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Having been around for a few weeks, there's one topic that's been oddly untouched: tapers.
Bonnaroo's roots lie in the jamband scene, regardless of what it is today, so its allure to the taper crowd is only natural. The bands that I listen to aren't typically taper-friend, but that doesn't keep me from clipping some mics to my collar and shoving an MD recorder into my pocket.
That said -- are there any other tapers around? What sort of rigs do you have?
My rig is startlingly modest compared to some of the rigs out there: Sharp MD-MT877 minidisc recorder, Shure MX-183 and MX-185 microphones, a Sound Professionals battery box, and a few other odds and ends.
It's not much, but I've gotten a few really great tapes (Tori Amos, Tool, and A Perfect Circle), a big stack of decent tapes, and a few stinkers.
I'm planning to use this rig w/ a lightweight stand at 'Roo and hoping to bring enough cables and adapters to patch into a few different rigs if my stand proves to be a pain in the ass. Here's hoping I get a decent tape or two.
Anyone else into taping? Chime in! I can't be the only one.
Post by zappaphile on Mar 11, 2007 22:58:46 GMT -5
i am also interested in getting my tape on. last year at the sonic youth show i was standing beside a guy who had a mic duct-taped to his baseball cap. it was pretty charming considering the abundance of more "professional" looking rigs you see by the soundboards.
any idea how much a decent taping rig set up costs (considering i'm a broke university student)?
A decent rig can be had for a few hundred bucks. Some guys pay that much (and more) for a single microphone.
Taping policies differ from band to band and venue to venue. Most venues will honor/enforce the band's policy, but some venues are strictly anti-taper. There's the "open" taper, as well as the "stealth" taper. One's more covert than the other.
99% of the stuff I listen to is from anti-taper bands, so I'm a stealth taper by nature. I'm hoping to buy a stand and see how my gear performs in best-case situations at Bonnaroo.
Post by stuckinutero on Mar 12, 2007 1:18:15 GMT -5
zappaphile said:
i am also interested in getting my tape on. last year at the sonic youth show i was standing beside a guy who had a mic duct-taped to his baseball cap. it was pretty charming considering the abundance of more "professional" looking rigs you see by the soundboards.
any idea how much a decent taping rig set up costs (considering i'm a broke university student)?
$400/500-$9999999
Bonnaroo has always been taper friendly. That seems to trump all. Radiohead is not a taper friendly band and even they had to comply last year.
I was born in the back seat of a Yellow Cab in a hospital loading zone and with the meter still running. I emerged needing a shave and shouted 'Time Square, and step on it!
I tend to agree, but I just put together a n00b rig for a friend for under $250.
I got an old MD recorder off of eBay for $100 and spent $150 on a pair of low-end mics and a battery box from soundprofessionals.com. It's not the greatest rig out there, but it's enough to get him started and help him decide if it's a hobby worth pursuing.
The beauty of the low-end rig is that, in learning it, you learn its limitations. You learn what you do and don't need for the bands that you tape. Then, when you pass that rig on to another n00b, you can share your knowledge with him.
Is it possiable to tape onto an ipod or some other larger hard drive MP3 player? And how much can you get on and MD disc. I'd worry I'd have to swap out a tape in the middle of a song.
Post by stuckinutero on Mar 12, 2007 9:48:38 GMT -5
dimwell said:
stuckinutero said:
$400/500-$9999999
I tend to agree, but I just put together a n00b rig for a friend for under $250.
I got an old MD recorder off of eBay for $100 and spent $150 on a pair of low-end mics and a battery box from soundprofessionals.com. It's not the greatest rig out there, but it's enough to get him started and help him decide if it's a hobby worth pursuing.
The beauty of the low-end rig is that, in learning it, you learn its limitations. You learn what you do and don't need for the bands that you tape. Then, when you pass that rig on to another n00b, you can share your knowledge with him.
