How do you stick your snake in?

[foldback]

I'm switching from recording inside bars and nightclubs to using my Recording Vehicle outside.

My question goes out to you guys who have a lot of experience recording on location with remote trucks. If your vehicle is outside and the band is inside, how do you get your snake inside? Through doors? Windows? A lot of the coolest places I want to record with the RV are sealed up pretty damn tight.

Do you have any clever lines or words of wisdom for talking the venue into opening a door or window?

How do you keep the snake from getting crushed where it penetrates the buildiing?

The project I'm recording is not high dollar but they are awesome musicians and very popular around our area. I'm doing this for the art of it.

Thanks

Mark

[Jim vanBergen]

1) Build a cool, sexy pop-out door in your truck that supports the trunk.
2) Do a site survey for EVERY location and figure out how you can run your snake, video, wet/coms, power/AC lines, etc.
3) Buy "Yellow Jacket", "Bumble Bee" or similar cable ramps because you will need to protect your cable from vehicular traffic, as well as protect pedestrians from your dangerous cable paths.
4) Invest in high quality, all-weather rope, as well as slings and webbing to support cable paths from the top of the truck OVER roadways, into second floor fire doors, windows, into basement stoareg areas, all the crazy places we have to use for cable paths.

Protect your investment by being prepared. I have NEVER regretted using good camlock T's or turnarounds, or quality rigging equipment to secure a cable path. It's worth every penny, and MORE when the weather is lousy.

Hope this helps!

Jim

[edyer]

After looking at the title of the post, I was hoping there would be a video to watch.

[foldback]

Originally Posted by Jim vanBergen

1) Build a cool, sexy pop-out door in your truck that supports the trunk.
2) Do a site survey for EVERY location and figure out how you can run your snake, video, wet/coms, power/AC lines, etc.
3) Buy "Yellow Jacket", "Bumble Bee" or similar cable ramps because you will need to protect your cable from vehicular traffic, as well as protect pedestrians from your dangerous cable paths.
4) Invest in high quality, all-weather rope, as well as slings and webbing to support cable paths from the top of the truck OVER roadways, into second floor fire doors, windows, into basement stoareg areas, all the crazy places we have to use for cable paths.

Protect your investment by being prepared. I have NEVER regretted using good camlock T's or turnarounds, or quality rigging equipment to secure a cable path. It's worth every penny, and MORE when the weather is lousy.

Hope this helps!

Jim

That's good stuff, thank you.

I'm familiar with Markertek, Grainger, and McMaster, I'll look to see what I can find.

Can you recommend any good sources of "quality rigging equipment", slings and webbing materials?

[Jim vanBergen]

Originally Posted by foldback

Can you recommend any good sources of "quality rigging equipment", slings and webbing materials?

Sure: Eastern Mountain Sports, Campmore, Sapsis Rigging.
You don't need LOCKING carabiners, regular will do, and you don't need roundslings that are rated for 500+ pounds, usually it's not a lot of weight- it just needs to be distributed.

If you need more info, let me know.

Jim

[Steve Smith]

Also....



When you are shoppign for cable protection/rigging/etc, have a copy of the reatail amout of yur cabling and an average price for a gig written down.... it is nice to remind yourself what you are protecting, this stuff isnt cheap, but it is essential!

[foldback]

Originally Posted by Steve Smith

Also....



When you are shoppign for cable protection/rigging/etc, have a copy of the reatail amout of yur cabling and an average price for a gig written down.... it is nice to remind yourself what you are protecting, this stuff isnt cheap, but it is essential!

No doubt. My inexpensive snakes were $500 each and my new big snake is made out of mil-spec shipboard type cable (same as used on Nuclear subs). It's a $1900 hunk of wire by itself. I don't want any of them damaged.

That's why I was so interested in how to get the snake through windows and doors without it getting crushed. A welder friend split a piece of steel pipe and put a piano hinge on one side so I can snap that around the snake, gaff tape it closed and it prevents doors from crushing the snake. This first split pipe gadget is kind of heavy and bigger than I wanted, I'd like to get some smaller ones made but I won't be working with these guys again until March.

