Thanks again. This is very helpful.
If I had to pick a perfect rig after taping for 40 years I would pick these:
Main Rig. Schoeps + Actives + NBox + Any Recorder
Stealth Rig. Schoeps + Actives + Baby NBox + Any Recorder
Super Stealth Rig. DPA + Battery Box + Any Recorder These are omnis so you’ll get crowd noise best for stack tapes and small clubs.
Crowd Crazy Rig (Crowd Noise) Same as Main Rig, substitute MK41s
Very helpful advice format, thanks. By "actives" do you mean the Schoeps active cables? I admit I am not confident in my grasp of what the actives are doing vs. the NBox in this sequence, and which things render which other things unnecessary. Like, with phantom power from the recorder, the preamp is not needed anymore? Or is something still needed to make it work properly? (My apologies if I am mangling the terms but despite years of lurking on these discussions and decades of tape trading and occasional recording, I still have not completely absorbed all the jargon and abbreviations.) Or, with CMC1s, that just goes into the recorder, no other power boosting or signal processing needed?
So if I understand correctly, and I may very well not, in addition to deciding on MK4s vs. MK41s, I need to choose one of these paths for the "moderately stealthy" option
MK4[1] > CMC1 with XLR cable> Tascam DR100mkIII
MK4[1] > Colette cable [WHICH ONE? HOW LONG?] > Nbox / baby Nbox > [any cable needed? or does the Nbox come with the cable?] R-05 recorder
Or if I got a Sonosax M2D2, this would render the Nbox/baby Nbox unnecessary - ? But is more expensive and larger? And if I understand correctly, Naiant alternatives that would fill this role are no longer being made?
Am I missing something major in there?
Since I don't know the dimensions of the nbox it is hard to compare which would be stealthier.
Since my aim is to have gear ready to use on September 3, I am not sure which Schoeps packages are in stock these days and whether Nboxes can be made that fast but am in touch with Nick so will figure out if my deadline fits his production schedule.
Re: the CMC1
The L's disconnect at the edge of the body but this does add the lemo connector sticking out of the body - trade off is you can get custom cables made that are shorter and easier to stealth with
The K's have a set cable length (of what every you order at) but no lemo connector
Custom cables sounds like it could take a while, and I don't know the best places to order them from, and am already a bit overwhelmed with new info, so maybe I should not do anything that requires custom cables - unless it's much easier and faster than it sounds.
For the "as stealthy as humanly possible" option, I have ordered the DPA 4061s and d:vice/MMA-A. Wish I could use the R-05 with that instead of an iOS device but I guess I will find a refurbished phone. Tascam DR-100mkIII is also en route, and if I don't use it for concerts it will help me get my DATs transferred w/o tying up my computer.