Cheap mics make me cry . jk. You're absolutely right. You can throw a beginners rig together for under $400. I'd just dive a little extra cash into the mics.
thedrugsdowork said:
Is it possiable to tape onto an ipod or some other larger hard drive MP3 player? And how much can you get on and MD disc. I'd worry I'd have to swap out a tape in the middle of a song.
It's been a bit since I paid any real attention to rigs, but as of late I've been getting back into it. I'm positive you can record on larger iRivers as I've seen many boots circulating citing them as a rec source.
As far as bootlegging goes, its a matter of "To each his own". I love having tapes of shows I went to. Its the reason I even got into bootlegs in the first place. It does have its massive downsides though. Having to worry about the well-being of your rig and ultimately the quality of your recording can take some of the fun out of a show.
I was born in the back seat of a Yellow Cab in a hospital loading zone and with the meter still running. I emerged needing a shave and shouted 'Time Square, and step on it!
i am also interested in getting my tape on. last year at the sonic youth show i was standing beside a guy who had a mic duct-taped to his baseball cap. it was pretty charming considering the abundance of more "professional" looking rigs you see by the soundboards.
any idea how much a decent taping rig set up costs (considering i'm a broke university student)?
$400/500-$9999999
Bonnaroo has always been taper friendly. That seems to trump all. Radiohead is not a taper friendly band and even they had to comply last year.
Nono, i was right up near the stage for Radiohead, and all the dudes openly taping the shows before hand were asked by Broo staff to take down their mics. quoting the staff "Radiohead politely asks you not record their performance"
Cheap mics make me cry . jk. You're absolutely right. You can throw a beginners rig together for under $400. I'd just dive a little extra cash into the mics.
I absolutely agree. For anyone reading this, budget as much money as possible for your microphones. When it boils down to it, one recorder really isn't a whole lot different than the other, but spending $100 extra on a pair of mics (especially in the low end of the market) will give you a huge difference in audio quality.
It's been a bit since I paid any real attention to rigs, but as of late I've been getting back into it. I'm positive you can record on larger iRivers as I've seen many boots circulating citing them as a rec source.
Yeah ... You can use a lot of the HDD-based MP3 players out there. Most work natively or with an adapter.
As far as bootlegging goes, its a matter of "To each his own". I love having tapes of shows I went to. Its the reason I even got into bootlegs in the first place. It does have its massive downsides though. Having to worry about the well-being of your rig and ultimately the quality of your recording can take some of the fun out of a show.
For me, the slight distraction during the performance is totally worth the payoff of a really great recording.
Post by oysterheadhead on Mar 14, 2007 1:36:45 GMT -5
i did some basic recording last year with a borrowed mini-disc recorder and a stereo mic. it was definitely a "stealth" setup. i got about 8 discs full and a couple are even decent. i would like to try it again this year with a better mic set-up on a stand.
god bless all you tapers out there! your efforts have enriched my musical library beyond description...i rarely listen to that much studio work anymore in the 'jam' genre and subgenres because the show recordings just have so much more in them. thank you!
i haven't really had much interest in trying it myself only because i know i wouldn't be able to concentrate on the show as much.
Maybe I'll throw myself to the dogs, but my back's not to the wall Maybe I'll lay some bricks for the man, but the days just aren't that long So if I settle back and chill will I see far enough to feel the angel's dream? I thought it was the Story of the World!
roo has been one of the better festies for my taping experience. A few times they have issues with stands but just hopping through a different security line solved the issue. The gate people don't have a clue about taping equipment and the specifics of the policy but I have never had to state more than "it's audio only, no video equipment or cameras"
certain acts have asked us to shutdown in the past and the staff always came up and asked polietly. We have had no problems w/ FOB taping and for the most part all the unwritten rules of taping are followed.
I was born in the back seat of a Yellow Cab in a hospital loading zone and with the meter still running. I emerged needing a shave and shouted 'Time Square, and step on it!
. jk. You're absolutely right. You can throw a beginners rig together for under $400. I'd just dive a little extra cash into the mics.
