What's my best route for remote recording?

[yumdrum]

Hey guys, new to the mobile thing and thought I'd check with the experts before taking the plunge into this.

Here's what I currently have in my arsenal that I believe will be useful in remote recording:

Rosetta 800/x-symphony card
Mics (all set here)
Preamps (all set here)
Furman HA-6A
Presonus central Station
Plenty of MDR-7506
Snakes if need be

Here's what I'm looking to do:

Record live bands on location
Record on location for drums

I have a MP 2.8 running Logic on a Symphony system in the studio, so I thought getting a Mac Laptop/symphony mobile rig would be a consideration. However, I hear that this may not be the most stable route.

I also, have thought about hard disk recorder route, such as a Mackie HD or Roland VS-2480 unit.

Also, I know I will need splitters for live situations, just not sure which ones to get.

I know I'm kind of all over the place here, but as previously stated, I'm new to the whole location recording thing and ANY information would be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks,
Dave

[Remoteness]

Dave,

You should consider doing a few (popular tag) searches.

Just click on the various popular tag names and you will find a great source of information.


Try it, you'll love the convenience and the detailed lists I put together for folks like yourself.

[yumdrum]

Thanks Steve, not being lazy here as I have been reading some of the threads within the tags (very helpful BTW, thanks for that), but I was hoping to get some answers catered specifically to the gear I already have to what my best avenue should be.

[yumdrum]

okay, maybe I'm being a Little lazy.... but indulge me peoples. What if I say pretty please with a shock mount rack on top?

[LX3]

More channels, definitely. At least 16 e.g. AD-16X

If you're recording at gigs, even 16 channels will not be enough. 24 a minimum, 32 better.

Snake? Definitely. Make life less complicated for yourself. Including enough returns for headphone mixes if you're working that way. Think about multiway connectors to the stagebox for ease of packing. If planned right it'll also enable you to put your splitter straight on the end of the snake instead of a plain stage box.

Splitter absolutely essential for live. Get more channels of split than you think you need.

Backup recorders in case something goes down at a live show.

Sorry, none of this is cheap.

But what I'd do is just get started. What you need to get the job done will quickly become obvious once you get going. Plus what you need, and what I need may differ, depending on the gigs you do and the expectations of the client.

HTH

[yumdrum]

Originally Posted by LX3

More channels, definitely. At least 16 e.g. AD-16X

If you're recording at gigs, even 16 channels will not be enough. 24 a minimum, 32 better.

Snake? Definitely. Make life less complicated for yourself. Including enough returns for headphone mixes if you're working that way. Think about multiway connectors to the stagebox for ease of packing. If planned right it'll also enable you to put your splitter straight on the end of the snake instead of a plain stage box.

Splitter absolutely essential for live. Get more channels of split than you think you need.

Backup recorders in case something goes down at a live show.

Sorry, none of this is cheap.

But what I'd do is just get started. What you need to get the job done will quickly become obvious once you get going. Plus what you need, and what I need may differ, depending on the gigs you do and the expectations of the client.

HTH

LX3,
Many thanks for your reply. Yes AD16X is on the list but I think for starters the 800 will suffice as I will start out with smaller bands and venues.

So your saying the laptop is a good way to go as opposed to hard disk? Or hard disk as the back up? Maybe define backup recorder for me.

Also, Is there a multi channel splitter that you would recommend?

Thanks again.

[Shadow_7]

I'm more of a minimalist. Middle of a corn field mentality. Just a Korg MR-1000 and a stereo set of mics. Avenson STO-2's in my case. Nice mics but if you don't have proximity on a relatively loud group, you're gonna record lots of distractions. Road noise, Wind Noise, Mic self noise. Childs DVD player between you and the group. Flag pole wire banging against the flag pole in the wind. Wood Shop, Work Crews, Police, Fire, Ambulance, Helicopters and whatever else your cornfield has to offer above and beyond the music.

[Aural Reject]

Originally Posted by yumdrum

LX3,
Many thanks for your reply. Yes AD16X is on the list but I think for starters the 800 will suffice as I will start out with smaller bands and venues.

So your saying the laptop is a good way to go as opposed to hard disk? Or hard disk as the back up? Maybe define backup recorder for me.

Thanks again.

He means that you need more than one recording rig working in parallel, in case of catastrophic failure of (at least) one.

