How do I capture loud sound with better quality

[Big_Jit]

I am trying to record a live band performance, and it's so loud in there that the sound always comes out static-y. Is there a way to record loud sound like that and get better quality.

I'm using a sony hi-8 videocamera and it already has an auto adjust feature that makes the audio listen-able. I think it could be better though.

any thoughts?...

[BJ_M]

use a better microphone that can handle high SPL levels ...

the hi8 has good audio recording capabilities - IF the preamp section can handle the dynamic range -- you may need to attenuate the signal coming into the hi8 by about 20dB - you can do this with an inline pad or a small battery powered mixer ...

[redwudz]

If it only has a built in microphone, try putting a Band-Aid over the microphone. I've done that before with high levels of construction noise and it's better than just overloading the audio. (You might want to wear earplugs yourself if the band is that loud.)

[Big_Jit]

Thanks for the reply guys!

I'll try the band-aid trick while i'm shopping for that mixer.

[redwudz]

I know it sounds dumb, but those fabric band-aids do the trick for me. It depends on your onboard microphone, but if it just has a small hole that the band-aid can cover, it drops the volume enough most of the time. Easy to remove, also.

[Big_Jit]

I just wanted to say that that band-aid trick worked like a charm!!!