I have a drill, saw and some lumber on the truck so I can fab up wood blocks on site. Sometimes it's just impossible to have a site survey so my SOP is to have a large stash of miracles on board. I like the sling and carabiner idea, I hate gaff tape goo on my cables. Seems like even tho I use premium tape I still end up with some sticky residue left behind.

I'll do more research on the suggested rigging components and other protective devices. Don't hesitate to chime in with more suggestions if you think of them.

Thanks, Mark

[Jim vanBergen]

Oh, DOOR HOOKS! Excellent. You should also get (or build) door hooks from Home Depot or if you have a table mounted anvil, clamp, or press handy, make them yourself from flat stock steel. There are companies that also make an 'S' hook that is great for suspending your cable from other cables OR from a fixed point- these are always worth their weight in gold.

How tall a ladder can you fit in/on top of your truck? We used to use a 12' LADDER, it was the first thing to come OUT of the truck and get locked to the truck ladder (on the truck body) with a heavy duty bike lock on 3/4" eye-to-eye steel.

[blackwatch]

Originally Posted by Jim vanBergen

We used to use a 12' truck, it was the first thing to come OUT of the truck and get locked to the truck ladder (on the truck body) with a heavy duty bike lock on 3/4" eye-to-eye steel.

12' ladder tutt



suspending your cable from other cables OR from a fixed point

thumbsup

[Jim vanBergen]

Originally Posted by blackwatch

12' ladder tutt suspending your cable from other cables OR from a fixed point

thumbsup

Thanks. I must have Dain Bramage. Post fixed above.

[foldback]

My truck is actually a 31 foot Class A motorhome. There's a lot of stuff up on the roof already, vents, air conditioners, sky light, antennas. I have a Little Giant folding ladder that I can carry down in the belly boxes. You've definitely stirred up the juices and got me thinking about second story access.

I have been scoping out a bunch of bars I'd love to record at, they're intimate with great bands, great crowd interaction and seemingly impossible access for me to poke the snake in :-(

I'm going to check out another bar/restaurant tomorrow night that my band plays at regularly. The last time I was there it was freezing cold and there was ice everywhere. I looked around as we were loadiing in but the only penetration appeared to be through the front door. Even if I could keep the snake from getting pinched in the door they're not going to stand for the door being blocked open "a little" in the cold. I'm going early tomorrow so I'll have more of a chance to scope things out. There's no second story there but maybe there is a basement access I did not see.

[Jim vanBergen]

I've always fantasized about turning a motorhome into a remote truck. Post us some pics, would you?

You should also consider "back door" access, and what options you can suggest to the club/bar to allow you to bring in a snake. Some large spring clips and a couple of packing blankets can help reduce wind in a doorway, many venues have a back door that stays open for barbacks & garbage, or have a small coat room, storage room, or back office that can be utilized for cable path.

One time I had a mousehole that was too small for a 56-channel W4 MASS connector, but we found some Whirlwind W1s (pretty small 12-pair) that would fit, so we moved the fanout inside and did a cross patch, keeping the band to 22 inputs plus a stereo audience pair. Small, but efficient, and easier than moving all the gear inside.

Originally Posted by foldback

My truck is actually a 31 foot Class A motorhome. There's a lot of stuff up on the roof already, vents, air conditioners, sky light, antennas. I have a Little Giant folding ladder that I can carry down in the belly boxes. You've definitely stirred up the juices and got me thinking about second story access.

I have been scoping out a bunch of bars I'd love to record at, they're intimate with great bands, great crowd interaction and seemingly impossible access for me to poke the snake in :-(

I'm going to check out another bar/restaurant tomorrow night that my band plays at regularly. The last time I was there it was freezing cold and there was ice everywhere. I looked around as we were loadiing in but the only penetration appeared to be through the front door. Even if I could keep the snake from getting pinched in the door they're not going to stand for the door being blocked open "a little" in the cold. I'm going early tomorrow so I'll have more of a chance to scope things out. There's no second story there but maybe there is a basement access I did not see.

