How to Tape a Show

Warning:  This is neither an endorsement of taping nor, by any means a foolproof guide. It is simply a collection of other people's advice, not mine.  If it works make sure you send a copy to your friends, if it doesn't, don't mention me.

The Wanderer:

I have fairly extensive experience in this most illicit department. I have been spiriting my little DAT deck into concerts since 1993 - and nary an act of fellatio needed!

Since I don't know what exactly your setup consists of (kneepads aside), I can only give some general advice.

First important thing is getting past the door goons - and assuming you have chosen your mics and deck well, this should not be a major hurdle.

My DAT deck is the Sony D-7 (very small walkman size), my A/D converter is the SBM-1 (also very small size), and my mics are a stereo set that attach to the sides of my glasses (these are about the size of pencil erasers).

The first thing I do is a little loitering action around the security check to get a sense of how tight it is. I'd say around 75% of the time there is no check. But if there is, rule number one is to carry a backpack of some sort -- I usually have an old beat up army bag with an extra shirt, a notepad, some pens, pair of cheap headphones, cheap NON RECORDING walkman, etc. in it.

Thus ensues the classic misdirection scam. The security will instantly pounce on your bag and rifle through it with great glee and vigor - never noticing that you have a tape deck in your crotch, an SBM-1 in the small of your back, and some mics draped around your neck. Of course they find nothing illegal in your bag, and they usher you on. This little ruse has never failed me.

Once you're in, get ye to the bathroom and put your gear together in a stall. Then, get ye to the "sweet spot" which is often right in front of the mixing desk. This is somewhat dependent on your mic system, but basically the trick is to find the speaker stacks, often on each side of the stage. Then, form a triangle with yourself being one point, andthe speaker stacks being the other two. This is assuming you have a stereo mic setup, if you have a mono mic the best place is directly in front of a speaker stack (watch for over modulation on your deck though!).

Most important is to use your ears, each venue has different acoustics and different sound reinforcement, so don't be afraid to trust yourself. And always, avoid the drunken singing idiot who will make sure to follow you like the plague.

A tip on avoiding security on the floor: Don't stand stock still -- move around a bit. By this I mean, you can always tell a taper because in the throng of sweaty, bouncing, yelling heads -- he's the one staying very still. If you don't want to move too much, at least mouth the words and pretend like you're singing along.

Also, try to avoid checking levels too much on the floor. With some practice, you can get a feel for the correct level setting on your deck that will be good for most concert situations. I'd suggest avoiding the "auto level"because it will sound crap.

And for blowing the sound man, though I've never tried it, I'd probably not suggest it. First of all, there's the hygiene thing, secondly he may very report your tape-deck-carrying-butt to the security goons.

Seriously, unless you know the guy, or have reason to believe that he would be amenable - stay away. The output from the board could be any number of things, so if you're really intent on trying, you'd do well to bring a bag of adapters like XLR, RCA, 1/4", etc.

An excellent resource is the DAT-Heads web page. These guys are all hard-core tapers, and they all have DAT decks - but even so, the information on mics and general tips is invaluable. Check it out.

What are you thoughts?