From: bernstei@remus.rutgers.edu
Subject: my $.02 on taping equipment
Reply-To: bernstei@remus.rutgers.edu
Organization: The Internet
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 04:14:32 GMT


Ok,
As per someone's request for taping equipment info, here is what
I think:

For a good starter set - I think the D-6 is a great buy - it can
be had in NYC for about $280 if you go to the right places.  It
has the advantage of being "sneakable" over the D5.  It is pretty
reliable, and I have been able to sneak it into just about every
venue I've ever been to down my pants (;-) not to comfortable).
The D3 is another sneakable alternative - at about $150-175 it
is more effortable.  It has the same heads as the D6, but is a little
less sturdy, and the manual states that it should not be used to record
with metal tapes (a definite minus - masters should be made on metal
as often as possible).  Otherwise - it has no dolby C (some of us
actually do like this), and lacks a few other nice features the D6
has - like a tape speed control for playback, an attenuation switch
(does anybody know exactly when I should use this, by the way).  There
is one better feature of the D3, though - that is the battery strength
indicator - on the D3 it is a bar graph type thing; on the D6, it
is just the brightness of the lowest record level LED).

The D5 is only good for situations which permit taping (unless you
are especially crafty), and has real needle level meters, as opposed
to the LEDs of the other decks.  Also, the D5 has large size input
output jacks (both RCA and 1/4" type).  The other decks only 
use the mini-size jacks - but come with cables for hookup to your
home stereo.

Otherwise you need mikes.  For the low budget ($25-75) people, you
can get some good clip-on stereo mikes (I used this type for 2
years and got many good tapes) - but you need to get a hat
and punch a hole in the front to clip it onto (otherwise the tape will
sound pretty poor - without the height).
Sony makes a few good compact rather inexpensive mikes.  The ECM-909
is a good choice (I am not sure of the price).  It is still sneakable
(barely), and can be held, put inside a hat with just the end
sticking out, or put on a stand.  The ECM-959 is a still beter
and more expensive alternative.  At $300.00, it gets a nice
clean, dynamic response, and is switchable between a 90 degree
or a 120 degree pickup.  This is the mike that Sony is including with
their professional portable DAT.  I have snuck it into many places
lately (this is the mike I now use), and gotten excellent results!

In fact, when taping was not allowed on this summer's Phish/santana
tour, and the HORDE at the Garden State Arts Center, I snuck in
different setups and got very good results with one and excellent
results with the other.  For HORDE, I used my clip-on and the
D6 (That was all I could get in), and got really good tapes.  For
Santana, I used the ECM959, and the D3 (my D6 has been in the
shop!), and got Excellent, clear, dynamic results.

For when you are allowed to bring in mikes, I suggest some other
more knowledgable people responding (or posting on the grateful
dead net - there is a lot of taping knowledge there to be tapped).
I have borrowed some Nakamichi CM300 mikes from a friend with
a D5, and gotten excellent results.  He seems to think that 
AKGs are even better, and I have one excellent dead tape
recored with something called "Schoeps k4"'s, and I don't
think I've heard any mikes as dynamic as those - but they
are something like $1600/pair!

Good luck, and I hope you can all add to the collection fo
of live tapes that are out there for trade!

Scott