Post pictures of your portable recording equipment

[alex_star]

Hi there guys. New around here. Here's a picture of what I currently use: Macbook Pro 15" with i7 processor, Metric Halo LIO-8 expanded with 8 mic pres and the +DSP license, Onyx 800R and Furman power conditioner. I use two 500GB 7200rpm FW800 hard drives and an iPad with AC7 Pro to control Pro Tools 10. I use Planet Waves modular snakes with different XL/TRS connections to get everything in and out. You can see a talkback mic I had to use since the drummer was upstairs. The headphone pres on the MH are a godsend because every member of the band wanted different stuff in their cues.

[clarocque]

Finally got some pics taken of our new Mobile Recording System...

[JohannesW]

Originally Posted by Gaston69

Where is the "I like" button?

thank you Gaston69 !

[recordinghopkins]

That makes my back hurt just looking at it!
But it's got a great wow factor!

[Graham Tobias]

Here's a small rig from a weird gig. Artists are The Black Angels. Location is inside one of the old HitFactory rooms, which is now a Gibson rehearsal space.

It was really eerie setting up a tiny pro tools rig in a stunning yet deserted control room.

It was a multi cam video shoot, here's a video (I didn't mix, just track):

(also embarrassingly, one of the band's engineers repositioned my Heil PR40 and I didn't notice. so I know it's totally way off axis. That mic confuses everyone)

Black Angels Jam on Vimeo

[Remoteness]

Great video; cool little rig, Graham!

[Graham Tobias]

Originally Posted by Remoteness

Great video; cool little rig, Graham!

You might recognize the rig from the big show the following night.

Here's someone's bootleg from the show:

The Black Angels - The Sniper on Vimeo

[Remoteness]

Nice!

[Mats H]

I'm recording Mahler's 8th Symphony with a 125 person strong orchestra and almost 300 singers in the choirs. No sound check... but I did record the rehearsal with two mics and tried different mic positions for the other mics so I should be covered.

This is my setup when I'm testing things out at home. I borrowed a Prism Orpheus and rented a Crest X 20R mixer for additional preamps and because I want to make a live mix to DSD (KORG MR1000). I'll use 18-20 mics, record with Reaper and a safety with the UFX as well. I'll take some shots of the rig and gig tomorrow

[monkeyxx]

what do you guys do about high SPL rattling your hard drive and causing dropouts when you're in the same room as a loud band or PA?

is an HD-24 or something like that any less prone to this than a PC?

here's my regrettably mobile rig set up to record in a warehouse. bad neighbors ruined the "home" part of my studio. we did get a great big sound in that great big room

on top is the 4U PC, beneath that is echo audiofires, preamps, headphone amp, patching and power stuff. That rack was onerously heavy so I have since split it in two. I also travel with mic stands, mics, gobos, and some other stuff

[king2070lplaya]

Originally Posted by Mats H

I'm recording Mahler's 8th Symphony with a 125 person strong orchestra and almost 300 singers in the choirs. No sound check... but I did record the rehearsal with two mics and tried different mic positions for the other mics so I should be covered.

This is my setup when I'm testing things out at home. I borrowed a Prism Orpheus and rented a Crest X 20R mixer for additional preamps and because I want to make a live mix to DSD (KORG MR1000). I'll use 18-20 mics, record with Reaper and a safety with the UFX as well. I'll take some shots of the rig and gig tomorrow

DAMN! That's some badassedness. Have fun!

[king2070lplaya]

Finally have something to contribute here... My portable recital/audition tape rig:

BLA 002r
DAV BG2

Small, concise, gets the job done. Was afraid to swap out the HD24 but haven't had any trouble with PT yet (knock on wood). Going to try to grab a used MR1000 here in a few days for backup/2 track practice.

[Richard Crowley]

Originally Posted by monkeyxx

what do you guys do about high SPL rattling your hard drive and causing dropouts when you're in the same room as a loud band or PA? is an HD-24 or something like that any less prone to this than a PC?

The HD24 is NOTORIOUS for its sensitivity to vibration. MUCH more sensitive than any computer. Mainly because of the plug-in drive modules which are of marginal design and have no latching facility. There are DIY mods that add washers to space the module connector farther out for better contact with the main unit.

Before it died, I never did any high-vibration gigs with my HD24, mainly doing classical music (away from the tympani) so I can't personally vouch for the mod.

