It's finally happened, you're enjoying tunes at a local hangout, and you spot a tripod with a recording device up in the air! You've heard of such tapers but never encountered one in person. How do you approach the archivist? What's the correct etiquette? How do you communicate without compromising their work? Good thing you know about BirdStrike, we are here to help you navigate the situation! 

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DO

• Give us time to set up our equipment, each piece is critical, and full attention is required to get our location, microphone parameters and frame up correct. We promise we want to talk to you, in 5-10 minutes! 

• Observe where the tripod is positioned as to not kick, touch or disturb it. These are sensitive and pick up any slight vibration from touch. Tripods have extendable footprints and as such they may be wider than you would expect! 

• Approach the taper from the front where they can see you. Often, we are engrossed in our craft or protecting our equipment and will not realize you are coming in from the side or back. 

• Give a small wave to indicate you would like to approach and/or chat. Most tapers are friendly and like to share about what we are doing.  

• Let your friends know that we are in the area taping, so many people don't know we are there and walk into our rigs!

• When you want to speak with a taper PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE lean over and speak gently into our ear while using your hand to cup the sound. Our microphones are extremely sensitive and will record normal speaking voices around them even at shows! You'd be amazed at some of the conversations we manage to document...

• Ask for our contact info and share with your friends! Often it takes several days to produce finished content, but we promise it is worth the wait! 

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DO NOT

• Come up to us and loudly asking what we are doing or if we are with the band. Not only is this distracting to us but it is also disruptive for others in the vicinity. 

• Think you can squeeze between us or whatever small barrier we have set up to protect our tripod. Please take a few extra seconds and step around, give us a little space. Our rigs can cost a month's salary or more - easily. 

• Touch or otherwise manipulate our tripods, microphones or cameras. We will gladly explain what is happening with the equipment if you ask us. All of this equipment is delicate and can pick up the slightest vibrations from human touch. Heck, sometimes we lose tapes due to the floor vibrations alone!​

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