Topic: Moving overseas, what to do w/ my taping stuff?

[jbell]

Cigar Caddy 3140!  It will fit 2 SD mics no problem and it is reasonably priced.

I have an otterbox cigar caddy for my CK1's and it is AWESOME.  Small foot print and bullet proof, I would grab one if you are trying to reduce your mic box.

^^ If you have until Sept I bet Church can get you the Audix cables before you leave.

2 other quick points:

If you wanted to switch up the form factor of your deck, you can pick up a used "all-in-one" deck that provides phantom like a PMD-660 or -661, or something similar, in the Yard Sale.  I think one just went for $330.  The 660 does have a larger form factor and is only 16bit, but it's still smaller than a UA5+MT.  There are smaller "all-in-one" options like the Tascam DR-100 (though I think it may require external powering  due to short battery life when providing phantom) or Zoom H4 (but that is probably not advisable for a number of reasons).  The littlebox is great, but since your decks both need digital in, it isn't really an option for you right now.

If space in your carryon is tight (and I should have suggested "carryon" originally myself - I don't even love how my shoes/suits are in checked luggage...), you could always use one of those "cigar cases" for the Neumanns.  Those are pretty small and protect the mics well.  Not sure if you're doing that already, but it's a lot better than using the Neumann wooden box, space-wise.

Cool.  They look nice.  Which size do you have?  The two-stick one looks like might be a squeeze, the 5-stick one looks a little large.

[Humbug]

If you care enough about your tapes to buy Neumanns, internal mics on an R-09HR or any other portable deck won't do it for you. And they don't have to - you already have the AT 853 rig. That 853s rig would probably be sufficient, especially if European shows are never open-taping (I'll let the Europeans chime in on this, but as I understand it, mic stands are almost *always* prohibited over there).

I open tape all over London, you just have to ask nicely at most small-medium sized clubs. But yes, I use AT853s, but three wire ones, 'cos the sound levels are quite high at most of the venues, for the stuff I tape. AT853s also work for when there's nowhere to put the mic stand.

[krsb]

Hi there,

I agree with the others - bring your gear!


I'm in France and have been here for about 5 years. Drop me PM if you need any specific advice. There are some taping opportunities here and the boonies are closer to big cities that you think!
Have also gear I can loan you if you are in the neighborhood.
Yours,
cb

[jlykos]

Having lived overseas for quite a while (including in Paris for eight months) and not having my gear with me, it is most definitely in your interest to have something that you can take with you.  I finally got my rig to the point where everything runs on AA batteries so I am fine anywhere in the world that I go.  There is a lot of good advice in this thread, but I can add the following:

1.) Go stealth.  Most venues do not have experience with open taping rigs and may not be able to accommodate you, especially if you don't speak French already.  Something like dpa 4061 > battery box > R-09HR or PMD661 (or something like that).  would be perfect and seems to be in the price range that you are considering.  If you can afford it, you can do something like dpa 4023 or Schoeps > pre > recorder.  Those setups are small enough where you can take them with you and good enough that you can use them with a stand if you desire in an open taping situation.

2.) Take your mics, pre, and recorder with you in your carry-on luggage.  You can ship the cables, stand, and other accessories or put it in your checked luggage.  If any of the accessories get stolen or if something happens to them, you can always buy new ones over there.  In fact, you may be better just buying cheap accessories in France than shipping bulky cables, stands, etc.  You may want to investigate this, but the shipping + insurance + customs charges of your accessories may actually be more expensive than just buying some cheap cables and a stand over there to tide you over for a few months.

Have fun over there!  France is a great place and contrary to popular opinion in the U.S., the people are really nice.  Learn some French and you will do fine.

EDIT: If you don't know any French and want to pick up a little bit, Tex's French Grammar (produced by the University of Texas at Austin) is the single best free Internet resource for learning French grammar.  Rosetta Stone is a bunch of bullshit, IMHO.  Good for learning vocabulary, bad for virtually everything else.

http://www.laits.utexas.edu/tex/

[acidjack]

As to the -44, I love it.  The form factor is bigger than a 660, and it definitely weighs more, but it's not THAT much bigger.  As long as you don't need stealth it's fine - it would not be that uncomfortable to hold in a shoulder sling I wouldn't think...

^^ If you have until Sept I bet Church can get you the Audix cables before you leave.

2 other quick points:

If you wanted to switch up the form factor of your deck, you can pick up a used "all-in-one" deck that provides phantom like a PMD-660 or -661, or something similar, in the Yard Sale.  I think one just went for $330.  The 660 does have a larger form factor and is only 16bit, but it's still smaller than a UA5+MT.  There are smaller "all-in-one" options like the Tascam DR-100 (though I think it may require external powering  due to short battery life when providing phantom) or Zoom H4 (but that is probably not advisable for a number of reasons).  The littlebox is great, but since your decks both need digital in, it isn't really an option for you right now.

