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Help Recording 1st Concert

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I have bought a Sony MZ-NH700 & a Sony ECM-719 Mic.

I have never used either before.

Should i plug the mic into the mic socket?

What are the best mic setting to use on the MD?

Should i record on PCM format and reding the manual it sounds like i will only get about 28mins on a 80min MD?

Should i use automatic recording level or do it manually?

I know this is a lot of questions but to be honest i am having trouble just working out how to use the MD recorder let alone all these other options

Any advice would be appreciated

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Much depends on what type of music you'll be recording, the type of venue, where you will be sitting/standing in relation to the stage and/or amps, etc.

You will plug the mic into the Microphone input.

Probably should use Low mic sensitivity.

Suggest you use Manual recording levels, but that level will depend on the type of music, loudness, venue, etc. Somewhere between 11 - 16 is common. But if the music is either very loud or bass-heavy, you will likely get some distortion no matter what recording level you use.

Try to play with some of these settings, by recording some similar type of music at fairly loud volume in your living room if you can.

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Agreed You have to play with it for a bit and get used to what it will and will not do , the Mic you have is Not the greatest to be using , there is an old saying

"Speed Costs ,....How fast do you want to go ?" The Md will only record what you put into it , crappy mic , crappy sound. MD Not Crappy

ECM 957 , for a beginner mic , Upgrade to a ECM 959a if you can find one or get the AT -822 from Audio Technica , and then you will truly see what the MD is Capable of . A lot of beginners try a cheap mic expecting miracles , and then ditch the MD because it didnt record good enough.

I have tried so many recorders that I am basically a walking library of Specs for almost every thing out there , .....end result MD Rules, get a good mic.

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Agreed You have to play with it for a bit and get used to what it will and will not do , the Mic you have is Not the greatest to be using , there is an old saying

"Speed Costs ,....How fast do you want to go ?" The Md will only record what you put into it , crappy mic , crappy sound. MD Not Crappy

ECM 957 , for a beginner mic , Upgrade to a ECM 959a if you can find one or get the AT -822 from Audio Technica , and then you will truly see what the MD is Capable of . A lot of beginners try a cheap mic expecting miracles , and then ditch the MD because it didnt record good enough.

I have tried so many recorders that I am basically a walking library of Specs for almost every thing out there , .....end result MD Rules, get a good mic.

To be hoenst i hadnt intentionally bought the cheapest someone recommended it to me and i found one secondhand on eBay for £25 ($50) so thought it must be ok if that was the 2nd hand price of it.

I will definately look into getting a better one once i work out how to use the mini disc recorder

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To be hoenst i hadnt intentionally bought the cheapest someone recommended it to me and i found one secondhand on eBay for £25 ($50) so thought it must be ok if that was the 2nd hand price of it.

I will definately look into getting a better one once i work out how to use the mini disc recorder

AT this very moment I have an Optical Cable hooked to the output of my Macbook Pro , To the input of the Very First Sharp/Kenwood MD recorder Made 1994 , Atrac 1 , we are talkin vintage here , it still works , it still sounds great.

The MD can record From almost anything you can think of , The 700 has both Auto and Manual , even on Digital in , Take the Time to read the manual completely then read it again ( They even have an Icon in the smiley called "R.T.F.M." :rtfm: )not hard to figure out what that means eh!

AOL Radio , Jason Miles , song , "Palladium" ...... (isnt that a toxic metal? ) onto an MD in CD quality

next up Count Basic , Roland Vasquez , ........ The MD should be your constant companion

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Just to condense and go step-by-step with what's above, here are some practical directions:

Go into the MENU/REC SET/MIC SENS menu and immediately set to LOW SENS. That setting is good for anything but the softest sounds and will stay in the recorder until you change it.

REC MODE: You might as well use Hi-SP until you improve your mic. It will give you space for a full concert on one 80-minute disc. The quality will be fine. That setting also stays in the unit unless you change it.

Plug the mic into Mic-in.

Here's the tricky part. When you are about to start recording, put the disc in the recorder, push Record and Pause simultaneously (the display will blink). Then go into the REC SET/REC VOLUME menu and switch to Manual. For starters, set to 20/30. Un-Pause to start recording. If you possibly can, see what kind of readings you are getting at the show and raise or lower so that the peak is a little over halfway up (you can rotate the wheel, push the jog lever left or right, or use the remote--you'll see REC 20/30 on the display.

You can only set the NH700 to use manual volume with the disc in the recorder and REC-Pause on. Otherwise it will use AGC and that will not sound good with music. The recorder will not hold the Manual Volume setting so you have to do it each time. Yes, it's a pain, but it becomes routine.

And here's the unknown variable. I don't know how sensitive that mic is. You may or may not get distortion from bass if you are recording loud music. Bass distortion comes from the mic preamp (connected to the mic jack) overloading. That mic does NOT have a strong bass response--it only goes down to 100 Hz, not the 20 Hz of the lowest bass--so it may not distort. (That's one reason it was made with a limited bass response.) You'll have to try it.

Try it at home with your home stereo cranked up, and play back the results.

If it does distort, get the VC-1 headphone volume control from Maplins, about £4. Plug the mic into it, turn its little volume control all the way UP and use that to record your next concert through Mic-in. Even at maximum, the headphone volume control cuts the signal going to the mic jack, so it would reduce distortion. Only use it if you need it, because it slightly degrades the signal.

Eventually, if you like minidisc recording, you'll probably want to get a better mic and a battery module. But start with what you've got and see how you like the medium.

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Eventually, if you like minidisc recording, you'll probably want to get a better mic and a battery module.

I think I may have seen you explain this elsewhere in the forum. Could you give a quick set of directions again, or direct me to the link? Thanks.

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For loud music, the alternative to Mic-->Headphone volume control (technically an attenuator)--Mic-in is Mic-->Battery Module-->Line-in.

You still need to set the volume with Manual Volume.

I use Sound Professionals BMC-2 clip-on omni mics and a Microphone Madness Classic Mini Battery Module.

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-BMC-2

http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmcbmminminc.htm

Your most economical bet in Europe is Greenmachine's mics and battery box, which users here have been very happy with.

http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=14388

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Thanks to everones help i recorded my 1st concert last night- Paul McCartney in a venue of only 400 people.

I have to say i am very pleased with the result, if this is what it sounds like with a cheap mic and not on PCM god knows how good it will sound with a decent mic.

All i have to do now is find out how to add tracks to the 1 long wav file i have now

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I use the exact same set up as you,and have had some nice recordings.Its true there are probably bigger and better mics available,but the ecm-719 has always done me proud.Maybe the recordings ive made could do with a touch of bass afterwards,but the recordings are always lovely and clear.I suppose as long as youre happy with the recordings you make that is what is important imo.I think my ecm-719 cost me about £48 new,so you got a bargain.

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