[monkeyxx]

thanks for the feedback. I am amazed that people can get live recordings in rock clubs at those levels, are there any secrets to this?

[Mats H]

Originally Posted by king2070lplaya

DAMN! That's some badassedness. Have fun!

I'll try

[recordinghopkins]

100+ loud rock gigs in small venues over 3 years with no dropouts here! HD24XR is a beast. I have not done the mod.

[Richard Crowley]

Apparently all HD24s are not created equal. Some people have no problems at all, and others find them very fiddly. Of course it is physical vibration, not SPL specifically that is the issue. So, a good stable base, or something shock-resistant is typically found to be the solution.

Note that there is an HD24-specific forum at: hd24 : HD24 where vibration sensitivity, the washer solution, drive compatibility, SATA retrofits, etc. are regularly (and continuously) discussed. Recommended for any HD24 user.

[Sam Walker]

Here is a photo of my gear at a fairly recent gig.

[edwinhurwitz]

Originally Posted by monkeyxx

what do you guys do about high SPL rattling your hard drive and causing dropouts when you're in the same room as a loud band or PA?

is an HD-24 or something like that any less prone to this than a PC?

here's my regrettably mobile rig set up to record in a warehouse. bad neighbors ruined the "home" part of my studio. we did get a great big sound in that great big room

on top is the 4U PC, beneath that is echo audiofires, preamps, headphone amp, patching and power stuff. That rack was onerously heavy so I have since split it in two. I also travel with mic stands, mics, gobos, and some other stuff

I had a lot of difficulty with vibration and the HD24XR. The washer mod did help a lot. However, moving over to a Metric Halo based system and using their record panel helped even more. Finally, using an SSD capture drive has seemed to be the final piece of the puzzle. With the MH rig and a conventional drive, I would get some errors in the record log, which 99% of the time led to no audio problems, with the SSD I get a perfect recording every time, even with the drive sitting on the top of a bass rig. The only downside is that I have to be sure to remember to dump the files off the SSD before the next gig. Not a big problem in the grand scheme of things.

I went through the weight issue as well, with a 12 space shock rack enclosing the HD24XR and associated preamps. Now my rig is one 6 space rack that weighs much much less and can do 8 more tracks.

[jlongley]

Shooting a documentary in Afghanistan with a two-person crew.

The camera is a Canon C300.
The on-camera mic is a Neumann KMR81i

Surround sound from a SoundField SPS200 A-format,
software-controlled microphone running directly to a Sound Devices 788T SSD recorder.
This recorder has mostly replaced my 702T.

The SoundField mic has replaced a Crown Audio stereo mic that I previously used for ambience.

Audio-only interviews recorded using a Neumann U87Ai.
A few other Neumann mics for other applications - two KMR184s and a KMR185.

Rycote windscreens. Sennheiser earphones.
Very happy with the sounds coming from this gear.

[Graham Tobias]

Originally Posted by jlongley

Shooting a documentary in Afghanistan with a two-person crew.

The camera is a Canon C300.
The on-camera mic is a Neumann KMR81i

Surround sound from a SoundField SPS200 A-format, software-controlled microphone running directly to a Sound Devices 788T SSD recorder. This recorder has mostly replaced my 702T.

Audio-only interviews recorded using a Neumann U87Ai.
A few other Neumann mics for other applications - two KMR184s and a KMR185.

Rycote windscreens. Sennheiser earphones.
Very happy with the sounds coming from this gear.

Sweet rig! I'd kill for a portable video kit like that. How's the C300? Worth the price?

[Music Guy36]

I am new to the forum and am trying to figure out how to post a picture? Its asking for a url link instead of a browser.

Btw, I'm also selling my month old Micro Clock MK2 from Black Lion. You all know what it does.

If interested hit me up at perfect4th@hotmail.com

Thanks,

-Daniel

[monkeyxx]

Originally Posted by Music Guy36

I am new to the forum and am trying to figure out how to post a picture? Its asking for a url link instead of a browser.

Btw, I'm also selling my month old Micro Clock MK2 from Black Lion. You all know what it does.

If interested hit me up at perfect4th@hotmail.com

Thanks,

-Daniel

scroll down below the posting text box and look for "Manage Attachments" button under "Attach Files" and there's your browser

[jlongley]

Originally Posted by Graham Tobias

Sweet rig! I'd kill for a portable video kit like that. How's the C300? Worth the price?

