Taping Tips

Table of Contents

Disclaimer - What the hell do I know?
To find out about my taping background, see the Allan the Taper page. I have been taping since 1998 and I've taped in a rather wide variety of locations and venues. Which is what I intended - even after two years, I'm still in my "training run," and I intend to continue "training" for the rest of my life. Subtle hint there...walk before you run...never stop learning.

The goal of this page is _not_ to be an absolute and comprehensive informational page for tapers. I cannot possibly compose such a complete resource. I originally wrote this page when I first started taping, and many of the issues it discusses are questions I had when I first started. The purpose of this page, therefore, is to serve as a starting point for tapers. Nothing more.

So, you want to get into taping shows, eh? Well, here are some tips and hints.
First:

  • If the band allows taping, then it's NOT A BOOTLEG. Bootlegs are illegally taped shows. Please don't abuse the terminology.
  • It isn't your right to tape a show, just a priviledge
  • Accordingly, assume that you're gear will be searched, you will be questioned and, if you're not careful, that people will knock over or step on your rig.
  • A quality recording is a product of location first, equipment second, and probably more than just a bit of luck.
  • Therefore, you have to _learn_ how to tape. Go to shows, try things out, move around. You don't become a good taper overnight.
  • Getting into taping, while not nec. expensive at the low end, is still pricey , at least by most people's standards. It's perfectly fine to "try out" taping, but it's hard to really get into it without a rather serious investment.
  • Finally, if you have a question, ask. Ask other tapers, ask me, ask people on DAT-Heads, but definitely _ask_ someone.

Getting Started
Alright. What do you need to start taping? Very simply, you need a recorder of some sort, and some kind of input device - for audio, that means microphones.

Why Not Analog?
You may be asking - why not tape analog? Well, taping a show isn't worthwhile without a high quality recorder and recording medium. The first stipulation rules out any boomboxes that you somehow lug into a venue and definitely those microcassette recorders. Very simply, they don't have the dynamic range to pick up a good recording of a show. Yes, you could use a very high end (~$350+) analog recorder, but those cost almost as much as an MD or used DAT recorder. Therefore, I'm restricting my discussion to digital - DAT or MD.

DAT vs. MD
This is one of the longest running arguments around. Let's look at the pro's and cons of the two:
DAT:

  • Pro's
    • Better cost/media length ratio - a 90 m, 3 hour DAT runs about $3.00 or less
    • Longer recording times - can record 3 hours on one tape.
    • As a result, you can "set and forget" - set the levels and just let it go.
    • Digital inputs and outputs (BIG for patching from deck to deck)
    • Can record at sampling rates up to 48KHz for improved resolution
  • Con's
    • More expensive in short term - $750-$1300 for new portable, $300 plus for a used one in good/excellent condition.
    • Power hungry - self-built or third-party external battery packs common
    • Reliability - some decks last forever, some eat tapes like mad. Stories vary _widly_.
    • Poor preamps - you can brickwall when recording (see below). Only the high end units have truly robust pre-amps.

MD:

  • Pro's
    • Smaller - some are less than 2.5" square and 1" thick
    • Media are small, too - 2.5" square
    • As a result, easier to sneak in if that's a concern.
    • Re-recordable media
    • Titling and Editing
    • Can buy 2 MD recorders for the price of a new DAT recorder.
  • Con's
    • More expensive in long term - $325 for a new portable, $200 or less for a used one, but media is $2 or so for _74_ minutes.
    • Therefore, you have to switch discs, which means you might lose some of the show
    • Preamps and a/d converters aren't as robust.
    • only samples at 44.1KHz. The same as CD, so not a big concern.
    • Most Sony recorders don't allow you to adjust the recording level on-the-fly.
    • ATRAC - the music is compressed. Can you hear it? Probably not, but you're still losing a tiny, tiny bit.
    • Digital input only
    • Not only that, but the digital input is optical, while most field recorders (ie-DAT's), use coaxial. - you can't patch w/o some kind of converter

Which format you choose is up to you. Each has its pro's and con's and each aspiring taper has a differnt set of circumstances that will make the decision. Just fyi, I used to use both before I decided firmly on DAT. Let's move on

Microphones
So how does one get sound into the recorder? Microphones must be used. Microphones are transducers that respond to changes in air pressure (sound waves) and convert those changes into electrical signals.

This is a pretty subjective area. Micrphones are analog, so there are a lot of different characteristics regarding how they respond to and pick up sound waves. There are mics that are good all-around but not great in any one aspect, others that are a bit brighter in the high-end but non-existent in the low-end, and others that sound great in good locations but utterly horrible anywhere else. Of course, the price range on microphones range from under $100 to well over $5000.