[foldback]

I've been recording in bars since 1977. Back then I had a Teac 3340 4-track reel to reel in the back of my Chevy van and a 15 pair snake that went inside. It was very primitive. The van was a necessity because I had to be able to listen on speakers and mix down to the four tracks.

In more recent years I've recorded on location using my current Ford E-250 van when I wanted to be outside the venue. It has worked surprisingly well but I hate not being able to stand up and stretch. Sooooo......

Besides being a gear slut I'm an ebay slut. I began looking for something to use as a remote studio. I looked at trailors of all sorts, trucks, wierd cars and I kept trying to have an open mind. I wanted something that would hold a lot of stuff so I started looking at motorhomes.

I spent six months searching for the right floorplan and combination of features and price. A year and a half ago I bought this 1995 Rexhall Aerbus. I flew to California to pick it up and drove it home by myself. That was one of the most incredible five day trips I've ever had in my life but it was not without a few technical difficulties and about $3000 in repairs along the way. The motorhome was $18k and had 39k miles on it.

I work on location a lot doing other things besides recording so having the motorhome to live in is fantastic. My own toys, my own bed, my own toilet. This past summer I did a 3 day festival with it and we had so much fun plus I made some great videos for a close friends band. While everyone else was eaten alive by bugs and sweating their butts off, we relaxed in the air conditioning and edited video during the daytimes.

Currently a good friend (and great carpenter) is helping me build a removable set of inserts that fit in the rear bedroom. The floorplan in the rear is twin beds so the console insert fits on the nightstand between the beds, the mattresses go out (into my warehouse) and the gear stacks on either side of the engineer on the bed platforms. Removable Auralex foam panels line three walls when I'm recording.

I have some advertising coming out so we'll see if I can scare up more work for the Aerbus. It's been a fun project and it does not have to do too much to break even and be in the black. There's nothing with its recording capability in our area.

Down in one of the belly boxes there is an entrance for a cat. It has a water tight door. I lead the snake out there. If I can get the snake into the venues it will be awesome.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll have more pic's when the new control room insert is done.

[foldback]

This is my first time to post picts.

[Remoteness]

The big switch -- Using a real mobile unit; now, that’s very strong my fellow GS friend!

We usually do a location scout of the venue. Taking a few pictures of the cable runs can be very helpful were planning your strategies back at your home base.

Some times all the cables can enter through one opening. Sometimes they have to be split up because the power is downstairs and the A/V cables need to make it upstairs by the stage. Doors, windows, mouse holes, hatch ways, basement doors and such are all applicable and valid points of entry. But, safety and practicality should be your main concerns. The ease of the run and shortest distance to the remote recording unit should also be considered.

If you’re doing a bunch of recordings out of the same place, talk to the proprietor of the venue about putting in a lockable hatch or mouse hole for continued use. It’s not that big of a deal to some of these folks because they can keep their places buttoned up and the cables can be run without any additional hassles by not running the cables through opened doors and windows. It’s a win-win situation. I have a very cool and cheap way to build a secure mouse hole using two pieces of steel plate a big arse bolt and a butterfly nut.

I really like the split pipe idea for keeping the cables from getting crimped, but usually there are a few doors you need to go through and carrying these heavy items can be an annoyance. IMO, PVC piping would do the trick best. It’s light weight and easy to handle. I’m going to look into that since I have some PVC pipe stored at the field shop. Tim from Metro Mobile has a great idea. Do you know those plastic Edison covers that are meant to go over the Edison plugs when you extend a power extension cord? Well, he bought a bunch of those from Home Creepo (or some place like that) and carved out the inside so he can place each of his cables inside them. It works very well for him. We have a very low-cost solution for the same challenge. Cardboard (or thick rubber sheets) and Gaffer’s tape does the trick well for us. We also carry those heavy cardboard corners or angles that you find in heavy equipment shipping boxes. They work great.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JvB as always nailed it with the defacto way of doing it with some seriously helpful ideas. Right on my man! Right on!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carrying all sorts of tools and plastic, rubber, lumber in a kit is a clever idea for sure.

