Topic: any one still run analog?

[Patrick]

Analog is just so warm.

Like wrapping up in a fuzzy blanket.

[rocksuitcase]

OK.  Here's a good story.  I will try to make it short, I have told it enough times to keep to the best details.

Red Rocks Colorado 1984, Grateful Dead's summer run.  for any who have been there and taped you will really appreciate this story.  If you haven't been there, be aware that the amphitheatre is on the side of the mountain.  You have to line up at one of 4 entrances which can wind from close to a parking lot all the way to where they take tickets.  In those days, they would open up the gates by noon so we could all get in and get plenty ready for the show.  If you weren't in line by 8 Am you were not going to be FOB.  Of ocurse, the only GD taping back then was FOB as this was just beore they started the section.
One additional piece of information: the venue hated tapers and did not "officially" allow tapers in, however, if you got in your gear, most of the inside security ignored us and let us tape.

MY buddy notices on night 1 as we were all getting hassled pretty hard trying to sneak in equipment that the mens bathroom had a "window" carved out only about 5 feet off the floor of the bathroom, but it was against one of the sides of the mountain, so the base of this window was about 15 feet below on a part of the rocks near one entrance where you might wait in line.  the best part, after we looked at this spot was that it was out of sight of any security. Sooooooo, being the sneaky Deadheads that we were, we concocted this plan.

The plan was to bring in some climbing rope with a D Link attached and a couple of nearly empty backpacks with some one in line that had no gear.  That morning,we slowly put all the gear in small groups behind the base of the bathroom and had two of us wait all morning in that spot so we wouldn't get noticed.  then my buddy started to tell the other tapers who showed up in line.  In the end, about 5 sets of mics and almost 15 Sony D-5's and various accessories were waiting to get hoisted up with the rope.  Sure enough, about 10 minutes after the gates opened, my buddy was in the bathroom letting the yellow rope with pack attahced down from the window.  Me and the other guy start loading mics. decks, batteries and what have you in to the bag, the bag starts to get tugged in and won't go through the opening,  it's too full!  it was like a scene from a spy movie, they tug a few times, notice it won't make it in and lower it back down to us.  we notice what is wrong and load it half as full.  BOOM, it goes through!  he drops the empty pack back down and we just kept going until all the gear was inside!!!

They told us it was a little weird looking if any one noticed several dudes go in the bathroom with empty back packs and leave with full to the brim packs and mic stands, the whole bit.

That's my story, and I'm sticking with it!!!!!!!!

[F.O.Bean]

good story, +T

my buddy jason snow still runs analog, i think nak>analog

[rocksuitcase]

You can still buy TCD-5's new at B & H photo-video and also MArantz PMD 430's.  As some one was saying, there are still a handful of Nak 550's out there on E bay and the like.  If you were going to do SBD or studio recoridng you could go TAscam or Nak.

[rocksuitcase]

If someone wanted to run an analog deck, what would be the best to use at this point?
Could you use a ua5 in the chain ?

I didn't comment on the UA-5 part:  You could run mics>UA-5>analog out>Analog Cassette.
Again, if you were to do this, you might use a Sony or Marantz portable. 
downside; BAtteries for these were mainly 2 D Cells or 4 D Cells. You can make an outboard rechargable sled for the bateries.  the Sony's Ran at 6 volts.

[Govt Mule]

I didn't comment on the UA-5 part:  You could run mics>UA-5>analog out>Analog Cassette.
Again, if you were to do this, you might use a Sony or Marantz portable. 
downside; BAtteries for these were mainly 2 D Cells or 4 D Cells. You can make an outboard rechargable sled for the bateries.  the Sony's Ran at 6 volts.

I still have the impuse to stop to buy batteries for my deck on the way out to a show. I just can' get used to the rechargable power pack. And I have no power for my flash light. I used to run my old d cells for light.

I stil regret the day I traded my d-5 to Pete who works for the Allman's. Actually Kyle I think you actualy went to NYC to buy it. They were having a sale I gave you cash to pick it up. Man I still listen to the tapes with the old 201's and the M88's. Or the Binaural tape from Toronto with the Big Boss Man encore. 

[rocksuitcase]

Hey Pat,
I remember buying that D-5!  yeah, we were buying them in the city for about $400 or 450 at that time!!!
I still have one of mine, it only records on one channel now.  the second one died in the early 90's.  I brought it to an offical SONY service center in dallas that had repaired it twice before, they called and told me it was in such bad shape they wouldn't be able to repair it; that so much "coca cola" had been spilled in it, the circuit board was all gummed up, heads in bad shape, etc.  I went back to get the shell and threw it away years later.
hmmmm, binaural Toronto, yummy.  Do you have a binaural copy of GD Hampton 84?  I can't find mine, but that was one of my favorite Binaurals.  BTW, I have spoken with CK a bit in the past year.  I am working on getting some of the binaural masters and putting them to digi.

[Govt Mule]

My hampton 84's are 1st gen I got from sean. No mike listed. I guess that 84 summer tour was my first tapping run.

Get those master transfered, man I love the sound of the true Binaural dead

[rocksuitcase]

Go Butch Go!  What a hoot it was to carry that rubber Sennheiser head in to all those dead shows.  Not one security guard ever turned the thing over and looked at the mic mount or the word Sennheiser on the bottom!  I think Butch finally melted in summer of 85 or 86 in the back window of some ones car.  I think the amount of actual binaural GD masters is somewhere around 50 shows.

[Tall Adam]

ive used a rubber head before but only in a recording class...i cant imagine running that in the field, damn i bet that was funny as hell. please say you ran it 10' up and not at head height, i would have loved to see that. (granted, i wasnt even born when you guys were running it).

i love the old school stories, gives a sense of history to the hobby. keep em comming...

[rocksuitcase]

We usually ran it at "head level"

This set of Sennheiser Binaurals( MKE4401's???) don't know the exact model number} was bought by a buddy of ours in ealry feb 1984 we used it for some spring 84 and summer/ fall 84 shows.  It came back in the summer of 85 for a short run and did many local non-dead shows in the Maine area.
The frist time we ran it, it was about 4 rows FOB right in front of Healy.  He and Don Pearson came down and asked about it, listened to some headphone stuff( I guess it was beteen sets) and asked us to mail them copies.!  OF course, we did. 
At one show that I can't remember exactly which one, Bobby was so wasted he just kept staring at the head, it was about 10 rows from the stage, and all night long he would track his gaze back to Butch.  BY this point we would bring Butch in to the show with paint on his face, lightning bolt shiny stickers going down his cheek, and a bandana on his head.  When the security gaurds would ask what it was, we would say, "It's a Deadhead" and smile real wide.  We were never refused, not once with this line

[nic]

still have my Marantz PMD-430 that I got back in 95.

they work great as preamps(no phantom though).
for awhile we ran mics>B18(phantom)>PMD-430(pause mode to use the pre)>SBM>dat

made some great Phish section tapes with this rig in 97/98!

[Sanjay]

i have every once in awhile, parents gave me some old gear they found.  Usually run it in tandem with my laptop or jb3 however.

[rocksuitcase]

Moke,
I had no idea you were in to the binaural!  Yes, this is the mic's my friend owned.  I think the pre amp crapped out on him in the late 80's and he never had them fixed.
nice photos.

[Depechemode1993]

yeah dood... I have ran a D6 a few times. anyone got a D3,D5,D6 they want to get rid of???