Topic: sanity check - my 1st attempt at live board recording

[sasha]

hi everyone, this is my first post here and i dont have a lot of knowledge about mixers/soundboards. 

i want to record some of the blues shows at a bar in my neighborhood.  i just ordered a tascam us-1641 usb sound interface w 14 analog inputs, which comes w cubase 4le and i'd like to record directly onto my laptop with cubase or some other multitrack recording software.  from looking at the stage it appears everything is mic'ed and run back to the soundboard. 

assuming all the stage intruments and vocal mics are going into the soundboard, should i be able to just get "copy" of each incoming channel from the stage off the board and record each channel onto its own track?  or does that depend on the type of mixer they have?

i've also got a pair of rode nt3 hypercardioid mics and a pair of audio technica atr-35s (omni lapel mics) but no mic stands at the moment.  ive skimmed a few pdf's on stereo mic'ing techniques but i havent been able to digest it all yet and board recording seems a lot more forgiving since i can play w the mix after the show, whereas if i mess up the mic placement there prbly isnt an easy fix. 

ultimately i want to make videos of the shows (ive got a pair of canon minidv camcorders) but i want to learn how to make good audio recordings first as a concert video w crappy sound seems pointless to me.  this is part of the reason i want to record off the board, so i can get the cleanest sound and have control over how much audience noise is in the mix.

any input is greatly appreciated!

-sasha

[JaL]

They need to have a board with direct outs (it's possible to get the signal from the insert jacks as well, but that's another story) and you may need to mic some instruments yourself, if it's a small bar where all instruments go through the mixer. Good idea though! Maybe you should go here for information: http://www.gearslutz.com/board/remote-possibilities-acoustic-music-location-recording/

[sasha]

awesome, thanks!

[jefflester]

i want to record some of the blues shows at a bar in my neighborhood....

assuming all the stage intruments and vocal mics are going into the soundboard, should i be able to just get "copy" of each incoming channel from the stage off the board and record each channel onto its own track?  or does that depend on the type of mixer they have?

For a neighborhood bar it is unlikely that you will be able to do anything like this, IMO. The mixer/board is unlikely to have channel outs or inserts.

But of course it certainly can't hurt to check out the board and see what it does have and maybe you will get lucky.