Topic: Looking for advice on indoor/outdoor mic/pre-amp set up

[mpassero]

I've been taping many small jambands at small bar venues or outdoors at small festivals.  I've always plugged my JB3 into the out channel of the sound board and typically have had great success.  Sometimes i have come accross boards with only XLR plugs or boards that have given some terrible results and therefore no recording.  The recordings i do i always give to the bands (they never get there own live stuff) and the recording typically make it to archive so these bands can share the music.

Rather than relying on the board, i'm considering making the next move and adding mics, pre-amp and stand to ensure a recording will happen.  i have sat with many tapers and daisy chained to their set up and discussed gear, but it seems like so many opinions and combinations.  At this point i will not have to set up for stealth recording or battery power as typically i am able to use AC from the venue.  I was considering the Edirol UA-5 pre-amp and a mic that will allow switching between omni and cardioid - depending on the room or space.  I know nothing about cabling or about stands.  Just looking for some insights and opinions.  It would be nice that the gear i choose will also be able to connect to a battery set up down the road.

Any advice for making a move like this?

Thanks.

[larrysellers]

What kind of budget are you working with? Take a look at the Studio Projects LSD-2. Its a stereo mic, with variable config. and is extremely simple to use. It comes with a shockmount and cable, so if you add a stand your pretty much set.

[mpassero]

budget wise i haven't really decided.  i would like to see what the options are and make my investment decision from there.  What about a pre-amp for this mic?

[terrapinj]

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=35004.0
This thread gives you a pretty good idea on costs of various gear.

If you provide a budget we can help much more.

a fairly common starter rig will be studio projects C4 > ua-5 > jb3

you can get the mics for around $280 new or cheaper if you buy used. a basic ua-5 will run around $200-250 and can only be bought used now. the ua-5 will need to be digi modded to be able to run it in the field with out a computer. basic canare starquad mic cables can be had for around $30-40. you will need a stand, gear bag and an optical cable to run from the ua-5 > jb3. there are many battery solutions for this combo as well.

[mpassero]

budget wise i would say i'm willing to spend up to $1000.  the recordings that i have gotten straight from the board typically sound dynamite.  moving to my own mic set-up, i want to ensure that i will be getting really clean and crisp sounds so i would prefer to make the right investment now and not be looking for an upgrade in the immediate future.  if $1500 rather that $1000 would be night and day as far as gear is concerned - i would certainly consider spending the extra money.  If up to $1000 would suffice for mics, pre-amp, stand and wires - perfect!!

[terrapinj]

you have plenty of options in that price range, especially since you already have the jb3. as far as not wanting to upgrade later - you better not even buy gear then cause it is inevitable 

the ua-5 is a great pre/ADC - very user friendly very easy to power and is the perfect match with the jb3. there are a number different versions out there now - stock/digimoded - Oade Moded w/w+/t/t+/p/p+ - and the Busman2p+ mod. the oade and busman2 mods will change the sound of the box, clean up the noise floor and improve the sound quality quite a bit IMO. the great thing about the ua-5 is you can do matrix on the fly so you can still get a board patch and mix it in with your AUD source on the spot.

you have many options as far as mics go in that price range as well. the c4 kit will come with Cardiod and Omni caps as well as shockmounts and a basic T-Bar for mounting the mics to the stand. they are tough to beat value wise. other options are akg 39x series which will run you about 400 for a pair of bodies and caps and around $200 or so for another pair of caps used. ck92 which are the omni caps are tough to find used. you may want to invest a little more in your mics from the get go, which i advise if you can afford to do so.

do some searches on archive.org for samples of shows taped with various combos - read up... a lot and do lots of searches here for any questions you may have on specific mics or pres.

[mpassero]

thanks for this input - i hope you don't mind if i keep going with questions here...

the ua-5 - as they are discontinued - where are good places to source out and is it best to find a digi-moded?  not sure what the difference between these modes is?  also, is it best to add a level recording led between this and the jb3.  if so - anything in particular kind?  also, for matrix recording, how would you do this with this set up?

lastly - some options for purchasing the c4 mics and cabling?

[terrapinj]

you can find a stock ua-5 on ebay usually - the digimod can be done yourself, it consists of cutting a trace or removing a capacitor and soldering in a jumper wire. you can also send the stock unit to Busman2 to be modded. The Oade mods come up here used from time to time as well as the ocassional digimod or busman2 mod. check out these threads for info on the various mods...http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=48735.0 http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=59159.0;all- basically they each have their own sound to them - w = warm t=transparent p=presence. it's up to you to decide which mod, if any sounds best to your ears.

as far as c4s go there are a number of retailers that can be found via froogle.com or on ebay. there are a number of options for cables as well, some retailers will include a basic set of cables with the c4 kit.

spend some time reading around here and in the archives - pretty much any question you have has likely been covered.

[viega]

You could just by a cheap attenuator cable and keep recording off boards ;-)  I don't remember how many db you need to attenuate, though.  20 comes to mind...

[J.Maye]

I am totally happy with my busman mod ua5. If I were looking for a UA-5 I would consider sending him a PM. The Oade ua-5's are great too, but IMHO I like the BM2P+ UA5 better than the straight d-mod oade. The Oade T+W+P+ or any of those without the + are all top shelf but generally more expensive than the busman one. You should listen to some archive shows as suggested before to decide what you need/want.
FWIW I spent around $1200, but that includes the JB3, SVU-1,($65) Kind Kables,($65) Mountain Smith camera case, ($80)  pelican case w/foam for mics ($25) universal dvd batt, Good DPA windscreens ($30)Todd R juice box, Optical cable, bunch of other cables, AKG 391's with mounts thin windscreens and t-bar, Bogen 3076 stand, Busman Ua5, I think thats about it.

The omni caps for the akg 390 series will pretty much have to be bought new. I have seen 1 pair go up for sale here ever. There may have been more, but thats all Im aware of. A lot of people have been talking about getting the omni caps from Boxymusic. So the 390 series might not work for you.

I would consider spending a little more right out of the gate to try to hold off the urge to upgrade, and dont forget about the accessories, that $$ racks up pretty quick.