Recording Live Gigs with a Dash Cam: A Surprisingly Good Budget Camera Setup

How a Dash Cam Saved My Gig Footage

The other week I was playing a gig and my main camera shut off halfway through. It was one of those nights where everything was going right on stage — great crowd, great sound — and I just did not have the footage. On the drive home I was feeling a bit bummed, looking over at the dash cam in my van, and I thought… why not use a dash cam to record my live gigs?

They are designed to run for hours without overheating. They overwrite storage automatically, so as long as you have a big enough card, you can keep bringing it to gigs and only pull the footage when you need it. They shoot in high resolution because they have to capture licence plates, and they are made to handle low light so you can see clearly at night. And best of all, they are cheap.

Why a Dash Cam Works for Live Music Recording

Here is what makes a dash cam such a good candidate for gig recording:

Long Recording Time – Built to record hours of driving, so you can capture your entire set without worrying about battery or overheating.

Automatic Loop Recording – Overwrites old footage when the card is full, which means you never have to worry about storage in the middle of a show.

High Resolution – Designed to pick up fine details, so the footage is sharp enough for YouTube or social media.

Low Light Performance – Great for dimly lit venues and night time shows.

Budget Friendly – My model cost only $77 and records in 4K.

My Setup and Tips

I simply mounted the dash cam on a small tripod instead of my car dashboard, plugged it in, and hit record before the gig started. No menus to dive through, no overheating, no missed moments.

A few tips if you want to try it yourself:

• Use a large capacity microSD card so you do not run out of space.

• Position it somewhere that captures both you and the audience if possible.

• Test your audio setup — you might want to record audio separately and sync it later for best quality.

Final Thoughts

Is a dash cam going to replace a professional video camera? No. But for the price, convenience, and reliability, it is a fantastic backup or even a main angle for live music videos.

If you are a musician who just wants to capture your gigs without worrying about gear failing mid set, a dash cam might be one of the most surprisingly useful tools you can add to your kit.

Link to the Dash Cam I bought: (GKU D700) AMAZON: https://amzn.to/40TssJi