i want to buy something to do some audio field recording with. any cheap suggestions?was thinking of getting a md recordable with some binaural mics but i am open to other options. especially with the mics. please help! thanks
FIELD RECORDING
- Thread starter grandpa_shig
- Start date
its good? im kinda on the fence about these flash drive mp3 recordable joints. i know it says it records in wav or whatevers, but is the sound quality better than recording straight to disc?
so i guess the better question is, will it be worth it? i know theyre trying to phase out MDs now so im trying to get one on the cheap. i know those digital joints will have a longer lasting technology but i fully expect to break whatever i buy in around 2 years or so. as with all my shit.
its good? im kinda on the fence about these flash drive mp3 recordable joints. i know it says it records in wav or whatevers, but is the sound quality better than recording straight to disc?
I use one fairly regularly and have been very impressed. You really don't want a MD recorder - being able to use WAV files is a blessing and storage is dirt cheap. You can also use a phantom power mic directly with it without an external mic pre.
I'm sure there are other options out there though when it comes to portable CF recorders. I know Edirol makes one too, and Marantz was in the game back when it was tape-based.
ive been told that these types of recorders are good for voice but not so good for background noise. true?
im not really knowledgeable of this shit nor do i intend to be so i really dont need pro equipment or anything. but perhaps prosumer grade gear.
also, i will be recording shit on the sly which is why i like those earbud binaural joints. any mic suggestions?
im not really knowledgeable of this shit nor do i intend to be so i really dont need pro equipment or anything. but perhaps prosumer grade gear.
also, i will be recording shit on the sly which is why i like those earbud binaural joints. any mic suggestions?
Yeah, they aren't meant to caputure the sound of a room, they're meant for miking voices/instruments/audio sources directly. Doing that kind of field recording (like bootlegging concerts and stuff) is a whole science of its own and is hard to do. Certain mics are much better than others, from what I've heard.
yes, thank you. this is exactly what i need. its not for making rapsongs n shit. i just want something to walk around town with it and capture some of the shit people say and stuff. i also plan on getting room tone and background noises like freeways n shit or something like that. nothing too technical like bootlegging the next phish concert. but it has to be a decent sound recording. and by decent i mean not over about $300.
please, i still need help with this!
yes, thank you. this is exactly what i need. its not for making rapsongs n shit. i just want something to walk around town with it and capture some of the shit people say and stuff. i also plan on getting room tone and background noises like freeways n shit or something like that. nothing too technical like bootlegging the next phish concert. but it has to be a decent sound recording. and by decent i mean not over about $300.
please, i still need help with this!
Okay, now I get what you're trying to do.
The recorder does not matter - it's just the convenient medium for storing the sound that you capture. What does matter is the microphone that you use - to capture sounds and background noises you need a highly directional mic with a good wind screen, like a shotgun mic. They aren't cheap, but you could get one for about $120 I bet. B&H Photo & Video is the spot.
The reason for this is that if you're walking around town, and want to capture a conversation, or a sound that is coming from a particular place, your ears are able to focus on that one sound, tuning out the cars driving by, other people talking, etc. With a shotgun mic, you point it towards what you want to hear, and it's magic - you only hear what it's pointing it. With really great ones you can actually hear a distant conversation better than with your own ears. Scary.
Not good for making rapsongs and shit though.
ok, i know im being all picky, but im not sure directional shotgun mics is what im thinking of. im trying to do this without anyone noticing that im recording them. and pointing a big fuzzy boner at someone really isnt that inconspicuous.
im not trying to be a superspy or anything. just like, if i was on the bus and the dude sitting next to me starts talking crazy, i want to be able to save it for my grandkids.
im not trying to be a superspy or anything. just like, if i was on the bus and the dude sitting next to me starts talking crazy, i want to be able to save it for my grandkids.
Like this?
http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/shotgunmicrophone-uem-88.html
Or this page:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controll...h=&cltp=&clsgr=
I mean honestly, that kind of thing is just plain hard to do. I'll bet you'll be able to get some decent results with the stereo mic that is included with the Microtrak, but they will assuredly be noisy, especially on the bus.
Doing it all properly for under $400 is kinda
b/w
LESSON OF THE DAY: Big fuzzy boners aren't good for making rapsongs on the sly.
http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/shotgunmicrophone-uem-88.html
Or this page:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controll...h=&cltp=&clsgr=
I mean honestly, that kind of thing is just plain hard to do. I'll bet you'll be able to get some decent results with the stereo mic that is included with the Microtrak, but they will assuredly be noisy, especially on the bus.
Doing it all properly for under $400 is kinda
b/w
LESSON OF THE DAY: Big fuzzy boners aren't good for making rapsongs on the sly.
yeah dont get a minidisc. Terrible format. and hard to playback. They break all time, disks and readers. The flash drive recorders are nice, no wear and tear on the discs due to no moving parts so storage is more secure and relible. I would go with them over anything and also you can get a reader for your pc to do easy transfer instead of having to 2-track it to a pc with the mini.
too bad you dont have a bigger budget.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PCMD50/
There is some decent pro-sumer recorders on the market at the moment though.
http://www.zzounds.com/item--ZOMH4
this one is nice due to having the two condenser mics built right in. But the only downside is its zoom, whose products usually have a shitty build.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/R09/
edirol has decent stuff.
the m-audio is alright but only one mic. Stereo is nice with field recording.
but it most likely cheaper to get the ones with the mics built in instead of buying a seperate mic and a recorder. Just when buying a mic try to get a condenser for these application. You can pick up signal farther then a dynamic with better fidelity. Also try to get a recorder that is 24bit.
too bad you dont have a bigger budget.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PCMD50/
There is some decent pro-sumer recorders on the market at the moment though.
http://www.zzounds.com/item--ZOMH4
this one is nice due to having the two condenser mics built right in. But the only downside is its zoom, whose products usually have a shitty build.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/R09/
edirol has decent stuff.
the m-audio is alright but only one mic. Stereo is nice with field recording.
but it most likely cheaper to get the ones with the mics built in instead of buying a seperate mic and a recorder. Just when buying a mic try to get a condenser for these application. You can pick up signal farther then a dynamic with better fidelity. Also try to get a recorder that is 24bit.
