For investigators who have access to the technology, Hayseed Dixie encourages audio and video recording at live shows, and the trading and sharing of these recordings afterwards. The ONLY stipulation is that said recordings absolutely may not be used for commercial gain - just don't sell them, folks. That ain't cool and may result in an East Tennessee Ass-Whooping should the band find out about it (and they will).

Regarding soundboard patches, unless it's a big festival, we really don't recommend it. Here's why: in a smaller club, the soundboard mix doesn't really sound like what's happening in the room because the mix engineer is balancing against the band's stage volume. The vocals in a soundboard patch are always way louder than everything else, and you can never hear the mandolin (because he's bloody LOUD on stage) - and you do want to hear the mandolin later. Ultimately, we'll leave it up to Dave, who runs the front of house sound, as to whether he wants to give you a patch, but keep in mind that audience recordings made with microphones always sound better.

Regarding recording technology: we have a few suggestions we'd like to impart to ensure that you succeed in capturing the performances in the most optimal way. For those who want to kick it seriously old-school, it's hard to beat the classic vintage Edison:

Of course, we understand that the Edison records a single track in mono, and many people prefer to make stereo recordings. For this application, we suggest something like the Ampex Model 300 multitrack recorder:

That great sound quality, however, comes at a price. These bastards are BIG, and hauling one around can be a major hassle. It has recently come to our attention that there are, now available, much smaller devices which are claimed to make excellent recordings. While we have not tried any of them ourselves, and can therefore make no claims or guarantees as to the results, we make this information available as a resource to investigators. Should some of these devices prove effective, please do let us know. We currently remain skeptical.

Also, please do send copies of recordings you make to us, and tell us which device and microphones you used. We'll let our own ears decide if anything beats the Ampex Model 300 - up until now, we ain't heard nothing that does:

Please visit the Hayseed Dixie Facebook Page for details:

Above are pictured examples of these modern portable recording devices. Below is a recent innovation by Casio which offers the fan and recordist the opportunity to play along with the band while making the recording. This option is probably not recommended for everyone:

Below are photos sent by ACTUAL FANS enjoying the music they've recorded at live Hayseed Dixie shows. They certainly seem happy. You can be too!! Get yourself one of these recording devices and join in!!