A440

CoolEdit is now Adobe Audition, and excellent but pricey. For something as straightforward as speech you can get Audacity free. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Try your AT mic with the recorder--I'm not familiar with it, but it may well do the job. Speech is not that difficult to record because it has a narrow frequency range. If you get a mono mic, make sure it has a stereo plug (like the one on the gizmo under my signature, with two bands), or it will only record on one channel. Personally I think one-point stereo mics, or a pair of mics placed together, give a warmer sound for speech, but it's a matter of taste. And, hey, don't knock the MZ-N707--mine has served me well, and I know radio journalists who use them daily for interviews because they are such little workhorses. You can emulate mic sensitivity by getting a Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control, $6.49--that's the gizmo mentioned above. Turned all the way UP is like having low-sensitivity for louder sounds. The mic jack in your PC may be the weak link in a direct recording, because they usually come with low-quality preamps and soundcards. If you're planning to use your PC for frequent hi-fi recording you may want to look into getting an outboard mic input (like Griffin's Imic) or maybe even an outboard soundcard. But try what's there first--speech may come through just fine.

It depends how you're going to listen to the playback. If you're listening through headphones then theoretically you should point the binaurals sideways and about six inches apart like your ears--that's what SoundPros recommends for the binaurals I have. If you're listening through a stereo, then pointing toward the mains is good. In practice, since they're omnidirectional, I don't find a huge difference. I've stealth-recorded a lot of concerts with binaurals clipped to my shirt collar in various directions, and they sound fine. More than anything, it will depend on the acoustics of the club--whether those side walls provide echoes or warmth, how bass-y it is, etc. They haven't invented the mic yet that cleans up the mix. Dedicated recordists usually set up the mics on a pole or stand way above the audience to lessen crowd noise, and you should put something like that up on the soundboard if you can. That idiot who goes "WHOOOO!" on the last note of every song is going to come through loud and clear otherwise. If it's your band and your soundman, the ideal thing might be to get a little mixer and get both a feed from the soundboard and an ambient recording with the binaurals. Test various proportions at a gig or two and you should have a fantastic recording, particularly if you use the Hi-MD's PCM capability. But even with the binaurals you'll be pleasantly surprised at the fidelity.

If it's going to be ear-splitting you're best off with Mic-Battery Box-LINE IN (not Mic-in). Your bass roll-off box probably also works as a battery box--check your instructions. RSHVC is the Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control, technically a variable attenuator (lowers the signal through it), which you may not need at all with the N10 since it has the low sensitivity switch. Combining it with the bass roll-off will probably cut the signal way too much. Even if you can't get the exact conditions in the bar, why not try blasting your home stereo and putting the mic near the speaker with various combinations. It will give you some idea of what's going on. Another alternative is to make the opening act --or the first song--your sound check. Record a little, duck into the men's room to listen, and make changes accordingly. Or bring a little flashlight and look at the level meter as you record.

If you get a mic extension cord--stereo plug on one end, stereo jack on the other--you'll reduce your motor noise.

Look at www.soundprofessionals.com or www.microphonemadness.com and see what your budget can handle. If possible get a pair with windscreens and also see if you can shelter them somewhere when you record. Even basic binaurals will give you decent sound. Cardioids are more directional, and will cut down on noise behind them, but they will increase your wind problem. Binaurals rather than cardioids will cut down on wind noise. You'll have to decide which problem is more pressing. You'll have to experiment with settings, they're different on every recorder. Try recording first with Auto level control and see if you're satisfied with that. You can easily tone down highs (your cymbals) after you record with your treble tone control.

You'll have to buy an outboard mic with any MD recorder, and your mic will be the crucial element in how hi-fi your recordings are. You can find pre-NetMD models from Sony and Sharp on Ebay that will make good recordings, like Sony MZ-R37, MZ-R50 and MZ-R700, though there's more adjustability in Sony NetMD recorders like the Sony MZ-N9xx, which finally caught up with Sharp and allowed users to adjust recording levels without hitting Pause. Sharps have a lot of fans on this board, most recently the IM-DR420. But if you're sampling, be aware that virtually all old portable MDs , before Hi-MD, have only analog output via the headphone jack, so you're going to have to take that analog signal and record it to sample it. If you want easier transfer to the computer--and uncompressed PCM recording--you might want to wait for Hi-MD, which has been supposedly coming since this spring.

