Keith Saunders and Matt Lane went out into the woods in order to track the latest Jar-e record. Well, not literally IN the woods . . . they opted instead for an barn that had been used earlier as a studio. Nonetheless, this sort of recording has its ups and downs. The duo spoke to Gearwire about PZM mics, the mysterious sideways-foam-Saturn that is the Schneider Disc, and, this time around, a more "mundane" piece of gear -- the Digidesign Digi 002.

Why do they use this Digidesign interface?

"It is versatile. It has the potential with the right mod to be on par with Prism Sound," says Lane, adding (somewhat confessionally), "I use it because its the only thing I've got, plus it's somewhat portable."

Saunders adds that the Digidesign Digi 002 is simple and easy to find, and simple is always a good thing.

"It's the standard for recording digital music in between an entry-level two-channel input device like an MBox, and higher-end systems, like Pro Tools HD and Mix systems." adds Saunders.

Lane says the best things about the interface are the four analog inputs. Saunders says he likes the ability to use an outboard clock to improve sound quality. He uses an Apogee Rosetta 800.

When it comes to ways to improve the 002, Lane says he wishes he had had Black Lion Audio do their signature series mod instead of the quasi-standard upgrade using an outboard clock source. Saunders has some more specific issues.

"The four built-in pre-amps are useless. I wish Digidesign would upgrade the quality of those or offer a good factory pre [option]. And the clock quality could be improved as well," he says. "Most 002 users I know are serious about recording, yet there are still some things about the 002 that are consumer-level quality, and not professional grade."

They brought three of the 002s on location with Jar-e.

"When we first started encountering technical problems, someone told us, 'When on location, having one is none, and two is one. If you want a backup, always bring three,'" says Lane. "I'd rather not speak of this part of the session too much, I think Digidesign should thank me for this."

Saunders notes that when recording on location you never know what to expect.

"A big part of our job as engineers and producers is to overcome these obstacles as quickly and efficiently as we can without disrupting the musicians," says Saunders. "Fortunately, there are lots of friendly, helpful folks in the Asheville area that were more than willing to share their personal gear with us and even deliver it out to the site!"

Both agree that the key to location recording, regardless of the specific gear, is redundancy.

"When you are rack-mounting gear and bouncing flight cases around in the back of trucks, things can get jarred and damaged. Electronic circuit boards are still physical devices, although we tend to think of them as being different than devices with moving parts," says Saunders. "When you use any electronic devices, they heat up, then cool off afterward. The shrinking and expanding weakens the solder points and connections, and eventually, they will fail and require service. Whenever possible, I prefer to keep my studio gear in the studio, and only my road gear goes out with me."

Challenges aside, Saunders and Lane seem to have a thing for this agitprop session-style: the duo will be recording Jar-e's next record on location as well, and this time they've got their minds set on an even more remote location in the untamed backwoods of Vermont. We can't wait to hear how well their 002s survive the great syrup deluge of '10.