On another note: the Gaffer’s or Duct tape goo doesn’t have to end up on your cables. Just tape the material that surrounds your cables. Also, Gaffer’s tape in my experience doesn’t goo up as much as Duct tape does, especially on a hot or humid day.

We have this collapsible telescoping ladder that lives on board the truck. It’s awesome because it’s tall enough for most of our tasks and it fits in a very small space. I don’t want to be thinking of attaching it the roof of my truck. I want to keep the height of the vehicle as low as possible. Besides that, it’s a pain in the neck to deal with when it’s up there. Home Creepo sold these in the past, but stopped providing them for some strange reason. You can only get them in catalogs or online. They're not cheap, but well worth the extra bread.


When you have no other choice and you must go through an opening during a cold day, we carry these special moving blankets that have “U” shaped metal straps woven inside them. This helps them surround a corner wall or door way snug to prevent movers from damaging their client’s property. Remotesters like me use them to keep the venue’s environmental temperature just right. If you cannot find what I suggested regular moving blankets with a few spring clamps or Gaffer’s tape does the trick quite well.

Here's a picture of our feeder, A/V snakes going through the front doors of the Tea Lounge in Brooklyn. We used some plain old cardboard and gaffer's tape to protect the cables from the slamming doors. This time around stretch (bungee) cords were used to hang the cables.



.

[foldback]

I really appreciate all the input.

Steve, that Tea Lounge photo speaks a million words, it really helped me think different.

Everyones comments have been great. You've made me realize I need to think UP as in quit looking down at the floor and think about creative ways to get the snake up off the floor. Besides protecting the snake it would mean less junk on the floor for people to trip over.

At my band job last night I was out in back of the restaurant/bar doing as you suggested, looking for alternate ways to get the snake into the building. Suddenly the back door bursts open and one of the kitchen help comes out with a mountain of trash to throw away. I seized the moment to look into the place from that angle while the door was open, that would definitely be the best route for my remote snake, especially if I could get it up off the floor. I got the hairy eyeball from the kitchen dude as if to say "what's the singer doing out here with the trash?".

I often make things harder than they need to be. Cardboard and bungee cords, wow those are pretty sophisticated tools for protecting/hanging the snakes :-)

I love the idea of using PVC instead of iron pipe, doh!

Actually a ship welder friend came up with the idea for the split pipe as the ultimate snake protection. These guys do a lot of welding for me on ships and know I'm always trying to protect cables from damage, they like coming up with solutions that will prevent my wires from EVER being degraded. Some of the multipair nuclear sub cable I've been installing is $29/foot so you don't want it to get pinched. This wire is also extremely mean to work with so a repair splice would take a lot of man hours.

Now I'm off to search GS for info about cable reels. Keep those comments coming in.

Thanks again, Mark

[Remoteness]

Hey Mark,

Question:
Do you what happens when we get a big cut in a snake?


(It has happened once or twice in my career, usually in the winter time when the cable is hard as ice and a new crew member or outside help doesn't realize you cannot pull on a snake around concrete or brick corners. Heated belly bins would be an awesome why to keep the cables supple when traveling during the cold season.) And, Mogami -- Forget about it That cable is great for installs, but IMO it's terrible as a remote recording snake. It's way too fragile for the tribulations of our line of work. You must be very careful with the stuff and that's still not good enough because you cannot watch every inch of it every minute of the day.


Answer:
You end up with two cables. Sometimes three!
That's what I usually say when we get a huge cut in our snakes, "Now we have two!"

[Jim vanBergen]

Steve, your positive attitude is INFECTIOUS.
Love ya, man. Don't ever change!

