Building a Better Mousetrap
In order to make a good recording, you need the right equipment. I use a Sony TCD-D7 DAT walkman to record shows. After a lot of near-mishaps, many a spilled beer and almost-ruined recordings, I have devised this little kit to carry and protect everything. You could also use these ideas for a MiniDisc recording setup.
This is made from a tackle box that I bought for $3. Being made out of clear plastic, it works great because: 1) it protects my equipment from spills; 2) I can see through it to adjust the audio levels; and 3) the material is soft enough to work with easily.
Using an Exact-O knife, a drill and a file, I cut a hole in the side large enough to stick my finger through to adjust the record level. I also created several other smaller holes for the audio cables and the AC adapter cable.
The small compartments work well for storing adapters, which, as you can see, I carry a lot of. You never know what you're going to need.My whole setup is based on RCA cables, since they're the easiest to obtain and are more flexible than other kinds of cables. So most of my adapters are geared towards RCA to ? whatever:
Additionally, I keep a stereo mini cable and extension cable in my bag. I also use an RCA cable that has "piggyback" ends, which is great for splitting off to another taper. I also use a 15-foot AC extension cord for power.
The best thing about having my DAT housed inside this tackle box is the fact that all of the wiring is SECURE. I can leave everything permanently wired up, with assurance that nothing will accidentally get yanked out at some point in the evening.
Wiring
I've designed the box to hold the recorder in such a way that will take the tension off of the cables going into the DAT. It also makes setup a lot easier, because all of the wiring is permanently assembled before the show; all I have to do is walk in, plug the into the soundboard, and I'm ready.
I have a 12' RCA pair that is my main connection to the soundboard. (This gives me enough length in case the sound booth at the venue is up high off the floor, and ensures that I can stay out of the soundman's way.) The goal is to always have your recorder in a place that you can easily get to; you need to be able to check the levels often.
This long RCA pair feeds into the side hole and runs up along the inside top wall of the box. For security, I have bound them with permanent zip tiez, attached through two small holes in the box. Once inside the box, the signal runs into a pair of inline attenuators. One of the big problems with the Sony D7 and D8 DAT machines is the sensitivity of the LINE input. Since the input is overly-sensitive, overmodulation/distortion can result if the signal coming out of the sound board is too hot, sending too much voltage into the recorder (even if the record levels are set low). (See page on "brickwalling") To alleviate this, I use a pair of RCA inline attenuators, also called "pads".
These little guys go in line before you plug into the DAT. They allow me to cut back the incoming signal so that the DAT can handle whatever is coming out of the soundboard and not distort. These are adjustable, from -2 decibels all the way up to -30 decibels. They're not cheap, but you can purchase these from Markertek.
Coming out of the pads, the signal goes into an RCA-to-stereo-mini cable. The stereo mini end of this cable is molded into a right angle, so it displaces the tension at the DAT line input jack. (Unfortunately, the only cable I could find with this molded end was six feet long, so I have bundled the excess cable inside one of the tackle box compartments.) The cable wraps around the same outside wall as the other cables, and continues to the bottom of the box where it plugs into the DAT.
Now all of my gear is enclosed in one self-contained box, with just the cables carrying incoming signal, an outgoing signal for another taper, and the AC power supply exposed.
If you use a MiniDisc instead of DAT, you can use all of these same ideas in your setup. (However, MiniDiscs usually don't have as many problems with overloading the line input, so you won't necessarily need the attenuators/pads.)
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF RECORDING A LIVE SHOW:
(See also Soundboard Taping: A Primer)
1) Always get there early. Record the soundcheck, if possible. This will allow you to get the levels set properly. Besides, Shaff often plays new stuff that nobody's heard during soundchecks!
2) Always take extra batteries. Even if you know AC power is available, it's good practice to take batteries anyway. Sometimes switching to battery power can eliminate hum if you're getting noise in the signal. Take more than one set of batteries to use, and make sure you start out with a fresh set. Rechargable batteries are highly questionable for long shows.
3) Always take extra tapes/discs to record on. Nothing's worse than running out of time at the end of a show. I use a seperate tape for soundchecks, then switch out to a new 3-hour tape for the show itself, and have an extra tape in case it goes longer. If you're using DATs, exercise brand new tapes by fast forwarding and rewinding them all the way through before recording on them.
Use the longest blank media that you can get. If you're recording to DAT, use 90-meter DDS computer cartridges to get 3 hours of record time (They work just as well as audio DATs, are actually manufactured to more stringent standards, offer longer record times and cost less than audio DATs). If you're using minidiscs, get 80-minute blank discs.
4) When heading out to a new venue that you haven't taped at before, take a microphone to record with, just in case. Sometimes sound guys have big egos and can be funny about letting you record, or they just may not be prepared to give you a feed from the board. An audience recording is better than no recording at all.
5) Be nice to the sound guy. Remember, he's doing you a favor. Timing is important. Don't bug him at the last minute when he's scurrying around trying to troubleshoot. Look for downtime in between bands, AFTER everything else is ready to go. The sound guy's primary responsibility is to make the room sound good and provide a decent mix to the band's monitors. You are low on the list of priorities. Make sure he knows that you have cleared it with the band to record.
Don't be discouraged if the sound guy tells you "it will sound like shit". "Sounds like shit" is relative to who uses the term. To him, the live room mix sounds like shit on tape, because he's mixing for the room. Consequently, the guitars and bass may not come through as fully as the vocals and drums. It's okay, record from the board anyway. You'll still be glad that you did. The Rock-Paper-Scissors theory of recording goes like this: a soundboard recording always beats an audience recording; and an audience recording always beats no recording*. No recording at all sucks.
(*an audience recording will sometimes be a better choice if you know for sure that the soundboard is not getting all of the instruments. Sometimes, if a small PA system is used, the only thing being mic'ed is the vocals and acoustic guitar. If this is the case, you'd be better off recording with a microphone to get the full sound of the band. Try to position the mic as close to the stage as is practical to do. Beware of too much crowd noise!)
6) Keep the levels within reason. It's always better to error on the conservative side when it comes to this. If you let the levels get too hot, the recording will come out distorted and there's nothing you can do to fix it. But if you set the levels a little low, you can always turn it up later on when you dub. Recording live off the soundboard can produce a very dynamic signal that makes the meters bounce all over the place, so be careful not too let it bounce too high. Don't use the AUTO level control on your recorder; you'll be able to hear the record level go up and down all night as the recorder tries to adjust itself up and down.
7) When recording from the audience with microphones, mic position is everything. Try to get it up as high as possible, away from crowd noise. Try to find a secure place where drunk people will not be inclined to scream into the mic. Center it in front of the PA speakers as best as you can. Try to find the "sweet spot" of the room. Usually, closer to the stage is better than far away.
8) Always take a flashlight. You will need to be able to see in the dark. Spend the extra $2 for a small flashlight.
9) Be prepared to help other tapers. Extra cables and adapters always prove useful to make sure everybody gets a good recording. Remember, we're all here for the same reason.
10) Offer to give the band a copy of your recording. You might be surprised at how geeked people can be about hearing their performances after the fact.
