Topic: My Own Personal Taping HELL

[Crimson]

Alright SO
I hit Valentines bar in Albany last night (gotta represent the home town!) to tape the Dresden Dolls.  Know the band and the soundguy already but didn't bring the right cables for a  patch (dope that I am).
SO, excuse the use of MD, but knowing my levels, my recorders, the DD sound, venue sound, etc, I tape a set of stealth mics to each set of speakers and just hit record before they come on so I can focus on working my video recorder up close (Dynamic Audio Binaurals > Sony MD on one speaker, Sonic Studios DSM-6S/L > Sharp MD on the other).

Now, the video came out great.  But by the time there set was over, under 80 min, both my MDs had stopped recording on their own at various times.  The Sharp (had the same problem with this two nights ago) stopped recording 5 minutes in before the band came on, but saved the data?! While the Sony recorded about 60 minutes of the show but cut out portions of the set here and there at no sensible order (not according to volume or anything, loud and quiet parts of songs missing, etc).

SO, I HOPE this HAS to be either a problem with batteries (which seems impossible...if they were shorting out why would the data save itself...and even keep recording with the sony?...and Ive used these same rechargables on my 6-show trek to see A Perfect Circle with no problems at all) or the MDs themselves (HAS TO be that the bunch I picked up from BestBuy are fucking defective)...
I don't think its the mics/bb's etc since it happened with DSMs, DABs, and also when I patched out of AKGs the other night with my Sharp MD.  Is there some Magical setting that I am missing after a year's worth of taping?  Comments appreciated...hope its just faulty md's and this doesn't happen again or I'll probably be frustrated enough to quit taping altogether.

Peace and Love not in the hippy-way

Keith

[Chanher]

as a MD user, my first guess would be the recorders as the problem.  what models, how old, and where did you get them?

[Crimson]

Sharp MT877, been using it a year, new, without incident before Sat/Mon
Sony MF610, new, only used a few times

[Sean Gallemore]

interferrence in the venue?

[Crimson]

nope, had an eye on both rigs resting on the speakers, they weren't touched

[Sean Gallemore]

i mean long like radio/cell phone interferrence...... Or just blame it on the MD, sell both of them and go DAT

[Crimson]

no interference like that, that i noticed anyway.  not Mon, not Sat either.

if i didnt care about stealthing-with-ease-and-not-getting-caught, i might go dat.  even then, prolly not.

punk

[Tim]

they were setting on the PA speakers? there's a lot of electricity and magnets in there and also lots of vibrations. Could that be your problem?

[murph]

they were setting on the PA speakers? there's a lot of electricity and magnets in there and also lots of vibrations. Could that be your problem?

Tim,
This is a very good point.  The magnetic field can be pretty strong in those PA speakers.  In Physics the high school's are being taught this as we speak.  hehe  

[Crimson]

that couldnt be it
the speakers were...lets see...triangular..speakers in the middle encased by wood that was going diagnally out /-\, my mics were taped to the wood casing pointing inward all night...taped securely, nothing moved...and there wasn't much vibration (during soundcheck, which was louder than the show)

...also wouldnt explain why the same thing happened Sat night with my Sharp MD snuggled securely next to someones expensive-ass rig in the back of a low-sound basement.

I'm pretty sure its the MDs...listened through what did record and there aren't just gaps now, but skips too...Fuck Sony for defective md's!...however...all praise to the Sony 610 over the Sharp 877 for not just quitting out altogether.
fuckers.

[Simp-Dawg]

they were setting on the PA speakers? there's a lot of electricity and magnets in there and also lots of vibrations. Could that be your problem?

absolutely...
crimson don't be misled...if you put your md on top of a speaker cabinet don't expect to get decent recordings or even have your deck function properly.  for one you say you got skips in the recording...maybe caused by the vibration of a large speaker cabinet pumping out tunes for a roomfull of people???  md's do skip you know...
plus you taped the mics directly to the speakers, not the best way to record a show...you wouldn't put your ear up to a speaker for a whole show, would you?

[Crimson]

actually i do put my ears to the speakers for a whole show!

like i said there wasnt much/if any vibration...these aren't  big arena or even small venue speakers...just a tiny barstool pa...hell my home speakers are just as powerful.  That being said, Im gonna go buy some different brands of minidiscs and batteries and get to the bottom of this shit...
and have an eggsalad sandwhich too
i suggest green olives in it

thanks thanks
k

[zhianosatch]

keith, first of all, you know my stance on "stack" taping.
my gut reaction was it's the discs. that's the first thing ya blame if you have to blame anything...
a

[Simp-Dawg]

not a big fan of the eggsalad sandwich...

[Crimson]

oOo and btw...taping mics to the speakers rocks, if you ask me

Imagine this: a band playing on a combined stage/room that is no bigger than a medium-sized living room.  No sbd, no pa, just 3-4 abused-looking on speakers  on the stage and enough drunken college students cram-packed together to create hostility.  The ceiling is 10 ft. high and looks like it will collapse under the weight of a nyc subway rat.  

Taping scenario: hell.  
Taping mics to speakers and sitting on the floor in front of the stage curled up in a little ball to conserve room in the venue next to skimpy goth-dressed freshman college girls you hope will grope you: priceless, with a damn fine tape to boot.