Back to prepping for tomorrow's remote recording

cheers

[cppi]

Make it a must, you can prep all you want in the shop just to find out when you get to the site you needed this or that and you can't do that or this. Site checks are as important as preping your gear at the shop. Once at a site you might find out you just needed some more time to resolve a problem and time can be your bigest friend or bigest enemy when the clock is ticking before sound check. Also most club owners/managers are very hip to the idea of coring or cutting a mouse hole especially if the club continue's to do recordings there, their easy to secure, and can keep cables sometimes out of the peoples way which is a good selling point to get it done!

[foldback]

What is the incentive for the club to allow a hole in their building?

Some of the coolest blues clubs in St Lou are in really old buildings, you know, like when the French first rowed a boat through here.

Maybe we even need a "mouse hole" thread to describe some of the best ways of putting one in.

One old brick building that houses a blues club is over 200 years old, punching a hole through it would need to be done by someone with a clue about old construction technologies. Fortunately there are a lot of rehabbers down in that area so I might be able to find someone to do a quality installation.

This gets me back to the first question, what's the incentive for the club. It would be easier for them to just say "NO" to recording. Seems like a good place to apply "grease", how much?

No questions about site survey, I've produced a lot of video and I'd never commit or even quote without seeing the place.

[cppi]

If this is the first time anyone has done a recording their it's a harder sell and if this is going to be the only time a recording is done their it might not be pratical ..... but safety is allway's something the owner/manager will be interested in. This might not work for every site, We are located in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and have had 5 Clubs and 4 Churches put some sort of "mouse hole" in. I'm sure the DFW area is no different than any other metroplex, Clubs and Churches that do weekly/monthly/yearly recordings see the benifit of "cable management", depending on: where you can park the truck, get power to the truck, snake runs, pedestrian trafic etc. Sometimes it just doesnt work out and your forced to do the best and safest way possible. If the building is concret or brick call a "Coring" company and get their price on different size holes, a couple is better, one for power and one for audio/video. They can core large enough holes that can accomadate even a Ramlatch Mass (large L shaped connector). Make sure it's big enough for the mass connector to pass thru with other cables in the hole (a good game plan is needed here, make sure the hole is big enough and come up with a system so you can get all the cables thru alowing their mass/connector ends to go thru with every thing else. You can go to Home Depot and get a same size PVC tubing with caps on both ends to close off when not in use. This is just one of many ways, use your imagination. The Club owners/Church likes this the next time you/someone elese comes in to record.

[foldback]

I'm still thinking I will need to offer clubs an incentive for letting me record there, much less punch a hole in the wall for my snakes.

I always try to be extremely polite, perhaps I'm too polite and overly sensitive. Most of the time it seems like the house sound guy would rather I'm not there making his life any more difficult.

The bands are fairly powerless too, they're all competing for a very few decent venues in StL.

In the past year or so we lost two area legends, Benny Smith and Johnnie Johnson. There are some other greats that deserve and need to be recorded. Chuck Berry is now 80 and plays at a local club quite regularly but I'm not holding my breath for him to let me record one of his shows.

Anybody have any thoughts about cutting the club in on the recording proceeds (raises the cost to the band) or getting the club involved in promoting the recording service for a piece of the action?

[Berolzheimer]

Originally Posted by foldback

In more recent years I've recorded on location using my current Ford E-250 van when I wanted to be outside the venue. It has worked surprisingly well but I hate not being able to stand up and stretch. Sooooo......

A bit OT, but I've been fantasizing about putting together a small remote truck in one of these lately, especially having been told that they can easily run on biodeisel:

http://www.dodge.com/sprinter/

At 5'4", I could actually stand & stretch in there!

[bishopthomas]

A Sprinter would be my vehicle of choice, if I had the cash.

[foldback]

Originally Posted by Berolzheimer

A bit OT, but I've been fantasizing about putting together a small remote truck in one of these lately, especially having been told that they can easily run on biodeisel:

http://www.dodge.com/sprinter/

At 5'4", I could actually stand & stretch in there!

I've seen at least two remote recording rigs built into these. I thought about them too but wanted something a bit more spacious.

