Topic: I want to find some semi to great quality recording gear on a budget....

[taperkat]

Just to back up:

I've used the AT 853 Soundpro lookalikes (SP-BMC-1) for 4+ years, and used MD for right at about 4 before switching to DAT a month or 2 ago. These mics are amazing and I won't ever be without a pair. (I use the SPSB-2 BrBox that I modded.)

[TheCatDownThere]

ooooh, thanks.

[barthatronic]

i'm still not too sure what it is, but i got a good idea.

On the brilliant advice of the tapers here over the last month and a half (just amazing... people here truly rock), I just put together an affordable rig myself. I use a 20GB NOMAD Jukebox 3 (JB3) that I bought on eBay directly from Creative Labs ($170... but I've seen it go for far less). It's officially an MP3 player like the iPod (it looks like a CD player), but it's made so it can record. This is the current recorder preferred by many low end tapers -- it can record 3 hour chunks at a time of CD quality .WAV, in either analog or digital (I don't have an analog to digital converter box... yet). Lots of info is available out on the web (even a YahooGroup dedicated to JB3 tapers... see the JB3 FAQ). The 20GB drive in the JB3 gives me potentially 33 hours of record time (roughly 11 GbV shows ). I also bought a secondary battery on eBay ($30) so I have 6 hours of total recording time. I was pointed to a web store called Sound Professionals to get my stealth cardioid stereo mics (SP-CMC-2, $139) and a battery box with bass roll-off (SP-SPSB-6, $69). These mics are incredible for their size and price... I simply can't believe what I get back from them. I've provided additional helpful links below.

So here's the breakdown for my gear:
SP-CMC-2  >  SP-SPSB-6  >  JB3
And this is where it all started:
http://www.taperssection.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=19407

HELPFUL LINKS:
MICS:
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-CMC-2
BATTERY BOX:
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-SPSB-6
JB3s ON eBAY DIRECT FROM CREATIVE (but you don't have to buy direct... lots of JB3s out there):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15058&item=5706725231
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15058&item=5705894324
OTHER STUFF:
http://www.soundprofessionals.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/njb3tapers
http://www.nomadness.net
JB3 FAQ:
http://www.taperssection.com/yabbse/index.php?board=14;action=display;threadid=16338
NEWBIE FAQ:
http://www.taperssection.com/yabbse/index.php?board=14;action=display;threadid=4237

[Brian Skalinder]

This [JB3] is the current recorder preferred by many low end tapers

It's pretty popular across the board, actually.