If space in your carryon is tight (and I should have suggested "carryon" originally myself - I don't even love how my shoes/suits are in checked luggage...), you could always use one of those "cigar cases" for the Neumanns.  Those are pretty small and protect the mics well.  Not sure if you're doing that already, but it's a lot better than using the Neumann wooden box, space-wise.

I'm using the wooden box right now :-)  And I have a pelican 1060 that came w/ it (bought the mics off of someone on here) but it's almost the same size.  Not familiar w/ the "cigar cases".  You know... I looked at the PMD-661 a while ago when I was thinking of going to an all in one, but then I decided I should probably go R-44 eventually.  However, those units are much smaller and more compact.  I can take a look at those again.  If the battery life is decent, that may be a good solution, because they all I need is mics and that.

[Elana]

Having lived overseas for quite a while (including in Paris for eight months) and not having my gear with me, it is most definitely in your interest to have something that you can take with you.  I finally got my rig to the point where everything runs on AA batteries so I am fine anywhere in the world that I go.  There is a lot of good advice in this thread, but I can add the following:

1.) Go stealth.  Most venues do not have experience with open taping rigs and may not be able to accommodate you, especially if you don't speak French already.  Something like dpa 4061 > battery box > R-09HR or PMD661 (or something like that).  would be perfect and seems to be in the price range that you are considering.  If you can afford it, you can do something like dpa 4023 or Schoeps > pre > recorder.  Those setups are small enough where you can take them with you and good enough that you can use them with a stand if you desire in an open taping situation.

2.) Take your mics, pre, and recorder with you in your carry-on luggage.  You can ship the cables, stand, and other accessories or put it in your checked luggage.  If any of the accessories get stolen or if something happens to them, you can always buy new ones over there.  In fact, you may be better just buying cheap accessories in France than shipping bulky cables, stands, etc.  You may want to investigate this, but the shipping + insurance + customs charges of your accessories may actually be more expensive than just buying some cheap cables and a stand over there to tide you over for a few months.

Have fun over there!  France is a great place and contrary to popular opinion in the U.S., the people are really nice.  Learn some French and you will do fine.

EDIT: If you don't know any French and want to pick up a little bit, Tex's French Grammar (produced by the University of Texas at Austin) is the single best free Internet resource for learning French grammar.  Rosetta Stone is a bunch of bullshit, IMHO.  Good for learning vocabulary, bad for virtually everything else.

http://www.laits.utexas.edu/tex/

My French is ok, I actually have lived in Paris before, but just for a month.  I don't know if it's good enough to explain taping to someone at a venue since my comprehension far exceeds my ability to communicate back, but I'm sure that will change after a few months of being there.  I definitely can't afford the 4023's or any Schoeps of the mics right now, but I'll look into the 4061's, and the Audix caps w/ the active cables might not be a bad.

The PMD-661 is pretty tempting because it's got both the digi in and the xlr's, so I could ditch the microtrack and still be able to run it w/ the UA-5.  Definitely not gonna pick up the R-44 now that I'm leaving.  Maybe when I get back.

[Fried Chicken Boy]

Cigar Caddy 3140!  It will fit 2 SD mics no problem and it is reasonably priced.

+1 on the Cigar Caddy 3140 (2 stick).  I house a pair of AT3031's in mine and find it to be completely secure; every bit as tough and durable as a Pelican case and with smaller dimensions.  Even a little room in it for a silica pack to keep moisture at bay.  I believe your KM184's are about the same size as my mics (21mm x 144mm (0.83" x 5.67") so you shouldn't have any problem with them fitting.

[Gutbucket]

I definitely can't afford the 4023's or any Schoeps of the mics right now, but I'll look into the 4061's, and the Audix caps w/ the active cables might not be a bad.

For super compact, portable rigs I use 4060's > Church Ugly preamp > Edirol R-09 and can highly recommend something similar for travel.  The whole rig takes amazingly little space and fits in one pocket but can make great sounding recordings.  I don't hesitate to take it with me on my carry on bag whenever I travel, just in case I come across something, and I'm really glad to have had it for somethings I would have otherwise missed.

The mics and the tiny CA-UGLY is a big part of what makes the rig so flexible in recording all range of dynamic material.  The UGLY is the size of a 9v battery box but has up to 20dB of clean, variable gain for acoustic and ambient material in addition to sufficient plug-in power.  That provides a lot of flexibility for travel recording if you might want to capture the unamplified sounds of social life, the resonance of the catacombs, the sounds in the sewer museum, street performers, etc. as well as both soft acoustic and loud amplified concerts.  I've found no sonic differece between the UGLY and the DPA MMA6000 within it's gain range.