Guest
Isn't there something that records into an ipod? I remember someone on here talking about some small mic attachment they bought that somehow recorded into an ipod, they used it to get drops for mixtapes at shows and do interviews. It was a couple years ago though.
Don't listen to these clons. MD is exactly what you need! BBC world and a bunch of other reputable sources used MD with small omni mics for recording in the field in remote locations. The quality is great, the batteries last forever (portable harddrive? 10 hours or some stupid jazz) and there are built in editing capabilities for breaking tracks/setting markers.
Any MD recorder will do, i got one for $10 at a thrift about 6 months ago.
And then get one of these mics:
Audio-Technica PRO 24
Sony ECM-MS907
The only pain in the ass is that you have to digitize real time because MD format is proprietary so you can't just plug it into your computer and drag and drop. But it's really no different than digitizing vinyl and people do that here all the time.
Good luck!
jaysus
Any MD recorder will do, i got one for $10 at a thrift about 6 months ago.
And then get one of these mics:
Audio-Technica PRO 24
Sony ECM-MS907
The only pain in the ass is that you have to digitize real time because MD format is proprietary so you can't just plug it into your computer and drag and drop. But it's really no different than digitizing vinyl and people do that here all the time.
Good luck!
jaysus
I am kind of cosigning on Jaysus, but not totally. Definitely do not listen to anyone who has previously weighed in on this thread. M-audio has bad battery life. Edirol, and Marantz are too big, and have crap pre-amps. Never use an internal mic with a portable recorder unless you're not concerned with the audio quality. Solid state or not, it's just NAGL. The pre-amps on Sonys aren't the greatest, but they're definitely beating all the others. I've been Frickin' around making field recordings, testing different gear for about five years, and I definitely rock an MD. However, the only MD that you should be buying is the Sony MZ-M100.
THe MZ-M100 (also sold as the M-10) is the perfect MD. It's Hi-Md, which means you can record 80 minutes of uncompressed audio, which is then transferred via usb as a .wav file to your computer. Absolute lossless transfer. A single Hi-Md disk will run you about six dollars. I have about eight, and I do lots of recordings, so two should be fine to start. Another advantage of the Mz-M series is the fact that it comes with a battery sidecar. What does this means? Well, you throw one double 'a' battery in the sidecar and you get extended power when you're running off the internal battery, or you get power when the internal battery is out of juice. No such option on the M-Audio.
Yes, MD is supposedly going the way of the 8-track, but as long as you have enough media you'll be fine. in the five years that I've been making recordings I've never ONCE lost a file, or had a disk break, or crap out.
Now, rig wise:
soundprofesisonals.com is the spot for buying in-ear binaurals. Super stealth, and under $80.
Try these sites for hunting down your MD:
audiocubes.com
minidisco.com
minidisccanada.ca
If those don't work just froogle it. However, I don't recommend buying the MZ-RH1 (the newest Hi-MD) because it does not come with a sidecar.
Send me a PM if you want more info.
THe MZ-M100 (also sold as the M-10) is the perfect MD. It's Hi-Md, which means you can record 80 minutes of uncompressed audio, which is then transferred via usb as a .wav file to your computer. Absolute lossless transfer. A single Hi-Md disk will run you about six dollars. I have about eight, and I do lots of recordings, so two should be fine to start. Another advantage of the Mz-M series is the fact that it comes with a battery sidecar. What does this means? Well, you throw one double 'a' battery in the sidecar and you get extended power when you're running off the internal battery, or you get power when the internal battery is out of juice. No such option on the M-Audio.
Yes, MD is supposedly going the way of the 8-track, but as long as you have enough media you'll be fine. in the five years that I've been making recordings I've never ONCE lost a file, or had a disk break, or crap out.
Now, rig wise:
soundprofesisonals.com is the spot for buying in-ear binaurals. Super stealth, and under $80.
Try these sites for hunting down your MD:
audiocubes.com
minidisco.com
minidisccanada.ca
If those don't work just froogle it. However, I don't recommend buying the MZ-RH1 (the newest Hi-MD) because it does not come with a sidecar.
Send me a PM if you want more info.
Um, what? So as someone who A) previously owned and used a MD recorder B) Uses portable digital recorders on a regular basis for radio work C) Used to do audio for video production using a wide variety of mics...
My contributions shouldn't be taken seriously? And this is coming from the staunch Anticon fan / dude who tried to recommend a common turd as some kind of great Psych record?
A.) My taste in music has nothing to do with my knowledge of audio gear. The fact that i like Anticon does not affect the Mz-M100's ability to record in uncompressed PCM, and then transfer via usb to a computer as .wav file.
B.)I will ride for the Love song off of my psych turd while you recharge the batteries on your M-Audio. You can hear me and my sidecar vanishing in the distance through your crapola on-board mics that most likely have a terrible stereo image. A stereo image is necessary for field recordings.
C.) Being that your experience is for broadcast, a high compression medium, yes I am suggesting that you know little to nothing about field recordings. Am I trying to diss you? No, simply saying that I know more than you about field recording.
That said, I see no reason to have beef with you. You consistently come with input that I read and enjoy. However, throwing my musical taste at me with a holier-than-thou turdage at the end is just lame. I never claimed to know anything about raer records, but I know enough about listening that I'm not shook off of you calling my taste into question.
