Patches

Cyclone Nuggets
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A day in the life of a D8
Pete Diachun
Pdiachun@hotmail.com

It's about four o' clock and its time to fight the traffic. I pop in a KVHW show and head home. In about 3 hours, the vibe will begin again. It's been a while since I've drifted off with the sounds of Kimock. I'm gosh darn excited.

Finally, I exit the parade of computer geeks on highway 101 and make it home. On instinct, I open my DAT 'suitcase' and take out my battery pack. I connect the wires and pop it in the wall. Then, I find a veggie burger and toss it in the oven. What's next? My mind is a little fuzzy from sitting in front of a computer all day. If Pete is going to a show and its Friday then a = b … Ok, so I'm a little fried after a long week.

I grab two blanks and pop open my home DAT deck and stick in a tape. I fast-forward and rewind both of them. Then, I record a blank minute at the start of each tape. I check my case and make sure I have everything: Sony d8, Oade cable, flashlight, mini to mini cables, felt tip pen and paper, mics. It looks like I have everything. I'll just put the battery pack in my case when I leave.

I pick some tapes for the ride and hit the golden road. I want to get there early so I can get a good patch. At about 7pm, I arrive at the door of the Great American Music Hall. If you haven't been there before, I suggest you go. It is the perfect size and is one of the most beautiful places to see a show. I consider the venue my home.

I step inside and head upstairs towards the tapers. Luckily, I'm there early enough and not too many people have set up. I find out if there are any board patches and then look for the first deck on the chain. It looks like only one other d8 is there so I'm in a good spot. I hookup my battery pack, d8 and Oade cable. Then I pop in a tape for the first set. Next, I ask the person with the last deck on the chain if it's ok to patch out. It's all good, so I plug my coaxial cable into the digital out of the Oade cable on the last deck. My gear is all set up so I can take off for a minute. I think I should get a nice beer after this long week. I ask if they will watch my stuff for a sec and they do. Once I come back, there are a few more tapers, they patch out of me and continue the chain. It's now time to see if we are all hooked up right. The lead deck starts up and we do the same. There seems to be two decks without a signal. Ah…I see a Sony M1 in front of them. I ask the guy with the M1 to put his deck at the end of the chain. We switch the decks around and all is good. Now its time to chill out till ShowTime.

It looks like Howard is back behind the soundboard. This means that it's almost showtime. I manage to make my way to my deck and press record and pause. The show begins and I press pause again. Everything looks cool so its time to chill out and enjoy the show. I step away and ask a techie taper if he will watch my deck during the set. The set ends and everything seems to go well. I switch tapes and wait till the next set.

This is usually how it works. If everybody has the right gear and they have set it up properly, it should go well. Some of the most common problems include battery failure (not fully charged or old batteries), people patching in after the set starts, non standard OADE cables, not fast forwarding and rewinding tapes, and people tripping over wires in the way.

Some quick guidelines:

Get inside the venue early and set up your gear. Be nice to the person you're patching out off. ASK them if you can patch. Do not patch just plug in your cables (unless you know them and its ok to do). Don't try to set up right before the show. It's too late at this point. If you have the right cables, you can get on for the second set.

Get a rechargeable battery pack (OADE, Eco Charge, etc)
Make sure it is well charged before the show

Clean your heads every 30 hours or so (15-20 seconds of the cleaning tape)

Find out how long the sets are for the band so you use the correct length tape. (Ex. SCI often has long sets - use 90m tapes so you don't burn the person after your deck)

Be polite to the rest of the audience. They have as much right to be there as you. Be respectful. If they are talking under your mics, a friendly reminder is ok. Don't start something though. Everybody there is part of the show.

Try not to take up too much space. Use as much as you need and leave room for other people. Also, if your not the main deck on the chain, try to stay out of the area (unless there is a sectioned off taper section). One or two people should be in charge or take turns watching the decks. This will save space and decrease the chance of problems. Taking turns is fine. It's nice to meet other tapers too. Be friendly and help each other out.

Pete is a software developer currently living in the San Francisco Bay area. If you have been to any shows out here, you probably have seen him. The vibe is his home.

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Pro

Comments? pro@jambands.com

Newbie Nuggets-Featured LIVE recordings to get your collection rolling...

In honor of my beloved Cyclones first ever trip to the Elite Eight, I wanted to offer you my favorite show from last year. Mired in controversy and perhaps the last time Hilton Magic will encircle Vermont's Phinest...Phish-Hilton Coliseum, Ames Iowa-10/1/99. Unfortunately, after a quick review of Phish's trading policy ( http://www.phish.com/taping.html), it's probably not legal, even if it's within the spirit. Thus, I offer you another Ames, Iowa show from Widespread Panic. Congrats to both Cyclone basketball teams on great seasons...

Widespread Panic, October 23, 1998
CY Stephens Auditorium, Ames Iowa
Taper: Charley Cioffero, Omaha NE
Source: AKG 461's (row 13)-->DA-PI-->CD

Setlist:

Disc 1/Set 1-Let's Get Down to Business, Worry, Wonderin'-->Chunk of Coal-->Better Off, All Time Low-->Rebirtha-->Hatfield-->Walkin'

Disc 2/Set 2 part 1-Love Tractor, Jack-->Weight of the World, Junco Partner-->Greta, Papa's Home-->drums-->Papa's Home

Disc 3/Set 2 part 2, E, filler-Heaven-->Conrad the Caterpillar, E: Me and the Devil Blues-->Porch Song Filler 10/22/98 Soldiers and Sailors, Kansas City MO-One Armed Steve-->Knockin' Round the Zoo, Don't Be Denied-->Help Me Somebody

The Rules:

1> You must have less than 20 hours TOTAL of jamband tapes or be a Cyclone Phan to get this offer. However, I'll consider submissions for next month's offer as a trade...

2> You have to send me three (3) DIGITAL AUDIO CDR's and postage with an addressed return envelope (B&P-blanks and postage).

3>You should be a kind trader and spread this show around. Take pleasure in the fact that the bands allow you to freely trade their hard work. BUY JAM CD'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Support the artists and help them make some cash along the way. (You know damn well they need it!)

Email your request to (pro@jambands.com)

Levels Links-Featured Music Website

Peter Diachun's Recommendations:

http://www.eklektix.com/dat-heads/

http://www.rockpark.com/d7/ (d7/d8 Guide)

http://www.oade.com (where to order the Digital in/out cable)