Freesound Forums

Hi everyone,
I’m planning to record the upcoming AC/DC concert in Tallinn, Estonia — but not from inside the venue. Instead, I’ll be outside the perimeter, in the area around the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds. I’ve actually bought a parking ticket (which wasn’t cheap!) so I can bring a tall stand and a shotgun microphone to capture the sound from a distance.

The goal isn’t to avoid buying a ticket (I’ve seriously considered it), but rather to document the event in a creative, unique way — to capture how it sounds and feels from the outside.

I’ve been thinking about the ethical and practical aspects:
– The recording will be for personal or documentary-style creative use only.
– I don’t plan to capture or share full songs — just the ambient sound and atmosphere.
– Inside the venue, such recording would likely be restricted; outside, I have more freedom.
– I’m considering turning the material into a sound collage or mini sound documentary — maybe something like “Outside the Thunder” or “Perimeter of the Song Grounds.”

Has anyone here ever done something similar — recording from outside a concert or festival venue?
What mics and setups have worked for you? Any tips for dealing with crowd noise, wind, and distance?

I’d love to hear about your experiences, advice, or reflections on similar projects!

No one has anything to say?
I’ll reach out to the Estonian authors’ rights organization to ask what they think about this kind of recording, and I’ll share their response here once I get it!

Hey inspire153 !

I don ‘t know the rules in your country, but you might have to be careful with copyright infringement.
In addition to your shotgun mic, if you plan to get immersive and vivid recordings in the venue, I’d rather advise you to use some ambisonic mic, which would allows you lot of flexibility in post, or a more inconspicuous headworn binaural mic setup, which will give you a very immersive soundstage, especially if listened on headset.

Good luck, and wishing you all the best !

Kevin

What is AC/DC setlist 2025?
AC/DC Power Up Tour 2025
If You Want Blood (You've Got It) AC/DC. ...
Back In Black (Live - 1991) AC/DC. ...
Demon Fire. AC/DC. ...
Shot Down in Flames (Live at River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina - December 2009) AC/DC. ...
Thunderstruck (Live - 1991) AC/DC. ...
Have a Drink on Me. AC/DC. ...
Hells Bells (Live - 1991) AC/DC. ...
Shot In The Dark.

Here’s what the Estonian authors’ rights organization replied…

Summary in English (for Freesound.org):
I reached out to the Estonian Authors’ Society (Eesti Autorite Ühing) to clarify the legal status of recording a live concert (AC/DC in Tallinn) from outside the venue for personal use.

Their response was that recording a concert for personal use is allowed under Estonian copyright law, even from inside the venue — unless the event organizer has explicitly prohibited recording. However:

The recording may not be shared, published, or sold in any form without permission.

Even if the recording turns out great, it cannot legally be offered to the artist, label, or promoter (e.g., Live Nation) unless it was created with prior authorization for such use.

So, the act of recording from outside for personal listening is permitted, but any further use beyond that is not — even non-commercial sharing or proposing it to rights holders.

I also confirmed this informally with a representative of Live Nation Estonia (who happens to live in my building), and their answer was consistent: personal recording = okay, commercial or public use = not okay.

I plan to respect these boundaries, but thought it was worth sharing this information in case others are considering similar projects.