Topic: What equipment do I need to start taping?

[acidjack]

^^ I know I just recommended them, but having heard the latest about the line level inputs of the Tascams not being able to take very hot signals vis a vis the M10, is that still a valid recommendation?  Can you run mics>BB/pre>Tascam without issue, generally, and it's just the more "pro" pres that cause the problem, or...?

I think the other issue for the OP, and a tough one in general, is whether you go for the Church rig which is a quality rig that is competitive with most other stealth/small rigs that are under $1500, or whether you get a very inexpensive fullsize rigs with Studio Project C4s or something similar.  I have little experience with those mics, but I wonder what views are as to whether they "hold up to the big boys" in the fullsize category as well as Church CA-14 are generally thought to in the stealth/small mics category.

One advantage of getting deck + littlebox + cheap/used fullsize mics is that you can upgrade just the mics and keep the rest of the gear chain.  Whereas if you're CA-14>CA9100, that rig isn't really scalable to anything else.  Not a good or a bad thing, just a thought.

[hoppedup]

^^^ I have used the DR-07 with a CA-BB, CA-9100 and from many SBDs going line-in and have never had an issue with a signal being too hot. The DR-05 may require an attenuator for hot signals, but I haven't used it yet, so I will need to test. I paid $89.99 for the DR-05 so if I have to buy a $20 attenuator, it's not the end of the world. I am happy with my rig and don't foresee buying larger, more expensive gear in the near future. I believe the cheaper Tascam recorders may not hold their value well, but the Church Audio stuff should.  I'm sure the M10 is a better device based on what I've read here, but if someone wants a complete rig with stand and accessories for under $500 it gets a little tougher to fit it in. He could go for M10 and one set of CA-14. ($129.00 w/free BB) and get there easily.

I mainly run the CA-14 cards>Ca-9100> Sony PCM D50 but I have taped with many combinations of my gear. taperjeff runs AKG 460>MixPre>DR-07 quite frequently, I believe. With very good results, IMO: http://www.archive.org/details/Yarn2010-12-04.akg460

My source of the same show with CA-14>CA-9100>PCM D50:  http://www.archive.org/details/yarn2010-12-04.CA14.flac16

And a Schoeps source: http://www.archive.org/details/Yarn2010-12-04.Southern_Cafe_Music_Hall_Charlottesville_Va

All mics above were clamped to same stand. I prefer the AKG source, fwiw.

[acidjack]

^^ Great to know.  Also a nice comp.  The Schoeps and AKG are pretty close - the AKGs a bit less punchy than the Schoeps, as you'd expect.  The 41s bring the vox up, but I think the bass is less smooth partly b/c of the tighter pattern.

For that matter, though, the 14s sound great, although a good bit thinner.  On anything other than a pretty nice playback system or good pair of headphones, that could also mean they'll sound better to a lot of people.

[igene]

lowest price ever on a 24 bit deck >

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/734644-REG/Tascam_DR_03_DR_03_Portable_Digital_Audio.html

save money on the deck and get better mics !
(and buy a good used preamp)