A440

The SPSM-17 has a frequency range of 20-20,000; the AT-PRO24 only goes down to 100, which means you lose two octaves of bass response. If you're on a budget, get the mic first and see how it works for you without the preamp via mic-in. If it overloads, you can also try the Radio Shack attenuator (see the pinned topic) and see if that sounds good enough for you. The Boost Box and Sp-Preamp both allow you to record through line-in rather than mic-in, which bypasses the MD's built-in preamp, and both also work as battery boxes, helping the mic handle louder sounds.

This is what Hi-MD is for. There are only four Hi-MD recorders at the moment. All the other MD recorders, including NetMD and the previous generations, do not upload. The Hi-MD recorders are: Sony NH-700, NHF-800 (same as NHF-700 with FM-radio remote), NH-900 and NH-1. (The NH-600 is a player for downloaded music). Look at the equipment browser for complete info. Install Sony's Sonic Stage 2.3 (from Sony website or under Software here) and Wav Converter on your computer. Previous versions of SonicStage, to get very technical about it, suck. Make the live recording. Connect via USB. Upload with Sonic Stage (use AC power so your battery doesn't run out partway through the upload). Convert the uploaded files to Wav with Wav Converter. Burn a CD from the Wav files. Savor the euphoria.

Be careful. SonicStage won't upload the tracks a second time--it will just erase them without asking you. I don't know if moving the track marks around on the disc will make a difference. If it does, that could be a wonderful thing.

WAIT!!!!!!!!! If you've already uploaded the tracks once then Sonic Stage will delete them on the next upload. You'll need to wav convert the ones already in the machine and edit them.

Pen mics tend to be mono, and if you're in a club you definitely want stereo, with the mics separated like your ears, so you can get all the techno quadrophonic ping-pong of a boomin' system. Personally I feel just as James Bond with my eraser-sized SoundPro BMC-2 binaurals clipped ever so stealthily to my shirt collar. Of course I carry a Walther PPK in my tuxedo pocket as well, and a bikini-clad counterspy girl on my arm. The way to get a good recording is to use Manual volume and keep the basic level low enough so that the loudest moments don't overload. I don't know of any pocket-sized outboard boxes that automatically adjust, and the automatic gain control of the MD itself makes whooshy noises when bass kicks in. Before you add boxes to your setup, try my all-purpose solution: A pair of stereo mics with 20-20,000 Hz frequency response (Sound Professionals, Microphone Madness, maybe Church Audio on Ebay), the Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control (which will lower the incoming signal) and, for superloud music, a Manual Volume setting of 10/30 to 12/30. It might be all you need. Alternately, again for loud music, get a battery box to prevent the mics themselves from overloading and go mic-battery box--Line-In, probably with Manual Volume up a little higher. If you're sure the bass will overwhelm your recording, then get a battery box with bass roll-off. Bass roll-off does one thing: lowers or eliminates the lowest-frequency notes before they enter the recorder, which can have trouble handling them. You would want to set the roll-off at one spot--perhaps 30 to 50 hz--and leave it there. Otherwise, I suspect you'd get a kind of seasick feeling that the bottom of the music is moving around. Battery box/preamp combos do two different things from bass roll-off. The battery box sends power to the mics so they can handle louder sounds, and the preamp amplifies the signal--something you won't need with loud music. With many of those combo boxes, you can control the level of everything going into the MD. You're right that you don't want to be constantly adjusting it during the show, since every change will show up in the recording. Again, find a good setting and leave it, unless there's some volcanic change in volume during the show.

Please do post a review, and it would be great if you could put up a sample recording at livefrommd (at) yahoo.com . Happy recording!

Hate to say it, but I think your easiest option is to just edit the track marks on the MD, upload via SonicStage and convert with Wave Converter, especially since you've already made a backup. You can eliminate unnecessary track marks pretty quickly--just Pause, << back to MARK xx, and hit the track button to remove it. But I don't understand why Audacity would lower the pitch during a .wav conversion--it's not normal behavior. How are you getting the music into the computer? Straight outta the headphone jack in realtime? Then saving in Audacity and "Export to .wav"? It should just record what goes in without alteration. If you want to play with your existing wav tracks, under "Effects" in Audacity there is a "Change Pitch" option--I've never used it, but you could try it. Wav converter doesn't add silence or noise to the beginnings or ends of tracks. Nero, and probably some other CD burning programs, give you the option for gapless burning.

I think Sony finally fixed that little bit of stupidity on the MZ-N9xx models.