I'm hoping to do a few more festival recording dates this year and having something I can live in for a long weekend is a plus, I'm getting too old for camping in a pasture. When the back room of my RV is set up with the control room package I sleep on the couch in the forward cabin and watch TV too.

The RV also came with a lot of systems so I didn't have to build everything. The 220 amp, coach 12-volt system, drives the pure sine inverter that runs all the audio gear.

I looked at over 1000 used RV to find mine, it took six months. Just the right combination of size, floor plan and price. Not including my recording electronics the RV has cost under $25 K and that included a lot of tweak up, maintenance and new tires. It only has 43,000 miles on it, runs and drives like new. I plan to use it for 5 years and recover $14 K when I sell it. It's been a fun project so far.

I think the Sprinter would be cool but the used RV was the way for me. It's more than a remote recording studio, it's a way of life :-)

[Remoteness]

Originally Posted by cppi

Make it a must, you can prep all you want in the shop just to find out when you get to the site you needed this or that and you can't do that or this. Site checks are as important as preping your gear at the shop. Once at a site you might find out you just needed some more time to resolve a problem and time can be your bigest friend or bigest enemy when the clock is ticking before sound check. Also most club owners/managers are very hip to the idea of coring or cutting a mouse hole especially if the club continue's to do recordings there, their easy to secure, and can keep cables sometimes out of the peoples way which is a good selling point to get it done!

I totally agree with you word for word. Whether it’s a large or small production we (almost) always to a location scout as known as a site survey. It’s an important part the pre-production. And, when we cannot make it to the location we do a phone survey. I also try to get someone at the venue to take a bunch of digital pictures so they can email them to us. At times I’ve been on the phone while they took the picture so I can maximize the content of my remote scouting photos.

Venue owners/managers are into doing anything they can to help promote business and awareness for their entertainment venture. Cutting a small hole to fit all your cables especially when you’re doing a ton of live sessions at their place is (usually) a no brainer for them.

-------------------------------------------------------

Originally Posted by foldback

What is the incentive for the club to allow a hole in their building?

Some of the coolest blues clubs in St Lou are in really old buildings, you know, like when the French first rowed a boat through here.

Maybe we even need a "mouse hole" thread to describe some of the best ways of putting one in.

One old brick building that houses a blues club is over 200 years old, punching a hole through it would need to be done by someone with a clue about old construction technologies. Fortunately there are a lot of rehabbers down in that area so I might be able to find someone to do a quality installation.

This gets me back to the first question, what's the incentive for the club. It would be easier for them to just say "NO" to recording. Seems like a good place to apply "grease", how much?

No questions about site survey, I've produced a lot of video and I'd never commit or even quote without seeing the place.

If I was a club owner, the motivation would be strong for a few good reasons.
Security for one: I would not need to have a security guard or bouncer at the door or window.
Climate control: I would not have to spend a ton of bread on extra HVAC usage because the place is wide open to the outside elements.
Over night security and convince when you’re parked for a few days. Who wants to deal with the hassle of removing the cables from the venue each night? Or pay for a security person to watch the entrance way. (Now, with that said, we have delt with both of those situations. We made sure our cables can make and break near the cable entrance so we can quickly connect and disconnect when necessary. We also, had a security detail watching the truck and venue. This always happens when there is an over night stay. It’s part of our rider.)

My suggestion was not to potentially destroy historical buildings. My approach was a much simpler concept. Destroy the openings! I mean make your mouse hole in the door or build a heavy duty panel with opening that the window can securely close onto.
Each situation is different so, I would need to be at the location to figure out the best plan. With regard to the door, we have made a small hole with two thick steel plates that sandwiched the door via a large carriage bolt on the outside and a butterfly nut on the inside. When there’s no recording or broadcast the plates are in place and no one can get in. When we need access all we do is remove the security plates and run our cables through. Pretty simple stuff.

So, there’s really no good reason to smash through a 200 year old brick building when you don’t have to.

