Hello folks, my second post here (my first was on another thread about five minutes ago).
I've been trading since the mid-90s and taping on and off since 1999. One of the main reasons I started taping was the enjoyment I was getting from all these amazing recordings other folks seemed to be making, and a feeling of 'wanting to contribute to the pool'. That's still one of the main motivations now.
Between 1999 and 2002, some friends and I promoted a fair few shows and I got some decent soundboard recordings from those. I've continued to desk-tape when the opportunity has arisen, and I think I've got that pretty much sussed now - small bag of cables and connectors, initially minidisc and then upgraded to R-09HR last year. Solidly reliable hit-rate.
[From this point on, should you choose to reply, please assume you're talking to a complete and utter novice. No, this isn't an April Fool.]
In the last eleven years, I've attempted to audience-record somewhere in excess of 50 shows. I would estimate that my current hit-rate for decent audience tapes is less than 30%. I have a fair few shows I'd dearly love to record over the next couple of months and it's probably time I did something about sorting this out.
One of the problems is my mic. I've been using a Marantz EM-8 for years, and when the recordings work out they sound ok. I've found it's impossible to get anywhere vaguely close to being stealthy with this. Most of the taping I've attempted with this mic has been in small venues with the band's permission - ideal, you'd have thought - no security, complete freedom to openly record. But no. I have to hold the mic, and I find myself endlessly juggling equipment. Mic in one hand, cables everywhere, recorder in the other hand, trying to work out where I should set the recording levels, trying not to bump the mic into other people whilst doing so, trying not to bump the jack when it's connected to the deck so I don't damage the input socket and so on and so on. And then I keep doing stupid things e.g. on Tuesday this week, I managed to press 'pause' on the recorder 20 minutes in Besnard Lakes and didn't notice until they'd finished.
As I'm sure you can imagine, this is driving me slowly mad. Attempting to record has been seriously imparing my enjoyment of shows for a long time. I would have recorded far more if I had a reliable set-up where I was less encumbered with equipment and could, heaven forbid, maybe even have a free hand for long enough to hold a bottle of beer?
Help please:
Mic recommendations.
Please note - a friend and I ordered some CA-14s in the Church Audio pre-Christmas sale which haven't arrived yet. I'm told these aren't going to be particularly easy to stealth with either, so a further recommendation is probably needed. I don't have a fortune to spend, and the mics would ideally be available for me to use in reasonably short order.
Is a battery box the same as a pre-amp? I understand that some mics need power (the Marantz has a battery in the body of the mic so that's never been a particular issue). What does a pre-amp do?
Is there a way of connecting the mics to the R-09HR so that I don't end up with a couple of inches of hard plastic/metal casing protruding from the side, to wrench around and break the input socket? A right-angle connector would seem the obvious solution, but I've heard they're prone to adding noise of their own to recordings if they get moved?
I love the idea of these small clip-on mic pairs (are these what are called binaurals?) like the Church Audio mics but have no idea how I'd go about using them. Where to attach them, for example? I don't do hats. How do I go about ensuring they don't get bumped around whilst recording?
I don't particularly want to wear a bum-bag/fanny-bag or whatever they're called. Suggestions on where to put the recorder etc whilst recording would be useful.
How can I stop those blindingly bright red lights on the R-09HR? The one for the remote control, and the square one around the 'record' button.
Mic stands etc are no use as I'm taping in the UK. Any attempt to bring such an item into a UK venue would undoubtedly result in a swift exit with mic stand wrapped around neck or inserted...I'll stop now.