An R-09 or equivalent small flash recorder (with superior analog-in performance than the M-Audio) and a CA-Ugly are inexpensive, you can probably scrounge both for around $300-400.  The DPA miniatures are great mics, but a new pair run about $800, plus you'd either need to re-terminate them, have Chris build a CA-UGLY with microdot connectors, or build or find someone to make a 2 x microdot to 3.5mm TRS "Y" cable.  I had Len at Core make one of those up for me, and built my own for a second identical rig so I could retain the microdots.  The 4060 has less self noise and is more sensitive than the 4061 which helps with the 'suitable for nearly all recording dynamics' aspect of the rig.

I'm partial to the 4060 performance & sound, but others around here have mentioned the Countryman B3 as being a less costly alternative with good sound qualilty.  I haven't used them but if I were doing it agian I'd give them a look.  There are also the Church Audio omnis of course.  I like omnis for this type of rig but of course the other mics mentioned wold all work if you want directionals.

Enjoy the experience.

[EYES]

I used the ua5 jb3 mt set up. I also use the pmd660. With aa batteries at any where in world this would be my route. Good journey,s and taping

[Elana]

I'm not familiar w/ the Countryman B3 but it looks crazy tiny.

[acidjack]

The B3 is very small--same size as the DPA 4061. I guess the only consideration with them is they are (correct me if I'm wrong) terminated in XLRs, so they aren't QUITE as simple and portable as, say, your AT 853s. Of course this is also true of a small mic like the 4061, unless you have the microdots they come with replaced by one of the other options by someone like Church or Coresound. 

On the plus side, if you wanted to try it, the B3s aren't very expensive even new, so you could give them a shot without losing a lot of cash.  At minimum, I think it's always worth it to have a small, versatile omni no matter what other components are in your rig.  I'm hoping to run my 4061s in tandem with 4021s at a few outdoor shows this year...

[Gutbucket]

The B3 is very small--same size as the DPA 4061. I guess the only consideration with them is they are (correct me if I'm wrong) terminated in XLRs, so they aren't QUITE as simple and portable as, say, your AT 853s...

AFAIK, you can buy them from Countryman terminated with various connectors, or as a pig-tail with no connector at all and roll your own.

[Elana]

I'll have to take a listen to some recordings with them. Thanks for the info.

[Elana]

An R-09 or equivalent small flash recorder (with superior analog-in performance than the M-Audio) and a CA-Ugly are inexpensive, you can probably scrounge both for around $300-400.  The DPA miniatures are great mics, but a new pair run about $800, plus you'd either need to re-terminate them, have Chris build a CA-UGLY with microdot connectors, or build or find someone to make a 2 x microdot to 3.5mm TRS "Y" cable.  I had Len at Core make one of those up for me, and built my own for a second identical rig so I could retain the microdots.  The 4060 has less self noise and is more sensitive than the 4061 which helps with the 'suitable for nearly all recording dynamics' aspect of the rig.

I'm partial to the 4060 performance & sound, but others around here have mentioned the Countryman B3 as being a less costly alternative with good sound qualilty.  I haven't used them but if I were doing it agian I'd give them a look.  There are also the Church Audio omnis of course.  I like omnis for this type of rig but of course the other mics mentioned wold all work if you want directionals.

Enjoy the experience.

Do you happen to know if the PMD660/661 has a good enough line-in?  I actually prefer directionals for general taping, but the DPA's seem like a good value for the money, good for stealth, and nice and compact.  I listened to some 4061 recordings today.  Couldn't find any shows on the archive using the B3's.  If I ditch everything I have except the KM184's (which I like and don't intend on selling any time soon), I might be able to justify the Marantz and the 4061's.... maybe :-)

[Gutbucket]

Do you happen to know if the PMD660/661 has a good enough line-in?..

I've never used one myself, but I would imagine so since many here use or have used them.  The question may only be one of enough gain without an external preamp for quiet sources.  Other users here should be better able to answer that for you. I haven't used the Microtrack either (well I borrowed one once but only recorded using the digital input) but it is generally recognized around here that although the Microtrack can function well as a small digital input recorder, the analog input is sub-par.  So my comments about that just reflect the general consensus around here of people who have used it that way.

DPA 4060s or 4061s pop up in the yard sale occasionally.  Used they are much less expensive than new and will probably already be re-terminated to something other than the original microdot connectors.  That's how I picked up a second pair. You might search TS to find Countryman B3 recordings.  I know Richard (posts under TS user name illconditioned) usually has some mp3 song samples available on his website along with plenty other recordings made with other miniature omnis as well as directionals.  FWIW, he loves the B3 but does not care for the 406x sound (which I really like) finding it too sharp in the treble. To each his own.