Tapers almost always use record in stereo (2 channels or tracks of audio). Therefore, this means either two mono mics or one single-point stereo mic. Either case is essentially using a capsule per channel. The former has two physically separate mics for that purpose, the latter has two capsules housed in one body.

Just because you want to go low end doesn't mean you have to get crappy mics. I want to throw in a plug for the Sound Professionals microphones. Great prices ($100-$175) for absolutely amazing microphones - much better than you'd expect for that kind of money. I use them. Link down at the bottom.

  Choosing Microphones
Choosing a microphone is not easy. There are many things to be considered. These include microphone type and pattern.

Microphone types - dynamic, ribbon, and condenser

  • Dynamic Microphones
    Dynamic microphones have a permanently charged transducer. Therefore, they do not need any external power to convert sound wves into electrical signals. You can simply plug these mics into your recorder and go. Dynamic mics, however, tend to be a bit less detailed in their sound. Many vocal mics are dynamic.
  • Ribbon Microphones
    Ribbon Microphones utilize a transducer in the form of a ribbon. The major benefit is there is a physical limitation on how a ribbon picks up sound - a ribbon can only move forward or backward, not side to side. Therefore, there is significant side rejection.
  • Condenser Microphones
    Condenser Microphones need an external power supply to charge their transducers. This is usuallly in the form of 48 volt "phantom power," though there are microphones that utilize 9 volt or other voltage batteries. Condenser microphones are, by far, the most common utilized for field recording. They come in a variety of designs and tend to have much more detail and faster transient response than other types of mics. The rest of this page will focus on condenser microphones only.

Microphone pattern is the next characteristic to be considered. The pattern is the field of sound which microphones respond to or "pick up." Microphones can pick up in one general direction, or one very specific direction, or from all directions. Below are the four major variations of microphone patterns. There are going to be sub-sets of these major variants, but characteristics of those are pretty self-evident once you know the major ones. Clicking on the pattern name will bring up a polar frequency graph to help illustrate the differences between patterns.

  • Omnidirectional
    An omnidirectional mic, as the name implies, picks up sound from all directions, including from the rear. The result is a very natural souding recording. However, in crowded situations audience chatter becomes an issue since omni's will pick up from all directions, and they don't have a natural bass roll-off. A lot of venues tend to be really bassy and boomy - you'll want to filter that out more often than not. Omni's also tend to handle a lower volume (power handling is lower) than other mics, so they work best at quieter shows, in quiet venues that aren't too boomy.
  • Cardioid
    These are the most common mics you'll see at concerts. A cardioid (like cardiac, as in heart) is directional, so you can eliminate a lot of crowd noise by getting them up and over people with a mic stand or whatnot. They also work great mounted just about anywhere - the rearward rejection is quite impressive. The directional quality gives a polar frequency response graph a heart-shape. That's where cardioids get there name. They also tend to handle more sound pressure than omni's.
  • Hyper-cardioid
    Hyper-cardioid mics are even more directional than cardioid microphones. Their main "lobe" of response covers a smaller area, but there is a small lobe to the rear as well.
  • Shotgun
    These are about as exaggerated of a directional response as you will find. The capsules tend to be long and narrow and are extremely directional. Again, you should note the small lobe to the rear.
Furthermore, there are a lot of mics out there that are switchable, usually between Cardioid and HyperCardioid. Others use capsules - you have a mic body that you can put different capsules into. For one show, you put in an omni capsule, for another, cardioid ones, and etc.

When choosing microphones, simply knowing that it's a cardioid fixed-capsule condenser is not enough. It is important to understand how that particular microphone responds to sound - does it have any peaks in the upper range? Does it have good low-end? Does it color the sound at all? If so, do I like how it colors sound, or do I want the flattest possible sounding mic around? All these factors contribute the the best mic for you.


Mic Stands and Shock Mounts...these are a few of my favorite things...
The last thing to consider is some of the more physical setup equipment that you'll need when taping.

