[ASTRO] Re: A Baltimore Tape

[Michael Kepler <kepler@metro1.com>]

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Advice from the taping trenches:  If the recorder has an automatic level
thing, use it.  Sure, it it creates strange transients when there are
sudden changes in volume, like the beginning of a song, but it beats the
heck out of the heartbreak of finding that you made an unlistenable
over-saturated tape.  It's even worse with digital recorders because
digital clipping is nastier sounding than over-saturated analog tape.

If it doesn't have an ALC type of thing, just set a static level
really REALLY low (like 3 or 4 out of 10).  

Do NOT, I repeat do NOT, try to monkey with the
level during the show.  That has side effects far worse than ALC, unless
you are super good at riding levels and don't tend to panic.

The tough part for me has been finding the right mics.  I used to have
a camcorder that recorded great stereo sound along with the video.
It had these amazing mics that wouldn't "bottom out" even when I
was right up by the speakers.  Eventually, the poor thing got beat to
death from taping shows.  Here's the punchline: I ripped the mics out
of that puppy and now I use them with my portable DAT.  The perfect
combo!  Now I make super spiffy sounding tapes every time.

Ok one more bit of advice and then I end my lecture: try going binaural.
I put the mics in my own ear canals.  Playback on headphones has amazing
imaging.  The mics are really small so I embedded their hind ends in
regular foam earplugs.  Not only does this keep my old ears from going
totally deaf, but it also does a pretty good job of insulating the
mics from the bone-conducted sound of my voice (which used to be a
big problem when I had bigger mics with no padding in my ears).

Have fun.  Maybe I'm weird, but the challenge of making a decent tape
or video is half the fun of going to shows for me.  I'm so very glad
that my favorite bands actually like to be taped (MOA, SRA, ORI).

Mookie

P.S.  Don't ask me about trading right now.  I owe tapes to a few people
already and I don't want to make any promises until I catch up.

On Fri, 22 Jan 1999 mdhett@mindspring.com wrote:

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> 
> A friend of mine, who's going to the show, plans to tape the show using a
> hand held 
> recorder with plugged in stereo mic.  So far, in testing, this method of
> taping has yielded a promising yet distortion prone final product and I
> therefore cannot guarantee anything.  He will try though, without control
> over input levels, to capture something.  While this may not live up to the
> standards of some, this is but one experiment in using low cost recording
> devices.  I'll let everyone know just how it turned out.
> 
> Christian   	
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
>  
> 



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