the bluegrass brotherhood this is recommended because of the unusual slant that Alison puts on it. The standard of musicianship is absolutely crazy. These guys are surely among the best on the planet at what they do. Apart from Alison on vocals and fiddle, there was Jerry Douglas (dobro), Ron Block (ac guitar and banjo), Dan Tyminski (ac guitar and mandolin) and Barry Bales on acoustic bass. There was a drummer / percussionist too but I didn't catch his last name (Larry ?). Anyway, they were recording the the gig, both audio and video for some tv show in the US. The FOH sound was excellent. It was being recorded onto a Radar and it looked like they were taking a feed from the Yamaha console for the record. The Yamaha was one of those high end digital jobs, afraid I don't know which model. The choice of mics was interesting. I didn't recognise what Alison was singing into but it sounded great (of course!). The rest of the vocals looked like SM86s. I've just looked them up on the Shure website and it seems they have the same characteristics as the SM series except that they are condensers. Nice sound without that 8khz boost and also a very nice rolled off bottom end filter...no nasty pppops here. Must check one out. By the way, all bar the drummer sang at some point or another. Some of the most in tune vocals I've heard in a long time. Acoustic guitars and mandolin were miced with AKG 535s. A fine choice indeed for what many might consider one of the lesser known mics in the AKG stable. The banjo was miced with an U87 (my personal favorite). I can only guess as to the fiddle mic as it had a windshield on it but it looked like one of the newer KSM series, maybe a 141. Again very cool sounding without the scratchiness often associated with the violin. Might have something to to with the player of course. Dobro was being fed through some kind of pedel board at Jerry's feet and was also be miced with a Sennheiser 421 (not the black one). There appeared to be four camaras, one back, one one either side of the room and one floating on stage. I'd love to know a little more about this camara system as they were compact with no cabling that I could see. Wonder how they lock up to the audio? Must investigate more. Anyhow, nice one Alison Krauss and Union Station.

6th September 2005, 10:24 AM	#2
doorknocker Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Basel, Switzerland Posts: 3,587	Great! Really hope to see them live sometime. The Live DVD is amazing too. These are surely some of the best musicians anywhere, I'm a big fan of Jerry Douglas. They really shows how you can be accessible without 'dumbing down' and keep it fun while doing very challenging music. Such a breath of fresh air after all the current Nashville productions. According to Jerry as stated on his website, he uses a Shure KSM 32 mic in combination with a Fishman pickups for his dobros. You see KSM 32s all over the place on the DVD (and double-CD set from the same gig) mentioned above. Alison's brother Viktor is an amazing musician too. Check out his 'Far from enough' solo CD, it features a band with Bill Frisell, Steve Jordan on drums and Jerry Douglas mostly on lap steel where he also shines. Viktor is playing upright bass and composed all the tunes, it's kinda 'soundtrack noir', very appealing stuff. There's also a great cover of Robert Plant's 'Big Log' featuring a heart-melting guest vocal by Alison. __________________ Andi www.doorknocker.ch 'You'd be surprised how much it costs to look this cheap! - Dolly Parton

6th September 2005, 11:14 AM	#3
djui5 Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Phoenix Posts: 6,680	Alison is one of my fav singers of all time. She's too much for words. Union Station is quite a hell of a collection of outstanding musicians also. Never seen em all live though. Thanks for the report, it's almost like being there, sorta :) __________________ _________________ "What is a crossfire hurricane & why wasn't I born in one?" Randy Wright http://www.myspace.com/djui5

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6th September 2005, 12:35 PM	#4
boomed Gear Head Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 56	HDNet shot the presently available DVD and is georgeous in it's full HD glory. Fiddle was a Shure SM81 of all things. I believe Alison used a Neumann KMS105 but my memory isn't what it used to be; could have been some version of a SM87. Dobro was a KSM32, and I think Ron's guitar was a Neumann KM54 or 64.