Topic: Choice of microphones

[Jeffbeckfan1]

Want to say a huge Thank You to you all for your advice and great comments. I am glad all your answers have kept my learning curve steep. If I may, I will PM some of you to get more insight on details.

I feel very comfortable with the gear I purchased and realize I will have to work and learn in order to optimize it. Am trying out Audacity at the moment to be able to do some post tweaking as well. Gear, taping at the right place and post tweaking seem to be integral.

As for mic's the DPA's are really interesting for the future. Also glad the Countryman B3's and the Nevatons were mentioned. Still the Shoeps is some kind of ultimate goal.

Just to get a feel for the statistics I did an interesting search at Dime today. Searched for CMC**, CA**, Shoeps, DPA etc. Most people don't reveal what gear they use, but some do. If anyone is interested I can post my findings.

That's because (sadly, as to DIME anyway) a) they don't know, probably because they aren't the taper and didn't ask the taper in advance, or b) their gear is total garbage (i.e., the internal mics on virtually any machine in virtually any situation). 

It continues to annoy me that only the tapers of the "traditional taping bands" (aka Phish, moe., etc.) are the ones who, as a group, take any kind of care about what gear they use and tracking their lineage.  Those of us who tape a lot of the bands you find on DIME that actually show we care about this stuff are sadly in the minority.  But then, you already knew that 

Well, been a member of Dime for a year now and I guess you're right. Interestingly, quite a few of the tapers at Dime I found to produce great recordings I also find as members here. Coincidence or passion. You tell me.

[Scooter123]

Just to get a feel for the statistics I did an interesting search at Dime today. Searched for CMC**, CA**, Shoeps, DPA etc. Most people don't reveal what gear they use.

Most tapers will post a pretty good lineage of mikes, pres recorders and even location.  They like to advertise what kind of sluts they really are. 

I agree that those who don't list equipment simply didn't include the original Info File (or became lost in a trade).  It took me the better part of a year to figure out what I liked and didn't like.  Besides Schoeps and Neumann I'll give a vote for DPA cards, too.  There are subtle differences between these mikes in terms of bass, treble, accuracy and warmth.  No clear right or wrong here, when you get to the top level of mikes, its what you prefer.  And because I didn't list a particular mike, doesn't mean they aren't any good, they just didn't rise to my self perceived level of what I liked.  When drop $2,000 + for mikes, I took my time listening. 

[Belexes]

I sometimes post recordings from a friend of mine and he requested that I not get so detailed as to the lineage because people would know who taped the master.  He wants to stay hidden.  I say he's a little paranoid.  If someone PM's me wanting more specific lineage, I will give it to them. 

My recordings has precise lineage, but I don't reveal my seat location.  I regularly stealth in some venues and sometimes in the same seat.  I don't need my name on it for the venue security to come find me. 

[acidjack]

I sometimes post recordings from a friend of mine and he requested that I not get so detailed as to the lineage because people would know who taped the master.  He wants to stay hidden.  I say he's a little paranoid.  If someone PM's me wanting more specific lineage, I will give it to them. 

My recordings has precise lineage, but I don't reveal my seat location.  I regularly stealth in some venues and sometimes in the same seat.  I don't need my name on it for the venue security to come find me. 

I think seat # is definitely above and beyond.  For stealthing, any location info should be pretty optional.

[aaronji]

Really?  Must depend where in Europe a bit... I've heard plenty of UK-based recordings where people who are just hammered are screaming and talking in ways that would ... well, equal their U.S. counterparts, I guess

Yup.

The UK is a bit of an outlier, I think.  I have seen some rowdy shows there (not more rowdy than in the States, though), but, in general, I think the European crowds are more restrained.  I have seen shows in 16 or 17 countries here, many times that in cities/venues, and almost all have had pretty good crowds...

[yousef]

The UK is a bit of an outlier, I think.  I have seen some rowdy shows there (not more rowdy than in the States, though), but, in general, I think the European crowds are more restrained.  I have seen shows in 16 or 17 countries here, many times that in cities/venues, and almost all have had pretty good crowds...

Thinking about it, the problem usually isn't one of rowdiness per se, so much as the capacity of British people to pay an eye-watering amount of money for a concert ticket and subsequently spend the entire gig talking absolute crap at normal conversational levels (or louder.)