Daveace

Thanks, A440. Unfortunately, there is no opening act, just the main act will be coming out and playing. I do believe I will just bring the new SoundPro mics. Gotta officially test them out somehow. I doubt the concert will be so loud that the mics will distort, though. I'll do my the 16/30 with the attenuator, and I'll report back late Friday night after the show to tell you all how it came out. Btw, I am also going to wrap scotch tape around the attenuator to prevent the volume knob from sliding in my pocket, just to cover all ground.

Holy crap, from a mic, you can get 8 hours on a Hi-MD unit. Damn, I really need to invest in one of those!

I'm curious as to how much sound quality is actually lost in LP2. I'm really big on getting the best quality possible, but not changing discs is waaaay too appealing to deny. Maybe someday I'll tinker with longplay mode. I do not have the option of moving, because the concert has assigned seating, but I just checked my ticket and a seating chart and as it turns out, I'm only a couple rows behind the soundboard.

A440, First, let me start by saying that I GREATLY appreciate your time and attention towards my recording questions. I definitely see where you're coming from with these mics. I'm sure they'll come out fine at a real live show. Yes, when I upload to CD for distribution of the discs, I run a radioshack chord from the headphone out of the MD to the line in of the computer, then to Cool Edit for amplification/tweaking, then CD Wave to split the tracks up without gaps or unnatural edits. Is there any other way? Btw, do you think that with the attenuator and the ManualREC on 16/30 is safe for a live show? I'm assuming that since you recommneded 20, tapping it down 4 notches would make it even safer. Is there any chance for distortion? I'll be about 30 rows back in a small theater and it is a reasonably loud concert. New wave/rock stuff.

Okay, mics arrived today, and I've just been testing with them. As made evident right out of the chute, the attenuator is 100% essential. I have found that 16/30 would make for a good level because there isn't much chance at all of it distorting from that low. My only gripe so far is that from blasting my stereo and uploading to my computer, all that, I've noticed that with these new mics, the sound is boomy and too bassy. Any suggestions? A big show is coming up Friday and I'll be using these mics, but I really don't like what I hear so far with this boomy sound.

Allright, I'm back from RadioShack with the same deal that A440 has pictured as his icon. Seems to be an interesting piece. I'm going to wrap scotch tape around the volume knob though, to prevent static. I am slightly wary to use this piece, though. If it just produces a low sound to take everything without distorting, when I upload through my PC's line-in, will it produce a lot of hiss? That is my only concern...

Thanks alot for the suggestions, A440. I found this on RadioShack.com (same as the one you have pictured) -- http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?cata...ct%5Fid=42-2559 So all I would need to do is plug my mic into this little gizmo, then plug that thing into my mic-in then it's just business as usual? Ah! I just checked the store inventory on Radioshack's web site, and a store right down the street has this in stock. I'll go pick this baby up first thing tomorrow morning.

I love taping shows with my MD (Sony MZ-NF810CK), but I'm not really into the local scene too, too much. More of my concerts are by big artists at larger venues. I just purchased the Sound Professionals croakies with the mics built-in off of minidisco. com to upgrade from my Sony ECM-717 mic. While the 717 served me very well over the years, it was always making me uneasy at shows because it could be seen without taking much effort. I figured these croakies would be a sure thing to aleviate that problem. But then that led to me thinking... Do you think security looks for people with croakies on? Are they that hip to our games? Any comments appreciated. Dave

I've done my fair share of stealth taping over the last year and a half, and I've never had this problem before... ...Last night, at my high school's talent show, a few friends of mine had bands playing, so I figured that because there is no soundboard or recording hook-ups, that I would tape from the audience and give them copies. Well there were two sets, split up by an intermission. I taped both sets with their own disc. So I get home to listen to them, first one came out fine, but I popped the second one in and it read "Blankdisc." I couldn't believe this, as I looked at the screen to see it do the Data Save and TOC Edit. This poses a HUGE problem to me as I'm going to be doing some stealth taping next week on some high profile acts. ANY comments or suggestions are welcomed. Thanks very much, David

Hmm, well, yes, when I upload my live recordings to be put onto CD, I upload them to Cool Edit Pro and EQ them and boost the volume or whatever to get the sound I desire. I guess LP2 is not good for that then. Well, if mono has no loss of kbps, I will just use that when I don't want to change discs. 'Cause I can always produce a stereo-like sound in Cool Edit.

mrsoul, Is the only detraction from using mono the fact that it will be....in mono? Or is there also the same reduction in sound quality as there is in LP2? Thanks, David

Thanks much for your input. I'll try to find a "throwaway" show to go to and try out LP2. I mean, if its just an actual quality issue, I can always touch anyting up in Cool Edit, but if its like an actual frequency issue, you know...

Hi all, I'm no newbie when it comes to live recording, as I've had several, successful boots made by myself in the past. In terms of sound quality, I have my own thing down pat, with the Sony MZ-NF810CK MD recorder and the Sony ECM-717 mic, but unfortunately, some of my final products have been marred by clipped songs due to disc changes which begs the question, is it safe to record live shows in LP2 mode? Does the sound quality not match up to that of SP? Anyone here have any good or bad experiences with live rock shows in LP2 mode? Thanks very much in advance for your input, David

Hey, thanks for the reply and the welcome. Yes, it would be interesting to see some other methods. I've seriously encountered my share of tough security. For example -- Mohegan Sun Arena in CT -- the security there is a real force. I taped a show there in the Summer of '04 and I saw on a msg board for the artist that three other tapers were caught during the show. I've often thought about cameras in the bathrooms at venues, but it is probably too risky (maybe even unconstitutional, in the U.S.) for said venue. Maybe some time soon, I'll be able to upload some pictures of my method and my materials in case anyone wants to check it out. I'll also post some mp3's of my work. Some real quality material there, if I can say so, myself. Thanks again, Dave

Hi, everyone, my name's Dave and I have been recording concerts for about a year now. I just discovered this messege board and am delighted to see some topics and suggestions given by you all. Anyway, here is what I use/do in terms of live taping, and I would appreciate some comments if you want to. MD Recorder: Sony MZ-NF810CK Mic: Sony ECM-717 Computer Software: Cool Edit Pro 2.0 Method of getting gear into venue: I have a pair of formal boot-type shows (which go up to my ankles) which is where everything goes. I put my recorder in a thin half-of-a black sock and it goes securely against my ankle. My mic goes in front of my toes (which hurts like a mother, but it's only there for a few minutes...). Extra disc goes in my wallet. When I get into the venue, I go straight to the bathroom to unload my gear. My MD unit is to go in my left pant pocket and the wire is run under my shirt and the mic is clipped onto my left breast pocket (a hole in the back of your shit pocket is necessary for this). The shirt is black, as is the mic, so it works out well. As for setting manual REC levels, I have committed the button path to memory, so can do it in the dark, though I always have a backup mini keychain light. As for battery operation, I use the standard rechargeable, fully charged for shows, but employ the AA adapter if I want the opening act. I've been recording in SP mode for all this time and changing discs during the show (resulting a few times in clipped songs), but have recently discovered LongPlay modes on my MD. I've toyed around with both and it appears as if LP4 mode is too lossy in quality, but LP2 seems to sound the same as SP. Anyone have any experience in taping with LP2 mode? Also, venues with metal detectors? How do you all get in with metal detectors at the front? Thanks! David