Topic: About how much money does it cost to get quality equipment?

[Salva Veritate]

I'm thinking of getting into taping next year but I'm notoriously frugal with funds. I'm talking either audio recording or video.

[DaveG73]

I'm thinking of getting into taping next year but I'm notoriously frugal with funds. I'm talking either audio recording or video.

Lots, or as much as you can spare.

Dave.

[Nick Graham]

Totally loaded question - how much are you willing/able to spend?

Quality is also objective. There are great tapes pulled with a couple hundred dollars in gear, and great tapes made with rigs costing $10,000.

Are there any particular mics or gear you've found you like?

[boojum]

^^^^  They are all correct.  The sky is the limit.  The new Thuresson mics at ~US$3,000 apiece are supposed to be really nice.  And you can get a good recording with gear that cost a lot less.  However, with the good gear you will get more good recordings.  I have just recently made the jump to good gear I can tell you that the musicians I have recorded all noticed the difference right away.  I was pleased; they were, too.  And I am getting commissions to record these guys now.  I was not getting them before. I may get my gear paid for. 

If I were you I would get an inexpensive set, for less than US$500 new, and try it out.  If you do not like it you can sell it and get most of your money back.  If you like it you can go out and spend the big bucks being sure you are heading in the right direction.  YMMV

[MSTaper]

I've got about $700-$800 tied up in my rig.

An Edirol R-09 (and yeah, I bought the over priced case, but it's nice)
A 4gb SDHC card
Church Audio ST-11 cardoid mics and STC-9000 preamp
a 9-Foot tall Dynatran stand
A 15-foot Canare 1/8-inch extension cable
A 1-foot Cardas right angle male 1/8-inch to 1/8-inch cable for pre to R-09
Some misc items: a tiny led flashlight, cable ties (velcro), several rechargeable batteries, a few pieces of PVC for a DIY mic mount.

I can't tell you anything about recordings, 'cause I've only taped with the R-09 since the I only received the mics recently and haven't taped anything since then. But you can get what I have used for a lot less and go from there. rWc3523

[jonohull]

I bought nearly everything on eBay, and this is what I paid:

JM-27 mics: $100
Edirol UA-5: $130
iRiver ihp-120: $50 (sweet deal, it had a broken screen, got a new one for $15 extra)
Battery: $50 (Best Buy )
Cables: $25
Stand: $15

I did my own digi-mod on the UA-5, and my own cable splicing to get my battery to work. I had all the accessories laying around like a flashlight and gaffer's tape. My total is about $385, which will be a good rig for a while. I was also on a budget because I'm in school. You can search the Archive and other sites, and sample different set-ups to see what sounds good to you for what price.

[wheresjerry]

This is about how much I have invested in my first rig:

Marantz PMD 671 Oade Basic Concert mod...  $1,100.00
KindKables 12' 85.00
Rode NT-4 stereo mic  $450.00
shock mount $75.00
mic stand $40.00
Marantz rechargable battery $100.00
rechargable batteries  (Enloop) and charger (maha)$100.00
LowePro Nova 4 AW bag $70.00
CF cards $200.00

mics stuff....flashlight, velcro straps, pad & pen, etc......

Though I do not have any other rig to base my experience on, for my first set up I will have to say that I am pleased with the results so far....I have recorded indoors at clubs, out doors and covered outdoor venues and all have come out nice.  The Marantz is a very well equiped piece of recording equipment with a lot of features, some of which I have yet to play around with, but now that I have gotten my feet wet so to speak, I will try recording using higher rates....

Hope some of this gives you an idea at what is available in the $2k range, but beware, even at $2k, I have caught the bug, and have looked at improving my mics!  Proceed with caution!

[danzz1234]

another stuff people must know in order to help you:

open or stealth?

you plan on recording loud or more quiet shows?

[MSTaper]

Thanks Moke, To be completely honest, most of my purchases (recorder, mics, stand, cable choice) were based on advice I got on TS. And like others, most of it was bought on eBay or from retailers recommended on TS. I still need a better bag 'cause I'm using my old camera bag, but I don't use my Nikon 35mm SLR much anymore! What I have will allow me to record the local bands and maybe have some fun out of town. And it didn't break me. Most of the money came from selling old late 1960s Hot Wheels and comic books on eBay! Really! 

rWc3523

[illconditioned]

I've got about $700-$800 tied up in my rig.

An Edirol R-09 (and yeah, I bought the over priced case, but it's nice)
A 4gb SDHC card
Church Audio ST-11 cardoid mics and STC-9000 preamp
a 9-Foot tall Dynatran stand
A 15-foot Canare 1/8-inch extension cable
A 1-foot Cardas right angle male 1/8-inch to 1/8-inch cable for pre to R-09
Some misc items: a tiny led flashlight, cable ties (velcro), several rechargeable batteries, a few pieces of PVC for a DIY mic mount.

I can't tell you anything about recordings, 'cause I've only taped with the R-09 since the I only received the mics recently and haven't taped anything since then. But you can get what I have used for a lot less and go from there. rWc3523

I would just get an Edirol R09, a set of Church's cards + battery box (no preamp, just the battery box).  That's it.  You can clip the mics onto a your hat, clip them to a piece of plastic and tape that up somewhere, hang from the ceiling or whatever.

Record everything: shows, weddings, walking your dog, lectures, eating dinner.  Or just tape yourself watching TV.  Whatever, just get a feel for how things sound.

Oh yeah, get yourself a set of Sony 7506 headphones ($100US).  Then listen to everything you record and see what you like.

Have fun!
  Richard

[MSTaper]

Yeah, I'll be using my R-09 to record interviews, etc., for work. Definitely a bonus. rWc3523

[joekar]

" Speed is only a matter of money....How fast do you want to spend ? "

Recording is kind of the same thing 


Peace,
jk

[bdasilva]

I figure and tell people that the buyin for the hobby is 1300-1500. I spent another 300 whan I thought I was there and had "everything". all that said it could be less with careful and lucky purcheses or more if'n you cruise the yardsale daily. 
Check you wallet at the door.

[Salva Veritate]

Thanks for the help guys! Like I said, I'm really frugal with money. I'm looking for some low cost gems that really do the job (analogous to my $20 headphones that have better sound that Apple's $40 headphones). To answer some questions here I plan on recording mostly loud shows, so I guess clipping is an issue for some.

jonohull, your rig looks to be on the low end on the price range. How's the sound quality?

[jonohull]

I just got the final pieces in the last few days, and haven't had any chance to test them in a concert setting, or at all even. Here is a show recorded with the same set-up, although this one has the Busman mod on the UA-5: http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=507322.