  • Mic Stands
    You'll want a mic stand for a lot of reasons. First, it helps elevate the mics above people. Second, they're probalby more sturdy and steady than, say, you're hands are at holding mics (this seems logical, but you'd be surprised how many people I've seen trying to hold mics at shows). You spend 20 minutes getting your mics and your stand right, and then you're good to go. I find it gives me a lot of peace of mind. A mic stand, however, is one of the bulkiest thigns you'll ever buy...they'll run you about $30-$75 minimum, and can go well up to $150. A popular option for really tall mic stands is to use photographic light stands - the Bogen/Manfrotte brand is popular. The BG3076, a 17' stand using a standard photo thread at the top, can be bought for only $90 from a camera store (adorama.com is a good place to try). You'll need an adapter to go from the photo-light-stand to a normal mic thread - you can get one at the Sound Professionals.
  • Shock Mounts
    A shock mount is just like it sounds - a kind of shock absorber for your mics. Mics pick up sound, so they are really sensitive to noise from your stand being bumped into. Directional mics are especially sensitive to handling noise. That's what shock mounts are for. Some people don't think they make much of a difference, but after taping at a crowded amphitheatre full of drunken concert-goers, I was a convert. About $50 a piece.
  • T-bars
    A t-bar is what you use to mount two mics to a single stand. Mic stands are made with threads, and you screw on a t-bar with 2 mic clips on it, usually separated by 6-10 inches. You then clip the mics on and you got yourself a nice stereo microphone setup. You can also get a "vertical mount" from Shure which is nice for some mic setups. These can be found at most music stores.
  • Windscreens
    Some mics come with windscreens, some don't, and others come with crappy ones. You'll want to consider an upgrade at some point. A windscreen, as you've probably figured out already, tries to reduce the amount of noise from wind you pick up. Mics are very sensitive to wind noise. Not only that, but wind noise tends to be considerably louder than the show you're taping, so you'll find yourself setting levels for the wind noise and getting a show that is way too quiet. The solution is to invest in some nice windscreens. Not a panacea, but a big help.
Now that you got your basic accessories taken care of, let's move on to the fun stuff - electronics!

Getting Hardcore - accessories
So you're ready to upgrade? Want to get some more stuff? Well, the beauty about taping is that it's not too much of an investment to get a decent-to-good tape. When you're ready to go crazy, then you can add more and more gear to your rig until you have a great setup. One thing, though - the more stuff you have, the more stuff you have to carry. Taping gear gets heavy fast...

Preamps and a/d's
A preamplifier is what amplifies the "mic-level" signal, which is pretty weak and susceptible to noise, to a "line-level" signal. Line-level signals are comparably quite high in voltage and cleaner in sound. An a/d converter, or analog-to-digital converter, converts the analog signal coming out of the mics (or preamp) into the digital signal of 1's and 0's to be put on your recording media.

When you try and make a small sized electronic device, there is almost always something that is sacrificed. With DAT and MD decks, that is often the pre-amp and the analog-digital converter. They are usually adequate, but a vast improvement in sound quality can be attained by upgrading to external units. I find that this is especially true with MD decks, which have relatively poor preamps.

  • Pre-amps
    A pre-amp is the part of the recorder that boosts the microphone signal up to line-level. The more it is boosted, the less noise will be amplified later on. A pre-amp often makes a huge diffence in sound quality, once you have gotten that far along. The nice thing about pre-amps is that they often provide phantom power, which is needed for condenser microphones. However, make sure you fully research a pre-amp before buying - where are its level controls? What kinds of connectors are used? etc etc etc... Remember that with each piece of new equipment you are adding, you also have to be able to control all these things at a show.
  • A/D Converters
    An a/d converter can make a huge difference, despite usually being the last item in the upgrade chain. It takes the analog signal from the mics and converts it to digital. Very nice - usually after the pre-amp in the signal chain. The key thing about a/d converters has to do with all the bit-rate and word-lengths that digital audio comes in nowadays. For instance, the Sony SBM-1, or super-bit-mapper, captures audio at 20 bits, but DAT, MD, and CD all use 16 bit audio. Therefore, Sony utilizes their super-bit-mapping system of "dithering" to reduce the signal to 16 bits. The key is to capture in the highest fidelity, then find an acoustically pleasing way of getting rid of extra bits.
There are some pre-amps that not only supply phantom power but also have a built-in a/d. That's important when you're already lugging around a serious amount of gear. Pre-amps and a/d converteres routinely go from $500-$2000, so there is a pretty big range.

Ready to tape...?
So, you got your gear (not nec. all I listed above - whatever it is that you want to start with) and you're ready to hit your first show. Here's some tips on what to expect and what you might need. A disclaimer - every situation and show is different, so just because I say it here doesn't mean it's going to happan...

Location
Location Location Location. It's all about location. A crappy rig in a great spot will pull a better tape than a great rig in a bad spot, period.

The key is to use your ears. After all, if it sounds good in spot X, it's a good bet that the tape from that same spot will sound good. Take the time to walk around a bit, think about where mics would work best. Depending on the venue, I will be anywhere from 5-100 feet from stage. Personally, I like to be towards the center, even if the mix is in mono. What you'll find is that it's usually a compromise - the best spot for you to tape is where everyone is dancing and singing, so you're not going to get there. Make the best of what you can get...

