To patch out of your typical DAT chain, you'll need a Midiman CO2 or similar digital format convertor to use the NJ3.
I hear from the Yahoo group njb3tapers (and elsewhere) that some people are having a lot of trouble with the CO2 and the NJB3. Like so much you hear about the NBJ3 though, it's hard to separate purist problems from problems you'll really cry over. If you're planning on getting the NJB3 pretty much solely for this purpose, I'd do some research to see!
To do stand alone recording (your the only one there), you can go rca>min plug straight from the SBD>NJ3 no problems.
Ok, I always get flamed to a crisp when I say this, but I've had nothing but a bad experience with the NJB3 using anything but the optical in.
When I first got the NJB3, I thought I'd use it to record my own (now defunct) original band's performances. Mainly, I was looking to save transfer time as we were playing more and more. I'd been recording us with a cheap little ECM-MS907 > MZ-R50 setup, which worked great because most of the time I couldn't attend it more than just pushing record and running for the stage. So, I was going to go 907 > NJB3, take a minute longer to set levels, and save 3 hours transfering the show.
When I got the NJB3, I hooked it up with the mic and discovered what many now already know -- the preamp in the NJB3 sounds beyond awful. Some say that it's not a preamp at all, but rather a "digital scaling" of the signal, but that's been argued as changed from the NJB2 to 3. Regardless, it sounds like ass.
So, I got out my Mackie board, ran my CD player in, out to the NJB3, and used the preamp in the Mackie. Recorded both line in and mic in with +0 boost. Both, to my ears, sounded awful.
I got scared and got ready to return it, but decided to go ahead and take the plunge and pick up a Denecke AD-20, which did the trick.
So -- ok everyone, flame away -- I feel like the NJB3 is unusable without an outboard converter. You could use the AD-20 with some pads going in, but that seems like overkill if you're buying the rig for that purpose.
The NJ3 is a great device for the money.
Man, I totally agree here. Originally, I just wanted to avoid those transfers. I have a couple of laptops, so I started looking that way. By the time I got everything I need, I was spending as much $$ as my little NJB3 rig, but I had to lug around all the stuff.
I love my NJB3, and I have yet to come across the problems most people post about. I attribute this at least partially to the fact that I don't use it as an MP3 player or carry it around in a pocket; It just sits in its padded box for recording use. I transfer all my recordings to the computer (via firewire -- joy!), burn a copy for storage, track it w/CDWav, and enjoy it.
(I put together a PC for my entertainment center a while back which holds both my CD collection as 192k MP3s and my live recordings -- au natural, of course.)
Good luck with the NJB3. I think it's a great piece of gear, but do some research and make sure it's the right gear for your needs.
Chuck