I would say yes. I think that the C300 is a near-perfect design for documentary filmmaking - and probably indy features as well. The pictures are amazing and the build quality and ergonomics of the camera are terrific. No real complaints so far. (Now if they would only build 24-bit audio recording into the camera, we'd be cooking with gas. Why do all these camera companies like Canon and Sony and Panasonic still think we're living in 1993 when it comes to audio recording? ...)

That said, if you don't have a burning film project to make, it's usually better to wait; as always in the world of digital video, the price of the current tech will go down and better tech will emerge in short order. Unlike in the world of audio, where an old mic is not necessarily a bad mic, and the price of my U87 keeps going up.

There are some video still images from the first day of filming in an Afghan government-run orphanage that I've posted from the Canon C300 here. (Scroll down to my post.)

[ajcdrum]

New rig is finally here! 28 inputs, 14 mic pres, 12 mics, 14 cables in two carry-on sized bags (the rack weighing only 25 pounds!). There's a DAV BG1 and some DPA 4060s and 4099s hiding in that bag too. I also recently bought 10 Samson mic stands that weigh 3 pounds each and live in the bottom of my trunk. The only other bag I need is my camera/laptop bag that holds two DSLRs and a lens kit. I typically work solo and I fly often, so this rig is a freaking godsend!

The empty rack space will have another 8 channel pre with ADAT in it soon enough.

[monkeyxx]

Originally Posted by ajcdrum

New rig is finally here! 28 inputs, 14 mic pres, 12 mics, 14 cables in two carry-on sized bags (the rack weighing only 25 pounds!). There's a DAV BG1 and some DPA 4060s and 4099s hiding in that bag too. I also recently bought 10 Samson mic stands that weigh 3 pounds each and live in the bottom of my trunk. The only other bag I need is my camera/laptop bag that holds two DSLRs and a lens kit. I typically work solo and I fly often, so this rig is a freaking godsend!

The empty rack space will have another 8 channel pre with ADAT in it soon enough.

awesome rig. also I think it's funny and cool that you've got DPA and Studio Projects gear running at the same time.

[ajcdrum]

I wish they'd change their name! "Studio Projects" seems so "Project Studio," but really, their pre's sound great! I originally bought the pre for its built in mixer (back when I was using HD24s and I wanted a compact monitoring solution), but I've kept it because it just sounds good. Certainly not transparent (that's what the DAV and RME's are for), but for the non-classical work I do, it works nicely. Dare I say, kind of Neve-like

[Graham Tobias]

Originally Posted by ajcdrum

New rig is finally here! 28 inputs, 14 mic pres, 12 mics, 14 cables in two carry-on sized bags (the rack weighing only 25 pounds!). There's a DAV BG1 and some DPA 4060s and 4099s hiding in that bag too. I also recently bought 10 Samson mic stands that weigh 3 pounds each and live in the bottom of my trunk. The only other bag I need is my camera/laptop bag that holds two DSLRs and a lens kit. I typically work solo and I fly often, so this rig is a freaking godsend!

The empty rack space will have another 8 channel pre with ADAT in it soon enough.

Haha I definitely just recognized you by your rig. Nice setup!

[Graham Tobias]

Quick pic of my current(ly being rebuilt) big rig.

The G5, while still perfectly functional, is quite out of date these days, so I'm in the process of mounting an iMac to the lid, and filling the G5 slot with a removable rack holding a UPS and a Central Station.

The upside of this rack is that it cuts down a lot of setup time when I'm working alone, and has everything I need for a multitude of situations. The downside is it requires a truck to move, so sometimes I'm better off pulling and re-racking the essentials into a smaller case.

[cirtap]

Originally Posted by ajcdrum

New rig is finally here! 28 inputs, 14 mic pres, 12 mics, 14 cables in two carry-on sized bags (the rack weighing only 25 pounds!). There's a DAV BG1 and some DPA 4060s and 4099s hiding in that bag too. I also recently bought 10 Samson mic stands that weigh 3 pounds each and live in the bottom of my trunk. The only other bag I need is my camera/laptop bag that holds two DSLRs and a lens kit. I typically work solo and I fly often, so this rig is a freaking godsend!

The empty rack space will have another 8 channel pre with ADAT in it soon enough.

Looks great!
I'm wondering where you got all the cables in the back. The short XLRs and jumpers.