If you want to get more detailed, you can get into issues such as mono vs. stereo mixes, and simulated stereo microphone configurations. This goes just a bit beyond the scope of this page. A great place to start is at the Tapers Section at the Oade Bro's web site. A few FAQ's there that help a lot. Also, see their Mic Setup Page to see pictures of the different ways you can configure your mics. The basic idea is that it's actually rather hard to get a stereo image with mics that are close together, but it's also hard to not get delay-effects if you place the mics far apart. So you orient them in certain ways to "create" stereo.

Microphone mounting (ie - I have no mic stand!)
What if you don't have a mic stand. Where do you mount the mics? Well, part of the answer depends on what kind of mics you have. If you have full-bodied mics, you can get a t-bar and duct tape the t-bar to all kinds of things. If you have small cardioids or binaurals, like the ones sold by the Sound Professionals or Core Sound, you can clip them to your shirt, to your hat, to just about anything. Be creative.

Patching into another deck or the SBD
One of the best ways to get a better recording than what you could normally do with your rig is to find someone with a better setup and ask to "patch" into them. Patching means to simply get the audio feed from someone else.

Basically, if it's a dat deck, you take the digital output on his/her deck and you use a cable to plug into yours. You don't even need to set levels and it should be just as nice as the other guy's tape. There are all kinds of cables that can/will be used for patching digitally. Good places to look for these include oade.com, sonicsense.com, and sound professionals.com.

Another way to get great sound is to patch directly into the soundboard - you will be getting the exact same signal as the soundman hears before he mixes it for audience "consumption." There are usually no more than two feeds you will see - monitor or stack mix. Because the soundman is mixing in regards to many factors, including whether all instruments need to be mixed or whatnot. That means that the feed could be just the vocals, and _no_ instruments. Wouldn't make for a very good recording. If, however, they are sending out a full or, even better, a "matrix" feed - an independent mix of the stage and audiece - then you might have a winner. You have to use your judgement on this one.

Soundboards will have outputs on XLR, 1/4" mono, and maybe even RCA. The best bet is to bring just about every cable you can possibly imagine to every show you go to that might have SBD patching.

Setting levels
What are "levels?" Well, you have to tell the recorder how sensitive to be to the signal coming from the mics. Basically, higher levels mean a better "signal/noise" ratio and louder recordings. But too high and you begin to clip, which means that the sound waves are getting chopped off...clipped, at the top and bottom.

My rule of thumb is to set the recording level as high as possible where only the very, very, very loudest moments are clipping. A very occaisional clip will mean that you have fully saturated all the devices, offering the fullest sound with the best signal-to-noise ratio. But if you get too adventursome, you'll get distortion. Also, try not to mess with the levels after the first, 20 seconds or so of the set.

General Concerns
Let's see...what else do you need to know....

  • If you have a mic stand, tape it down. Duct tape or, even better, gaffer's tape, is a godsend.
  • Be prepared for people bumping into you, knocking over your stuff, or just not understanding what you're doing there in general.
  • Don't block other people's view with a mic stand - ask them if it's okay first. If they're stubborn, try offering copies of the tape if it comes out well.
  • At the same time, don't go offering copies to everyone around you.
  • Don't raise the mic stand until the show starts and/or it's dark - security might notice it and be anal to the point of making you lower it.
  • Try to get cables long enough so no connectors are exposed or dangling for people to trip on and ruin your tape
  • HAVE FUN. Enjoy the show, or it isn't worth it in the first place.

How much does a rig cost?
Here are some common pieces of equipment and how much they cost, roughly:

  • DAT Decks
    • Sony TCD-D8 - ~$600
    • Sony PCM-M1 (same as TCD-D100) - ~$675
    • Tascam DA-P1 - ~$1300
  • Microphones
    • Audio Technica AT853a (SP Prem Cards) - ~$250 whole system
    • Oktava MK012 (card, hyper, omni) - $629 matched pair
    • Microtech Geffell M300 (fixed card) - ~$900/pair
    • Earthworks SR-77 (fixed card) - ~$900/pair
    • Neumann KM184 (fixed card) - ~$1200/pair
    • Neumann KM140 (interchangeable w/card) - ~$2200/pair
    • Schoeps CMC6/MK4 (interchangeable w/card) - ~$2800/pair
    • Neumann U89 (switchable large-diaphragm) - ~$4500/pair
  • Pre-amps
    • Zefiro Acoustics Inbox (no phantom power) - $250
    • Beyerdynamic MV-100 - $520
    • Graham-Patten DMIC-20 - $600
    • Sound Devices MP-2 - $700
    • Sonosax SX-M2 - $1000
    • Grace Designs Lunatec V2 - $1200
  • Analog-Digital Converters
    • Sony SBM-1 - $400
    • Graham-Patten ADC-20 - $400
    • Apogee AD1000 - $1700 (?)
    • Apogee AD500e - $800 (?)

Links to Taping Resources
Here are some links to vendors, equipment suppliers, and information sites