Furthermore, just because you have produced a lot of videos and never did a site survey doesn’t mean its not going to bag you one of these days. Make the location scout the rule for your productions with the occasional “no questions about site survey” model.

------------------------------------------------------

Originally Posted by foldback

I'm still thinking I will need to offer clubs an incentive for letting me record there, much less punch a hole in the wall for my snakes.

I always try to be extremely polite, perhaps I'm too polite and overly sensitive. Most of the time it seems like the house sound guy would rather I'm not there making his life any more difficult.

The bands are fairly powerless too, they're all competing for a very few decent venues in StL.

In the past year or so we lost two area legends, Benny Smith and Johnnie Johnson. There are some other greats that deserve and need to be recorded. Chuck Berry is now 80 and plays at a local club quite regularly but I'm not holding my breath for him to let me record one of his shows.

Anybody have any thoughts about cutting the club in on the recording proceeds (raises the cost to the band) or getting the club involved in promoting the recording service for a piece of the action?

I don’t know, I would just keep it cool. If it’s your first time in their place don’t bring up anything about mouse holes and such. Do a great job, get another gig or two or five and then bring up the destruction of their property idea.

If the club wants to charge you an origination fee let them bring it up. Why would you want to get them that idea in the first place?

There’s nothing wrong with polite, you just have to know who you need to address these issues with. Do some investigation first. Find out who are the movers and shakers in that venue. Talk to the bands (even if they are powerless.) If they’re interested they could help motivate the club owner or manager on your behalf. The FOH person could be the angle but, if he/she is giving you grief they surely are not the person to promote your ideas to. Spend the time hanging at these venues and get to know everyone involved. Plant some seeds and let them grow. Watch your ideas come to life by letting them ask you into to their state of affairs.

[foldback]

I apologize for not making myself clear. Here was what I said

>> No questions about site survey, I've produced a lot of video and I'd never commit or even quote without seeing the place. <<

What I meant is I never give a customer a price on doing a video without seeing the place.

I always do site surveys, every single time. Where's the power? Where are the connectors? What's the house rig if I must interface? I'm overly detailed if anything.

I really appreciate all of your input. Your experience is invaluable.

Someday maybe I'll be able to build a real truck.

Steve, you are an incredible inspiration. Thank you.

[Berolzheimer]

Originally Posted by foldback

I've seen at least two remote recording rigs built into these. I thought about them too but wanted something a bit more spacious.

I'm hoping to do a few more festival recording dates this year and having something I can live in for a long weekend is a plus, I'm getting too old for camping in a pasture. When the back room of my RV is set up with the control room package I sleep on the couch in the forward cabin and watch TV too.

The RV also came with a lot of systems so I didn't have to build everything. The 220 amp, coach 12-volt system, drives the pure sine inverter that runs all the audio gear.

I looked at over 1000 used RV to find mine, it took six months. Just the right combination of size, floor plan and price. Not including my recording electronics the RV has cost under $25 K and that included a lot of tweak up, maintenance and new tires. It only has 43,000 miles on it, runs and drives like new. I plan to use it for 5 years and recover $14 K when I sell it. It's been a fun project so far.

I think the Sprinter would be cool but the used RV was the way for me. It's more than a remote recording studio, it's a way of life :-)

Don't get me wrong, I think your RV looks very nice! I've thought about going that route too. But putting together a remote truck isn't really something that's on the table for me right now, just a REMOTE possibility .....

What are you putting in there audio wise?

[Remoteness]

Oh I see now...

I finally read your words instead of just looking at them.

I understand reading IS fundamental!

Real truck or not, it is still up to your eyes (mic positioning) and ears (tweaking & mixing) when it comes to providing an exceptional location recording.

When it comes to my gigs, I'll take a great "ear" with some lame gear over any killer rig and talent less engineer at the helm.

[cgrafx]

why not reduce the entire problem to a smaller cable. Dump the analog snake, go to a digital one. All channels can be sent over a single ethernet cable. Much easier to route, much easier to take care of, and much cheaper to replace.