I realize the attenuator is theoretically inelegant, Dex, but all I can say is it works for me. Maybe you're using less sensitive mics than my usual SoundPro BMC-2 binaurals. I often use earplugs at rock concerts--I'm not a headbanger--but I also get distortion on the MD well below that level. With the NHF-800, I recently recorded a rock show at a small theater--not particularly loud--without the attenuator at Low Sens, Manual 10/30. It would have been barely audible through line-in, guaranteed. The level meter stayed well below the right-hand dash. But sure enough, every bass-drum hit distorted, just like it used to on my MZ-N707. The slapped bass at the show I just recorded would likely have had the same effect. I simply have not had that problem with the attenuator. The mic isn't overloading, the preamp is, which is why I want to limit the signal before it gets into the mic jack. I've read what you've said about Low vs. High Sens and the added preamp noise, so I am going to try Low on my next outing, which means I probably will keep Manual even higher. But the attenuator stays in the picture for awhile--perhaps until Gerry Bolda builds one that's not as flimsy or staticky as the RS one. If there is added noise from it, it's easily drowned out by the ambient racket of a live show.

You're right, they do all look pretty similar in specs, so you might as well get the ones that already have clips and a little extra bass response. Core Sound does have a cheaper pair of cardioids. http://www.core-sound.com/lcmics.html If you're really feeling experimental, both have 30-day trial periods, though it would cost you for the shipping.

I went to a concert I didn't consider crucial and brought along my NHF-800 to do some experimenting with Manual Volume. It was amplified acoustic, with bass fiddle but no drums, and it turned out to have enough light so I could see the display during the show . With High Sensitivity set for my: SoundPro BMC-2----->Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control--->Mic-In I found I could crank it up to about 21/30 before overloading. I'm still going to throttle it back to 15/30 for loud rock, but 10/30 was playing a little too safe. Next time I have the opportunity I'll also test it with Low Sensitivity, which should probably push the manual settings up into the 20s/30 with the RS attenuator.

For your purposes, the SoundPro mic should be ideal. Run it through Line-in. The Sony ECM 717 has a narrower frequency range, 100-15,000 Hz.

Though it's been said many times before, the music functions of the MD, via SonicStage, do not work with a MAC OS. So why bother getting a Hi-MD for use with a Mac when you can buy a 1G pen drive/Flash drive for considerably less, with the speed of USB 2.0 ? And if you were to use MDs for longterm storage of big files, you'd be better off getting a Firewire DVD burner for under $150. Hi-MD makes no sense with the Mac.

Hope you got a great recording of that show. Were you using a preamp or battery box for the line-in of the 505? I have to disagree with my esteemed colleagues though. Even if the stage mix is essentially mono, a stereo recording makes it fuller and more realistic. I do a lot of my listening through headphones, and the mono effect of having the band flattened right in the middle of my head grows annoying. The spatial cues of a stereo recording, especially if you can separate the mics a few inches, make for a much improved playback.

As far as I can tell, the whole idea of that mic is that you don't need a battery box with it--essentially the mics are built into the battery box. So I think zombietycho has it backwards, the powered mic should sound better because the battery box lets it respond to louder sounds. The battery box is not a pre-amp, though. It will improve the sound but not amplify it. I have found that battery box into line-in at a loud concert gives a richer sound but a quieter one that needs to be boosted. I haven't tried mic-battery box-mic-in lately. http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/...gory=batteryfaq My question with that mic is, how are you going to place it? It looks like it's made for sitting on a table (preferably on something soft so the vibrations of the table don't come through), and it has a belt clip, but recording something from belt level isn't ideal. I'd think holding it in your hand would be awkward, and might result in handling noise as well. Jiminy Cricket????? No Disney characters for me, thanks.

The cons for the attenuator are: 1) It introduces a small degree of noise, while the preamp/battery box lowers the noise by bypassing the built-in preamp. In practice, for loud live music, the noise from the attenuator is minimal. 2) There's static when you adjust the volume on it, so no fiddling. 3) They wear out, so at some point using one you'll end up with a static-ruined recording. The pros are the price and portability. If you're recording acoustic guitar and voice, though, you may not even need the attenuator--the Low Sensitivity setting on the MD could be enough, unless you're recording something bass-heavy.

See what works for you. You can adjust manual record levels as you record (unless you're on HOLD) by turning the wheel or pushing the pointing stick (>) left and right. Blast your source material again and announce each volume level as you do it, play back your recording, and take your pick. I use 10 because it's never overloaded. But there's no reason you have to. 17-18 is unity gain (OOPS--see next post), no amplifying or lowering (though the RS attenuator is already lowering the sound), so inch up the manual level and see what you like. REVISE (as seen below): With the RS attenuator and Low Sensitivity, 17-18 has proved safe for me. Recording/editing programs like Audacity do have an Amplify effect. You just select the entire waveform and pick the percentage. They also amplify background noise, but at a concert background noise is pretty negligible. Look at some of the livefrommd (at) yahoo tracks, some of them have been amplified.

