Topic: First time taper, need help with mics!

[redbook]

Hey there,

After trading for more than 15 years, I decided it's time to tape my own tapes and contribute to the community.

I recently bought a nice portable DAT (TCD-D8), and I'm still trying to find the best deal on mics, but next thursday I will attend to a Sting show and I just wanted to do my first tape in that show.

I have no time to buy new mics for thursday, but I have access to all kinds of microphones. My brother plays in a band and he told me I could borrow any kind of mic of their equipment.

I'm a totally newbie on mics, and they have lots of types (vocal mics, small, big, etc...).

I would like to know what kind of mic would be better tot take for taping an audience show. Any help?

Sorry if I didn't explain myself better, I'm a totally newbie.
Thanks in advance!

[Nick Graham]

A lot of it depends on what and where you'll be taping. Sting doesn't allow open taping, so in that situation stealth would be the appropriate route. I'm not sure what mics a band would use that would be small enough for what you'll need.

Depending on your budget, you can go from Coresound Low Cost Binaurals ($75 a pair) all the way up to the DPA 4060 line (around $800 new).

Give us a bit more info and I'm sure the folks around here could help. Here's your first +T just to get you started...

[redbook]

Yes, I know the question is too abstract.
Just wanted to see if anyone could point me to a kind of model to mount a semi-decent for thursday (hard task, I guess).

Another quick question. I still don't have a proper battery for the DAT, and no time to buy a good one for thursday.
All what I have right now is 4 common rechargeable batteries, 2300mAh each one. Is this still enough to tape a show or they will last less than 10 minutes?

I guess for the future and start  taping and practicing I will buy a cheap Core Sound for stealth (here in europe 95% of taping is non allowed).  Do you recommend this pair for a beginner? I think these kind of mics need no amp or power  box or things like that. Is this assumption right?

Thanks for your replies.
This is my first time here and from what I see this is a really nice community. I really miss things like this, other forums I've been are too elitist, and I also miss some more "informational" sites, you know, some pictures with examples, how to connect . All what I found until now is all entire text, and its sometimes hard to understand for a non-native-english-speaker -and-totally-newbie-like-me.

[Sean Gallemore]

if you can get a list of mics that your friend has, we can probably give you better direction.  If he doesn't have anything small, then you can either hand hold a mic, or try to rig one inside a hat.

[redbook]

Hey there,

Just talked to my friend and I took this one:
http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_spa.nsf/root/09895
Well, is not exactly that one, but it's one very similar, I hope specs are not so different than this, it looks like a good mic

Is this a good mic for audience stealth taping?
(I'd better figuring out how to "hide" this one!)

[greenone]

Doesn't look too bad, though the bass might get cut off a little bit. It'd be good for taping in larger venues - the "super-cardioid" pattern will be very directional and eliminate a lot of noise from the sides. But keep in mind that you'll need *two* microphones to record in stereo - that one looks like it's a mono mic. What/where are you taping? ¡Suerte!

--Dave

[redbook]

I will be taping TONIGHT Sting in a bullfigthing venue, I guess there are no standard mics for a bull fighting place like this, lol

I don't expect to get a great tape, I just bought a DAT a months ago and  will be my first tape ever. I take it as a practice to learn taping.

Thanks all for your responses, I will let you know about the results!  

[Patrick]

It really isnt a big deal if it turns out or not.  You really just have to experient with every single aspect of the room, the mix, your mics and equipment, etc.  

But, you're off to a great start.  It is always so much fun to learn from a mistake in regards to taping.