Personally, I'd stay away from computers for live recordings (or I'd never rely on them solely), so I'd be looking at running parallel rigs of multitrack recorders. At the fairly low budget end, Alesis HD24XRs are good machines for this kind of thing - and you get 24 tracks with each machine if you're working at 44.1 / 48. You'd need at least two machines, with each of them taking a separate feed such that if one of the machines stopped working mid-gig you've still got the other one....

A live gig is completely different to a studio recording - you (normally) only get one shot (unless you're recording a tour), so you can't afford for equiment failure or at least you need to plan a contingency for the eventuality that something will break (which it will eventually).

Don't forget the UPS, as most machines may lose their data if the power fails and they're not shut down properly.

[yumdrum]

Originally Posted by Aural Reject

He means that you need more than one recording rig working in parallel, in case of catastrophic failure of (at least) one.

Personally, I'd stay away from computers for live recordings (or I'd never rely on them solely), so I'd be looking at running parallel rigs of multitrack recorders. At the fairly low budget end, Alesis HD24XRs are good machines for this kind of thing - and you get 24 tracks with each machine if you're working at 44.1 / 48. You'd need at least two machines, with each of them taking a separate feed such that if one of the machines stopped working mid-gig you've still got the other one....

A live gig is completely different to a studio recording - you (normally) only get one shot (unless you're recording a tour), so you can't afford for equiment failure or at least you need to plan a contingency for the eventuality that something will break (which it will eventually).

Don't forget the UPS, as most machines may lose their data if the power fails and they're not shut down properly.

Thanks so much for this AR! I have been checking The Mackie's out with much interest.

It looks like I could just use this and bypass the laptop altogether, transfer the data to Logic after, correct?

What would a used one with the three i/o cards run on the used market?

Also, What are the best choices for multi channel mic/line splitters, a link would be very helpful to give me an idea of what to look for.

Once again, I know this information is probably redundant to many, but saves me hours of sifting through various threads.

So for that I (and my old eyes) thank you all.

[maxpidge]

i live a comfortable life off live gigs....

i use a macbookpro running m-powered protools 7.3.1, a projectmix i/o, with b.l.a. mod, and a digimax lt. i use a splitter snake so i get direct mic feeds. 16 tracks easy without ever a problem. 10 minutes to set-up and be running, life is good...

[LX3]

Hi Yumdrum

I assumed you were talking about recording to a laptop, since you mentioned Symphony. These days, recording to laptops seems fine (as long as you've chosen carefully and tested the system thoroughly), but whatever you record to, I'd never record to just one system. I'd always have a backup, unless it isn't going to cause the client a major problem if the recording fails.

(Sometimes that's acceptable. I mean, obviously, you won't get paid for the show if something goes wrong. But occasionally, it'll be okay to simply record another gig. BUT as soon as other people's plans hinge on succesful audio, a safety is essential. Stuff does break down occasionally. Complacency will bite you in the ass).

FWIW, I sometimes record to a laptop as a safety rig, and it works great. In fact, it's been totally reliable, which is more than I can say for a lot of hardware recorders... though five years ago, this was definitely not the case.

Yes yes yes to a UPS.

Re splitters, for off-the-shelf, maybe Whirlwind? Or a bunch of Radial 8ox's?

The sticking point for most people getting into live recording is not the flashy bits with the buttons, it's the cabling. You're trying to create a system that is wired neatly and reliably, and sets up fast. That usually involves multiway connectors and snakes and looms and suchlike. Getting these made can be really expensive, and if you change your mind about something, then doubly so. It's an extremely good idea to learn to build your own cables... although that topic almost deserves a forum all of its own.

[Shadow_7]

Definitely backup given a special event. DCA 2006 had inclimate weather due to Ernesto in the NY area. And what was a memorable event, didn't have the video/audio capture that it should have had. And when you have groups of 100+ people from all over the country paying $1,000 plus per member just to get to and perform at the event. There is no do over. To miss recording 40% of the event is unforgiveable. To have one or more of the previous days groups perform again the day after just to get a recording is also questionable at best. Especially when their recording is much better than the 60% that got recorded the previous day. As I wonder what video recording gear comes equiped with whiper blades. We do audio/video in space and under great depths of water, but we still can't record in a hurricane to any degree of success.