Folks who are out there recording their favorite bands already know this -- there is a feeling of pride in ownership of a shows *master recording* of a phenomenal performance by their favorite band.  For the taper, to walk away with a great recording requires something on the level of all the stars being aligned correctly that night.  There are so many variables that come into play in getting that perfect recording.  When it happens, it's great.  What is discussed below are those variables that can affect your recording.

In my almost twenty years of live recording I've encountered almost every screw-up imaginable.  It is my hope that I'll be able to pass on the experience of my mistakes to help alleviate them from your experiences.  However, know that nothing beats empirical knowledge.

Let's start with the basic equipment.  I used to use a stand that I bought for $20 at Sam Ash.  A boom stand with clamps/hinge in the middle (hey, the price was right and I was broke).  No matter how tight I cranked down on the screw in the middle, there were a couple of instances where the boom came crashing down -- with an audible thud (there went those perfect recordings).  After the second occurrence, I bit the bullet and invested in the Manfrotto Basic 12.  That problem is now eliminated from my taping experience.  If you venture into taping sections today, you'll still spot the boom stands being used.  Don't *you* make that mistake, use the Basic 12 or something similar.  In addition to stability, elevating the mics is really important.  As you know, shows are a social event, and everyone's partyin'.  You don't' want to hear about Betty zoomin' Joey on the playback.  Get your mics up, up, up and away from the crowd noise if the room's ceiling height permits.

Another time, I drove a whole day to record a show in Pennsyltucky.  I arrive at the venue, set-up, plug everything in, and as I press record/pause, I'm not getting a signal on one of the channels.  I checked everything, from the battery in the mic, all the way down to the deck.  It winds up the mic cable I scored a really good deal on ($20 again) at my local Instrument store was shot.  So was my ability to record that event with my own mics.  I probably settled for a patch, but by that time the show had already begun and my twelve hour drive succumbed to hooking up with another taper for a copy of the show which I or he probably never followed through on.

What's my point?  Use GOOD CABLES!!!!  For a couple of reasons - most importantly, better sound quality.  And two, a good cable build won't fail you at show time.  Another lesson from this, it's not a bad idea to have a spare cable available.  At MicSupply, I've taken my cable nightmares into account for you our customer.  MicSupply builds with only the best connectors (Neutrik and Canare) in the business and all our cables are assembled and tested here in the USA.

Battery Power.  Whether you're running a deck, solid-state recorder, or notebook computer, power will always be an issue.  MicSupply has pulled back on offering our lead-acid brick solutions.  Wlmart abd Best Buy now offer rechargeable NiCad and NMHD solutions at a fair price and a fraction of the weight of the old lead acid batteries.

What's next?  The recording device.  Not much to say here except, get the best recording device you can afford.  Digital recorders eliminate noise and hiss inherent in the old analog cassette recordings.   That's why we love 'em.  The newfangled hard drive recorders work great and save $$ on buying blank tapes.

The microphones.  Same goes for mics, procure the best set of mics your money can buy today.  You can always upgrade later, and there is a good change the mics you buy today will hold their value pretty well.  Example: forty year old Nuemann's sell for five times their value now then when new.  With microphones you have many options ranging from a solid $400+ investment you'll feel good about -  to more that $3,000 for a pair of Neumann's or Schoeps. 

Alternatively, there are folks out there who are perfectly content with never owning a microphone.  I know, I've met them all.  Inevitably, at every show I set the mic stand up at, patch whores come out of the woodwork.  "Dude, can I get a patch?  Hey, you smoke?  Can I get a butt from ya?  Hey you drink beer!  Have an extra?"  "Sure brother, always glad to help out a fellow music lover."   Remember mic owners, patches draw more  power from the lead deck, another reason to invest in a good power solution - amp hours rule.   For those who have to patching in - don't scrimp on your cables.

Regarding the many different types of mics to chose from - here's a quick overview of what's out there and what to stay away from.  For most taping situations concert tapers find themselves in, I suggest shying away from anything designated omni - these mics capture sound well from all directions -- tapers only want to capture sound from one direction (unidirectional), the stack or stage.  Words to look for in mic descriptions are cardioid, supercardioid, and hypercardioid.  Each has a progressively more "focused" pickup pattern.  Stereo mics have two mic capsules in the same housing for convenient stereo recording. 

Most of the mics sold at MicSupply are geared for live performance recording in various recording environments.  Some are more directional than others.  The more directional, the less information you'll hear later about Betty. 

The game my phriend, if you choose to play, is to find that compromise within your budget - directionality with presence and color of your choosing.   *This* is why I love the business of microphones.  It's not an exact science.  Art exists not only on the stage but in the taper section as well.  If you ask a thousand tapers what mics produce the best live sound, you'll get a thousand different opinions.  To me, it's the mics I'm working with today...but those Schoeps aint bad.

OK, now you've committed to a recording device, the mics, the stand, the t-bar, the cables - $cha-ching$.  You ask, "do I have to spend more?"  No and yes.  At a bare minimum, you want to add attenuators to your equipment case.  You will inevitably find yourself in a recording situation where the band is really loud and their blowing your sound levels into the red zone, causing digital distortion.  Attenuators are the low cost solution for this.  This device plugs into the end of the mics and cuts like clouds to sunlight, the decibel level sent to the deck. 

Again, I learned this lesson the hard way. A while back I bit the bullet and bought the Sennheiser K6/ME66 combo and was set up to record Nickel Creek at a bluegrass festival.  They were the headliner on Thursday night.  I'm ready - new mics - I'm feelin'' good if you know what I mean - the band starts, and the signal on my D7 is hot (that's a bad thing).  The sound and mics sensitivity was too hot for the decks preamp.  The levels were pegged.  Thankfully, my new taper friend Tony from VT was there for me with a pair of attenuators.  He saved the day, night, whatever.  Bottom line, Tony saved my weekend at that festival with the attenuators.  Again, thank you Tony.  

Another luxury item available to you is a portable mic preamp.  The preamp sits between the mics and the deck.  It's essentially a small two channel mixing board well suited to live tapers.  With the preamp you have better control over the signal than what most deck preamps can provide by providing attenuation or gain to your mix.  Additionally, most preamps provide phantom power (see our glossary) to mics that require a phantom power supply.

The last item to cover that could fall under luxury items is the shock mount.  Shock mounts are insurance for tapers.   They help to guarantee that the drunk who stumbles through the taper section (he shows up at *every* event), and thinks your mic stand is there as a crutch to help him along his way -- won't ruin your tape.  The slightest tap on the mic stand will permeate it's way  through the rig and wind up on your tape.  Shock mounts eliminate accidental THUDS from appearing on your tape by isolating the mics in a happy world of elastic.  Can't imagine recording without them.  I have the thuds to prove it.  Luxury?  Maybe.

Your (bloodied) friend,
Dave

Primer on Microphones

Wouldn't want to be at any other place in the arena.
Photo by John DiGiuseppe