Topic: Newbie Gear Question

[chinariderstl]

First of all, please pardon my ignorance and "greenness," I am extremely new to all this.  I hope, too, this post is in the appropriate section.  If not, please let me know, etc.

Ok, so I'm looking to get into live music recording and am looking for suggestions on a portable rig.  This is what I was thinking of purchasing, but am not sure how I would take the two Left and Right mono XLR outputs (from the SD Mixpre) and jack in to the 3.5mm stereo mini line-in on the Tascam DR-1.  Any thoughts on how to do this?  I've seen a couple shows in the Live Music Archive where it appears it can be done, I just don't know how.

You can find a pic of the sides of the Sound Devices Mixpre within the "more images" link on the following page.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/292988-REG/Sound_Devices_MIXPRE_Mixpre_Portable_2.html

This is the rig I was thinking of buying, just looking to do audience recording with a pair of stereo mics first.  Nothing matrix at this time.

Busman Audio BSC1's OR Studio Projects C4's > Sound Devices Mixpre > Tascam DR-1 (stereo 3.5mm line-in)

Any help/direction would be greatly appreciated.

[jlykos]

That setup would work really well.  All you would need is the XLR > 1/8" cable to connect the MixPre to the DR-1.  Several people on this board make cables.  You can hunt around in the "Retail" section to find one.  It does not cost much.

[chinariderstl]

Thanks, good to know it'll work.  I'll hunt around and see what I can dig up.

[fmaderjr]

That setup would work really well.  All you would need is the XLR > 1/8" cable to connect the MixPre to the DR-1.  Several people on this board make cables.  You can hunt around in the "Retail" section to find one.  It does not cost much.

I use a 1/8 to 1/8 from the MixPre's tape out jack. Works great and is less bulky. Gain only goes up to 52 dB that way (instead of 66 db from the XLR outs), but I don't need nearly that much gain anyway.

[su6oxone]

The MixPre/MP-2 has a 1/8" tape out that you can use to connect with your Tascam just using a miniplug cable, that might be more convenient.

[jbell]

The XLR out run a hot signal I would stick with the 1/8 out.  If you haven't already bought a recorder you might also consider the Sony PCM m10.  It has better battery life and uses AA batteries.

The MixPre/MP-2 has a 1/8" tape out that you can use to connect with your Tascam just using a miniplug cable, that might be more convenient.

[chinariderstl]

Thanks guys for all the info. Exactly what I needed to know! Much appreciated!

[sunjan]

If you haven't already bought a recorder you might also consider the Sony PCM m10.  It has better battery life and uses AA batteries.

I was going to suggest the same thing. Unless you have a very particular reason to choose the DR-1, the M10 is the state of the art within this price bracket. Better build quality too, the DR-1 is a bit too plasticky for my liking.

[fmaderjr]

I almost recommended the same thing myself. It definitely is worth the extra cash.