Topic: Advice for taping Phish this fall please...

[greenmtnsrider]

Im considering taping my 1st arena show this fall on Phish tour, long time fan, short time taper. Anyway my set up is as follows: AKG391's>Denecke PS-2>Tascam DR-2D. I usually tape at a small club in Killington, VT which runs really loud and bass heavy, thus i pad down the mics to the center position and run the gain on the recorder at mid. Thinking i would need to adjust these settings for an arena environment as it would be even louder inside. If anyone has any pointers and can help me out it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[JimmieC]

I've never have padded my AKG 461 (bar, club, theater, amphitheater, arena, stadium, pavillion, etc.), preamp around +20, and around 5 on the recorder (DR-100 mkii).  I have not recorded an arena and such show for years but probably still the same.

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

Don't worry about it being too loud. I've never had an issue with needing to pad my mics at any Phish show. I usually run FOB too.

I'd consider Phish shows to be "regular loud." I've most certainly been to much louder shows.

[yug du nord]

DR-2D runs hot..  and clips easily if pushed past its limit...  so a pad might be necessary.  YMMV.
You can also run the DR-2D with the dual recording feature which might save the day if necessary.
Check out the DR-2D thread in the "recording gear" section.  Lots of great info about that deck.
PH is a great way to start out taping....  have fun!!  Welcome to the section!!!

[BlingFree]

Maybe it was just me but it seemed like my 391's didn't like being by a far away soundboard when I was at an outdoor festival. It all just sounded far away. I went A/B and it seemed to help a bit. So personally I wouldn't go for a huge, capture the room, stereo pattern but something more PAS or less.. if that makes sense. I'm still sorta new with the mics.. YMMV of course.

[jlykos]

I suggest attenuating the input to the recorder with that setup or trying the "low gain" setting if there is one.

[Chimney Top]

I doubt you will need pads recording in an Arena.  The pads may be needed for the small club recordings...

I use a Mixpre and it's sensitive for small clubs, but ok for outdoor recordings, amphitheatres, mid-size venues, arena's et al.

[eman]

Advise checking out the hijacked "Taper Pet Peeves" thread as a heads up to be extra discreet this tour.