Recording Gigs Sound Issues

[Tainted Brown]

I'm getting practice jobs, unpaid, so I can buld up a portfolio and also learn by my mistakes. I was wondering what some of the best ways to record decent sound with no budget would be. Most of the places have been small bars/cafes, quite dark. I have been using those spycams you get online and placing them at various points at the venue. Also used the microphone on the basic samsung camcorder. Sometimes I have had access to the soundboard recording which is obviously a good thing. But that is rare. Sometimes the end result has been so bad, I didn't even bother.

Have a look at these few links and see what you reckon. It's fair to say that for all of these videos I have been winging it. Some of them sound OK given the circumstances but any improvement is welcome. No preparation was possible at all in most cases.

Harmonix At Mollys Parlour - YouTube

Mark Fanjo Live At Molly's Parlour - YouTube

Miller and The Roots Collective Live On The Barge V2 - YouTube

Silhouette Shauna Tohill Watching The Stars Live At Mollys Parlour Lisburn - YouTube

[Midnight Blue]

If you can't get a line from the desk the best you can hope to do is get a decent pair of stereo mics and find the sweet spot in the room. Monitor the levels so you don't over load them. That's about it.