Point by point: "Loud Music" is a setting for AGC. It doesn't affect manual volume. And since AGC is fluctuating audibly then it's better to bypass it. As Dex has discovered, manual volume, unfortunately, comes into the path AFTER the preamp, so loud music will overload the preamp even at lower volumes. That's why I use the Radio Shack attenuator. To set Manual Volume, you need to have a disc in the recorder and REC/Pause set (you can push the Rec/Track button and the Pause button simultaneously and you'll see the display blinking 0:00.) Go through the Menu to REC SET and then under the REC SET menu to Record Volume and change it from Automatic to Manual. When you click Manual you'll see 13/30--lower it (by pushing the (>) pointing stick to the left) to 10/30. Un-Pause to start the recording. Yes, it's a pain. And yes, it's worth it. Normalizing will bring the preacher back up, yes. So you're leaving the recorder somewhere with the mics plugged in? If you get a binaural pair, just tape the cords together then and set them at a little distance from the MD (to lose the motor noise), or build something to hold them. Look at your effects in SoundForge (or download Audacity) and see if you can filter out some of the highs or if there's some kind of software equalizer. See if you can get a good pair of headphones to equalize to, since most computer speakers are pretty low-fi.

Do you really want superdirectional shotguns, or would cardioids or hypercardioids do the trick? www.core-sound.com has a lot of serious tapers' mics. Another place that carries a lot of high-end mics is www.oade.com, though it's hard to determine what prices are--you could call them. I'm waiting till I win the lottery, though.

The battery life on the MDs is pretty remarkable. I regularly record 3-hour shows on Hi-SP with one Duracell and it still reads full, or down one bar, afterward. Since I do use a fresh battery for every show, I change them more often than they run out. A single Duracell will also last all the way through a 1GB, 90-minute PCM recording and then some. Bring two or three batteries to your rehearsal and don't worry about AC. If you want to get fancy about it, get one of the new Energizer 2500 maH chargers and 4 batteries, which will get you through an entire day.

If you're just using your mics for rough ideas, then don't splurge: just get the basic binaurals from Sound Professionals (or the Microphone Madness ones based on the the same capsules and design). Listen to some of the recordings at livefrommd (at) yahoo.com , password 1minidisc1, the fidelity is just fine.

Just listened to Sample.wav and Dex is (as usual) correct: that's definitely AGC trying to cope with volume changes. (Dex: right-click on Sample, then "Save Link As... in Firefox). Since you're recording a full gospel band, with drums, let me strongly suggest the Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control/Attenuator: it works. My settings (with the NHF 800) are High Sensitivity, Manual Volume 10/30, with the mic plugged into the Headphone Volume Control and the volume knob on the HVControl turned all the way up. That gives enough headroom for the music, though you may have to amplify any orating later. Your mic sounds a little tinny, by the way. If you can, you should get either a full-range (20-20,000 Hz) one point stereo mic like the Delta or those Sound Pro binaurals. Church Audio also sells an inexpensive binaural pair (on Ebay) based on the same capsules as Sound Pros but with a slightly larger housing; if you're handy you could build a little stand for them, or just clip the cords to your lapels with the tips of the mics in the air. And yes, get away from the cymbals if you can, because no mic can clean up the mix. Sound on stage (or pulpit) is probably always unbalanced--do you have a friend who could sit in a good-sounding spot in the audience and make the recording there? If you're stuck with those cymbals, maybe SoundForge has a high-frequency (or Low Pass) filter.

Short answer: if all you're recording is your own fairly loud music, get low sensitivity. It makes overloading less likely. If you're seriously considering that Sound Professionals mic, then call them and ask directly, and tell them exactly what you plan to record. Unlike, oh, Sony, they actually understand what they sell, and they're very friendly. It would be great if you could report back here what they recommend. With your current mono mic, you can easily find a mono-in, stereo-out adapter for a few bucks at Radio Shack, and you can experiment with that. Try high- and low-sensitivity settings with that mic, and you'll see: high will pick up everything, including the rustle of your clothes, while low is more forgiving. The advantage of high sensitivity is more detail, but at the risk of overloading the MD's preamp.

Can't be done. NetMD does not upload, only Hi-MD does. You can record to your computer in realtime. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=7073

A wireless mic is really overkill for this--then you will be dealing with a battery pack, a receiver for the MD, etc., not to mention the possibility of static via the wireless transmission. All you need to do is separate the mic from the recorder with a cord to get rid of that motor vibration--even with a short cord to the mic you have. Clip it to your lapel or place it on the podium (someplace where nothing will rub it) and put the MD in your pocket, hit the record button long before you start (you can put a track mark in later), put it on HOLD and you should be good to go. If you're worried about battery power, get a higher-maH gumstick, or clip on the AA pack. One, and certainly both, will get you through hours of recording. If AGC works for you--and it probably will if there's no deep bass involved--use it. But don't be afraid of manual levels. You can set them as people are getting into their seats and then forget them, too--PAUSE doesn't seem to take much battery power. I record whole concerts using the Radio Shack headphone volume control/attenuator (turned all the way up), High Sens, Manual 10/30 and do no fiddling at all during the show. Sometimes it takes a little amplifying afterward, but there's ample headroom. And by the way, that voice recorder? I don't see any specs for it, and if its built-in mic and/or recorder are geared for just the narrow range of voice, you wouldn't be thrilled with what it sounded like on music. Despite the uploading hassles, you're far better off with MD and good mic-ing, which will give you hi-fi.