Products :: Recorder/Player :: Broadcast Recorder :: HS-P82

AUGUSTA CAMP 2015 Office Augusta, Inc.

YAMAZAKI MASAYOSHI in Augusta Camp 2015 - 20th Anniversary
Backstage for a 64-channel 96kHz/24-bit high-resolution live concert recording

HS-P82、RC-F82、DA-6400、DA-3000、CG-1800、DM-3200、AV-P2800、VL-S5、DRAWMER LA12

The concert YAMAZAKI MASAYOSHI in Augusta Camp 2015 - 20th Anniversary - by Office Augusta, Inc. was recorded live in high-resolution using many pieces of TASCAM recording equipment. Here, we describe how the 64-track high-resolution recording was accomplished using (8) HS-P82 8-track portable recorders as the main recording devices, and (2) new DA-6400 64-track recorders for backup.

Augusta Camp is a large-scale live event by the artists of Office Augusta - including Masayoshi Yamazaki - in the 20th year since his debut. This event has history, with this being the 17th. A stage was set up at Yokohama Red Brick Park, and many artists performed over a long time - starting at 12 PM and ending at 9 PM.

The booth for recording the concert was set up at the back left-hand side of the stage, separate from the PA booth. Equipment was set up the day before in heavy rain. Worries about the weather proved to be unnecessary as the concert day was blessed with fine weather. The rough weather of the setup day had a large effect on setup. Installation of the fluorescent light in the booth was delayed, and much work at night had to be done in dim light. The conditions were so severe that the staff burst into applause when the light was installed, and the setup was successfully completed. The following describes the specially installed recording booth our staff exerted themselves to complete.

This is the setup inside the tent. It includes a total of nine HS-P82 units (including one backup unit), a DM-3200 console for monitoring the recording, and VL-S5 for monitor speakers. We will describe the wiring.

This is the wiring diagram for the event. Though the system encompasses 64 channels, the wiring gets simpler as it goes toward the terminating resistor, owing to the use of MADI and other digital formats. We will explain the details following the path of the signal from the PA setup.

Under the table, a multicable split from the PA setup is installed. The analog signal is split before the PA console to enable recording in 96kHz/24-bit high-resolution. The AV-P2800 AC power distributor used as the power supply can be seen in the photo. It has a voltage display, so equipment can be operated while checking the power voltage.

Each channel from the stage splitter is connected to an analog input port of an HS-P82 unit.

HS-P82 - the main recorder - is equipped with Ultra-HDDA (High Definition Discrete Architecture) microphone preamps boasting an EIN of -125 dBu, and has the pivotal role of recording and amplifying the signal for this recording event. Signal distribution to the backup recorder DA-6400 is also being done by the HS-P82. The digitized signal is output in AES/EBU format, 96 kHz double-speed mode. One multi-cable with a D-sub 25-pin is used to transmit all eight channels.
The timecode and word clock are also connected. The first HS-P82 is set to be the timecode master. A DRAWMER LA12 unit is used to distribute the timecode to all recorders.

The AES/EBU cables are connected to two DirectOut Technologies ANDIAMO.AES units (Courtesy of Tac System, Inc.), to be converted to MADI. One unit of ANDIAMO.AES can perform the conversion of 32 channels. The MADI can handle a very large number of channels with just one BNC cable. Since the sampling frequency at this event is 96 kHz, the signals of 32 channels are connected to the DA-6400 with just one BNC cable. The signal from the PA is 64 channels, but the connection to the two DA-6400 units consists of only two MADI cables. The photo shows four DA-6400 recorders. The bottom two units were used for the HS-P82 backup recording, and the top two were spares.

This photo shows the back of the DA-6400 rack. The model in the middle is the CG-1800 used as the master word-clock generator. The CG series is capable of outputting the word-clock signal through 12 BNC cables, so one word-clock generator is sufficient to provide a word-clock signal throughout a large-scale system such as this one.

This is the console DM-3200 used in the recording monitoring system. Coming into the DM-3200 are eight channels of monitoring signals mixed to stereo by the HS-P82 recorders. This section is an analog circuit.

This is Satoru Suzu, the engineer who operated the equipment on the concert day. DM-3200 was used only for mixing stereo signals. The monitoring balance was controlled using RC-F82 fader control units connected to the HS-P82 recorders. Of course, it has no effect on the recording level. The signal mixed on the DM-3200 was recorded in stereo by DA-3000 and used to check the recorded sound before the end of the day.

This is Satoru Suzu, the engineer who operated the equipment on the concert day. DM-3200 was used only for mixing stereo signals. The monitoring balance was controlled using RC-F82 fader control units connected to the HS-P82 recorders. Of course, it has no effect on the recording level. The signal mixed on the DM-3200 was recorded in stereo by DA-3000 and used to check the recorded sound before the end of the day.

Setup starting the previous day was finally complete, and the real performance began. This is the actual set list for the concert.

Recording started, and nine HS-P82 units, including the backup unit, started operation with synchronized timecode. The venue was so filled that it was difficult to walk around. The performance of Masayoshi Yamazaki kicked off the event to loud cheers.

DA-6400 is shown operating - synchronized with timecode.

The order of some songs were changed. Adjustments, such as which cables to plug in, were made by consulting the information on the set list.

The program proceeded without a hitch. The work light is on in the tent.

The venue had a food court, and many attendees enjoyed the nightscape of Yokohama as they ate between acts. It certainly felt like an outdoor music festival. All the concertgoers were enjoying their own AUGUSTA CAMP in various ways.

The performance is about to conclude. The recording was constantly being monitored for the level and the sound. The monitoring balance was checked with powered monitor VL-S5 and headphones.

As the performances ended, recording was also stopped. The recording finished uneventfully. The compact flash drive, which was the recording medium, was delivered to the client right away, and the data from DA-6400 was immediately backed up via USB 3.0. The backup after the final performance was quick, since the data storage of DA-6400 is SSD (TSSA-240A), and the SSD case (AK-CC25) is equipped with a USB 3.0 port. Rain started just after teardown, making it truly a concert "blessed with fine weather".

We hope you were able to see that even a long, large-scale concert featuring many artists can be recorded live using a compact system. We hope it can be a reference when designing systems.

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