Topic: Tascam DR-07 MKII - Advice On Settings For Concert Recording. Please Help !!!

[pinksmile]

I was wondering if someone could advise me on the correct settings needed to record a ROGER WATERS concert next year using a Tascam DR-07 MKII audio recorder ? Apparently these ROGER WATERS WALL SHOWS are extremely loud and i know next to nothing about recording concerts so any advice is greatly appreciated as i do not want to mess up the recording. I am hoping to hear from someone who has actually recorded one of THE WALL SHOWS in either 2010 or 2011 using the Tascam DR-07 MKII audio recorder, but any help at all from anyone out there is much needed. Hope to hear some fast replies. Thanks   

[acidjack]

First you probably need some mics. The internal mics on that aren't going to cut it.

[daspyknows]

First you probably need some mics. The internal mics on that aren't going to cut it.

Having recorded 7 of them I second Acidjacks suggestion.  I own a DR2D and would not be happy with the results using the internals.

[pinksmile]

Thanks guys for this info, what type or brand of microphones do you recommend i use with the Tascam DR-07 MKII audio recorder ?  And please, keep the advice coming on all the other settings i need to adjust to get the perfect recording of THE WALL show. I appreciate anything you can offer me. Thanks again

[acidjack]

The least expensive/best sounding setup you can buy are Church Audio CA-14 cardiods with a simple battery box also made by Church.  See "Retail Space" below.  However, be advised that build/delivery times for handmade gear can be long, so be sure you have enough time to get this made before you have to go to this show. 

Any setting on the deck that suggests that it does something automatic - limiters, auto-level-adjustment, etc - turn that off.

Connect the mics to the battery box, connect the battery box to the deck via LINE-IN and let it rip.  Record at at least 24/48.  I can't tell you where to set your levels, but the general theory is "conservatively" meaning as long as the peaks are at or near -12dB on the level meter, you can always raise them in post-processing.

I highly recommend going to a local show or something you don't care about and practicing before you try to attempt recording the thing you really care about with a brand new untested rig.  The chances of something not going as planned with brand-new equipment one is not familiar with are very, very high.

[F.O.Bean]

acidjack has great advice, so do what he says, and listen for yourself

[page]

I highly recommend going to a local show or something you don't care about and practicing before you try to attempt recording the thing you really care about with a brand new untested rig.  The chances of something not going as planned with brand-new equipment one is not familiar with are very, very high.

If nothing else, heed these words.

[daspyknows]

I highly recommend going to a local show or something you don't care about and practicing before you try to attempt recording the thing you really care about with a brand new untested rig.  The chances of something not going as planned with brand-new equipment one is not familiar with are very, very high.

If nothing else, heed these words.

this is the best piece of advice particularly since there is no opening act to practice with

[pinksmile]

Thanks so much to everyone out there who has contributed so far to helping me, i really appreciate it. If there are any more thoughts by anyone, please post them.  Thanks again.

[pontiacb]

I've used the internal mics on the DR-07 (I may have the Mk I) and have got very decent results at a number of loud shows (stood close to stacks), which came as a bit of a surprise to me.  Its my back up recorder (I normally use Church audio mics>BB>iriver as I'm more comfortable with the iRiver still).  So I wouldn't totally discount using the DR-07's internals based on my experience.  But having said that I'd recommend the Church mics if you are going to be doing this regularly - as a long time user (CA11s/CA14s and CAFS omnis) I've always been pleased with the results I've got from Chris's gear.

[pinksmile]

All these replies i have received are very interesting and much appreciated. Having read them all, i was looking into purchasing from Chris Church some CA 11 Microphones and a CA 9000 Preamp to connect to my Tascam DR-07 MKII audio recorder. Does that sound like a good option guys or not ? Please let me know.

[F.O.Bean]

All these replies i have received are very interesting and much appreciated. Having read them all, i was looking into purchasing from Chris Church some CA 11 Microphones and a CA 9000 Preamp to connect to my Tascam DR-07 MKII audio recorder. Does that sound like a good option guys or not ? Please let me know.

I would go for the CA14s over the CA11s But thats just my opinion

[pontiacb]

I love my CA11s and also have the CA14s.  The main advantage of the CA11s is they are a lot smaller than the CA14s as they dont have built in windscreens, so I feel a lot more comfortable with them (i.e. I feel they are less noticeable).  A lot of people prefer the sound of the CA14s, but to be honest I've not really noticed a big difference between the two although I've only used the CA14s 4 or 5 times (I've used the CA11s 100+ times).

[daspyknows]

All these replies i have received are very interesting and much appreciated. Having read them all, i was looking into purchasing from Chris Church some CA 11 Microphones and a CA 9000 Preamp to connect to my Tascam DR-07 MKII audio recorder. Does that sound like a good option guys or not ? Please let me know.

Depends on your budget.  Assuming money is no object (not usually a safe assumption)  I would consider a pair of Schoeps MK4s with an NBox.  There is a wide spectrum of options.  What I would do is get on one of the bit torrent sites and download a bunch of different shows and listen to the sound you like.  I ran side by side for roger in Dublin with Kagee.  He ran a CA rig and I ran my MK4s.  I can reseed that show and ask Kagee to do the same. 

Don't get me wrong, the Church Audio mics are a good option, but there are plenty of good choices.

[acidjack]

Assuming you have never taped before, unless you just like making things more complicated for yourself (not recommended) skip the preamp and just get a simple CA-UBB battery box from Church.  It's tiny, it does the job, and it doesn't add additional knobs for you to fiddle with or another box to have to carry on your person. 

Especially for recording a giant stadium show, which you've said is your main goal here, I really don't think the preamp is necessary. 

I would also say get the CA-14 over the -11, though they are larger.