One of the things that makes music great is the ability to experience it live. On the same note, another great thing is the fact that there are some bands that allow fans to get a taste of the live experience, even if they aren't there. How? Through the wonders of audience taping and trading!
Over the years, I met numerous tapers, through trades and live shows. When one of them offered to lend me her gear in the summer of 2006, I jumped on the opportunity. I taped 3 DMB shows, as well as a few others. My tapes of the three DMB shows from around Florida (Tampa, WPB Night 1, WPB Night 2) are currently the only ones in circulation for those shows. But at the end of the summer, I had to give back the rig. My taping days were over for the time being.
A few days ago, one of my friends asked me if I'd be taping the DMB shows at West Palm Beach this summer. I said I most likely wouldn't, because I no longer have a rig. I'd consider buying one, but I'm currently putting a lot of money toward a trip to see DMB at the Gorge. Then I had an idea -- turn to the Internet for donations... I mean, it could work, right?
So here I am, with my PayPal donation button, trying to get money:
My goal would be to assemble a decent entry-level rig. Having taped with Neumann mics already, I'm aiming for something nicer than a standard pair of AT853s. I'm not trying to get DPAs or anything (I am realistic), but something like AKG393s would be nice. (Update, 4.16.07: I'm strongly considering the Avantone CK-1s. They sound amazing, and aren't too expensive..) I'd like a decent pre-amp/ADC (a UA-5 would be nice, I'm used to how it works). Then there's the matter of a bitbucket -- still deciding what to go with. I've used the JB3, and would consider that, or an iRiver H120, maybe an Edirol device. Then there's the stand, and cables, etc.
Why should you do this? Because it would be a nice thing to do :) How can you be sure I'm not going to blow this on something else? Well, I really want to tape... because I get a kick out of that stuff. I'm kind of a geek, I admit it. And after enjoying all of these tapes over the past few years, I'd like to give back to the community. If you want, I'll give you some sort of credit here. Offering free copies of the shows I record wouldn't be much of a perk, because all of my tapes are freely available. But I'll post some links to help you find them.
"Throw this kid a couple bucks. He REALLY wants to tape. I loaned him my rig and now all he does is talk about taping and wanting to afford his own." -- Elana