Topic: Newbie Overload

[littlejoel]

All this information on the site is great, but for someone who knows little to nothing about all the lingo and all the equipment, I'm at a total loss.  It really would be easier if someone could recommend a place to go where I could get some first-hand experience with a knowledgeable person who could show me what all this means.  I live in Walnut Creek, CA.

I plan on taping mainly at festivals (like High Sierra), but what has really peaked my interest in taping has been the last few Dave Matthews shows I've been to, so taping at huge venues would also be a thought.

I was also wondering how close you really need to be to get a good recording.  Do I need to get great seats up front, or is there a range where I could still get a decent recording.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[dmonterisi]

welcome!

have you read this thread: http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=33610.0 ?

[littlejoel]

Yes, that helped a little, but I'm still at a loss.  Everyone has their own preferences for setups, but I just don't even know where to begin.  I'm the type of person who gets a better understanding of things if I can actually tinker with it right in front of me.  If you or someone has a suggestion for a setup that gets rerally good results (i.e. good to great recording quality), that won't put me out a few G's, that would be awesome.  Thanks for the quick reply.

To continue with my first post, I'm in Sacramento, Ca this weekend and if anyone knows of a place I can go to see first hand how to set up a rig, that would be great.

[heath]

check with the team CA guys.  find a show they are going to and get there early to check out gear, etc...

good luck.  Once you start taping, it gets addictive...until you get burnt out, don't tape shows anymore and just troll this board   

[dmonterisi]

Yes, that helped a little, but I'm still at a loss.  Everyone has their own preferences for setups, but I just don't even know where to begin.  I'm the type of person who gets a better understanding of things if I can actually tinker with it right in front of me.  If you or someone has a suggestion for a setup that gets rerally good results (i.e. good to great recording quality), that won't put me out a few G's, that would be awesome.  Thanks for the quick reply.

To continue with my first post, I'm in Sacramento, Ca this weekend and if anyone knows of a place I can go to see first hand how to set up a rig, that would be great.

i hear ya, but to be honest, you're kinda asking for what for most of us was months and years of listening and taping to find out what we liked best.  there is no "right answer" in this hobby.  you learn from what you do.  this site can help you to identify what you are listening for in tapes you have already downloaded and then you have to apply that to the show you want to tape.  ask questions when specific circumstances come up.  or if you are considering acquiring gear, downloads shows off the live music archive to get a sense of what gear sounds like.  set up a budget for yourself and then try to find gear that fits within it.  but be prepared for dwindling bank accounts and skyrocketing CC bills...

[littlejoel]

Who are the Team CA guys??

[BJ]

go down near the bottom and go to "team boards" and look for team ca....post in there...

[littlejoel]

Thanks...

[rocksuitcase]

Yes, that helped a little, but I'm still at a loss.  Everyone has their own preferences for setups, but I just don't even know where to begin.  I'm the type of person who gets a better understanding of things if I can actually tinker with it right in front of me.  If you or someone has a suggestion for a setup that gets rerally good results (i.e. good to great recording quality), that won't put me out a few G's, that would be awesome.  Thanks for the quick reply.

To continue with my first post, I'm in Sacramento, Ca this weekend and if anyone knows of a place I can go to see first hand how to set up a rig, that would be great.

i hear ya, but to be honest, you're kinda asking for what for most of us was months and years of listening and taping to find out what we liked best.  there is no "right answer" in this hobby.  you learn from what you do.  this site can help you to identify what you are listening for in tapes you have already downloaded and then you have to apply that to the show you want to tape.  ask questions when specific circumstances come up.  or if you are considering acquiring gear, downloads shows off the live music archive to get a sense of what gear sounds like.  set up a budget for yourself and then try to find gear that fits within it.  but be prepared for dwindling bank accounts and skyrocketing CC bills...

But you have the right idea.  I would suggest PM'ing some of the team CA guys who respond to you and ask if you can hang back and watch at an upcoming show.  As for equipment choices, some of us spend this whole lifetime trying to get it right and a lot of $$$ at that!  You are asking the right questions though:
What type of music/size of venues will you record mainly?  This figures in to the type of microphones and processing set up you will buy.
Just one example for you and then I suggest keep on reading and listening to different rig set ups.

Will you be taping stealth or open?  This is super important in your choice of microphones.  Stealth set ups generally use very small eyeglass or head mounted microphones which can range from very cheap to very expensive ( $150 giant squids -$$$$'s for DPA's)
Open set ups give you more choices but then you have to decide again what type of environments you will be taping in ( Bars, areanas, festies/outdoor, stadiums, bowling alleys, etc )

[greenone]

bowling alleys

Go team PBA! Get some nice low-end thump in there.

[littlejoel]

So, I think to start, I'm going to go with the NJB3.  See how that goes at a show or two, talk to some of the tapers, and then off I go 

Anyone have a NJB3 for sale.  I'll check out the yard, but just in hopes that someone looking through this post sees my request.

[littlejoel]

I've been searching for hours on the net for the NJB3.  It seems like it's going to be hard to come by.  What about the Jukebox Zen??

[Tim]

nope, only the jb3 is useful for our purposes

[chucky]

I've been searching for hours on the net for the NJB3.  It seems like it's going to be hard to come by.  What about the Jukebox Zen??

Just wait a bit, check the yard sale everyday, they come up all the time.
also watch the Ebay thread they come up on there too from time to time.

Also, think about posting an ISO for one in the Yard sale.

                           

[admkrk]

and as soon as you find one atleast 3 more will pop up