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How to set up soundboard feed

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heathen:
I'm going to a festival next weekend and have gotten the okay from the festival organizer to record everything.  This is not the sort of festival that's likely to draw any other tapers, and tapers are certainly not all that common for this sort of music (mostly black metal type stuff).

My initial idea is to get a soundboard feed and run mics to make a matrix.  The mics are (relatively) easy.  The part I need some help with is the soundboard.  I won't be running sound, but I don't know if the sound person will be familiar at all with setting up a feed that I can record.  I'd love to be able to lend a hand with that part, if needed.

They're going to be using a Behringer X32 mixer.  I've started looking through the user manual, but it's pretty overwhelming.  Since I have an eight-channel recorder, it seems to me that the best case scenario would be two channels of my mics, and then the rest of the channels used for recording specific instruments to mix after-the-fact.  I assume that's possible...?  I don't know where to start in setting that up, or even what to be looking for.  If nothing else, I'd want a stereo mix from the board.

Can anyone get me started here, or at least give me an idea of what to look for?  (I don't even know what the "bus" is.)  While the sound person may have this all under control, like I said I'd love to be able to help out and not be completely useless.

Edit to add: I will be using a Zoom F8 recorder.

Sloan Simpson:
Those X32's (sometimes? maybe it's an option) have a built-in interface that can send 32 channels to a computer over USB, that may be an option to consider. Lots more post-work but would give you the most flexibility in the recordings, and assuming they aren't using all 32 channels maybe the FOH can send your mics to a couple spare channels and mute them in the mains. I did this a few weeks ago and only had to bring my laptop loaded with Reaper and a power brick.

rumbleseat:
If you want to pull the 32 channels via USB to your computer, you'll need to have the ASIO drivers ready to install.
I did this several years ago and recall that there were several versions of the USB interface card that might (or might not) be installed in the Behringer X32 (or Midas M32).
Do some research and download all the USB drivers you can find so you'll be ready to install the one you need.  Behringer has a couple of drivers and there's one from Klark Technik.

Just getting the stereo board feed and mixing that with your microphones in post will be a big help in improving vocal clarity.  Just align the waveforms, and mix them to your liking in Audacity.

heathen:
I don't have a laptop I can bring to the festival, other than my work laptop.  I'd much rather use the F8.

Sloan Simpson:
In that case your best bet is getting the guy to send the house mix to the Aux Out RCA's. Getting a soundguy to assign specific channels to send to the other inputs on your F8 is probably more work than he'll want to do, particularly with a festival setting and lots of changeovers.

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