I'm not familiar with that mic but I'm surprised you had a low volume problem at that recording level. Would have expected it to overload, especially that close to a heavy metal PA. The question is whether you were actually setting recording level or monitoring level--that is, what's coming out of the headphone jack,which is irrelevant to recording. But if you did have recording level at 28 and it came out so low, then maybe that's a very low-sensitivity microphone, and it's worth giving 30 a try.

Sound Professionals has a good FAQ about battery boxes and preamps : http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/...gory=batteryfaq The short of it is, you'll probably need a preamp. Mic--Battery Box--Line In or a powered mic into line-in is good for loud sources, like live music, but not quiet ones, like spoken word. If you're running through a sound board, though, you might be able to connect from the mixer to line in and get a strong enough signal. That's definitely worth a try. If you're good enough with electronics to build your own mics. you can also probably build a pre-amp yourself. Make one that can attenuate as well as amplify and you'll have the perfect box for every recording situation.

"Transfer": no. Realtime: yes. For WinNetMD you need NetMD--which is N** models, not R**. With the MZ-R700, your only option is to record in realtime to the computer and edit it later, as endlessly detailed above, using Audacity or other sound recording/editing programs.

The Radio Shack headphone volume control will also cut the incoming sound to appropriate levels--a volume knob on a cord--$6.59. Turn the knob all the way UP for all but the loudest shows. Easier to carry than a battery box, and the resulting recording is louder, with a slight loss of fullness.

One more time: An analog transfer via NetMD that keeps the track marks can be done via Winnetmd http://christian.klukas.bei.t-online.de/fi...md/winNetMD.htm It's a sound-recording program that transfers all your edits via NetMD and puts each track in your PC as a separate file, easy to burn or whatever. It's under $20 and saves a whole lot of time editing. I don't know if it works yet with Sonic Stage 2 or Connect, so you may have to revert to Sonic Stage 1.x. It's not digital, but hey, live recordings aren't exactly audiophile anyway.

There's no one-size-fits-all method for live recording. The key to a good recording is to get the best initial recording: a good signal as loud as it can be without overloading. You can tweak afterward but every tweak adds its own noise, as you've found out by amplifying your too-quiet recording. Bass roll-off is a way to fight the problem of low frequencies overloading a mic input, and also a way to compensate for overly bass-heavy club sounds. But I'm leery of using it much because it's going to muffle low notes, and if they're not on the initial recording you can't put them back. I've heard some life recordings with bass roll-off and if you listen to the bass line it suddenly seems to drop to half the volume at a certain note. If you are hearing good sound in the room, and you like the mix, then control volume rather than bass. Add one gizmo to your recording kit: a Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control ($5.99). In fancy terms, it's a variable attentuator--it cuts the signal going through it in a way that's controlled by a knob. Mic--RSHVC--Mic-In, with the volume knob all the way UP on the RSHVC, prevents overload for all but the loudest concerts. At those shows, the knob on the RSHVC is a good real-time level control, especially if you have enough light to read the meter. At loud shows, Mic-Battery Box--Line-In gives a fuller, probably richer but slightly lower volume recording. At quieter shows, Mic-BB-Mic-In is the way to go. And if it's just someone talking or strumming a guitar, Mic-Mic-In is the method. Experiment, expect some flops, and you'll develop some instincts.

If you don't need NetMD, as a stopgap until/if Hi-MD arrives you could always go for a much older MD. I have had good auto-level experiences with Sony's MZ-R900 (though I'm not fond of the gumstick battery or the too-easy-open battery latch), MZ-R700 and MZ-N707. They do display time remaining. You can find them on Ebay--using common sense to figure out whether you're getting a dud--for $100 and less. My MZ-R700, bought used, has recorded hundreds of events, transported in a pocket, and is going strong. Other people have said good things about the later MZ-N9xx units too, and there are fanatical devotees of the even older, SP-only MZ-Rxx units. Instead of spending the extra $100 on NetMD, you could pick up an extra unit as a spare. If you do get an MDLP unit, do at least try LP2 in stereo with a stereo mic, even a little one-point stereo mic. It will make the music much more listenable than mono does.

You must be using a mono mic. See if it has one ring or two on the plug--compare it to your stereo headphone plug (or the pic under A440 here). One is mono--it's only going in one channel. Get a stereo mic and your problem will be solved. If it is a stereo mic then there's a problem with your mic jack.

You've mentioned the best two options--a longer cord and lower sensitivity. You definitely do not want to plug directly into the MD. A third possibility is to make sure the MD is on something soft--a mousepad, a piece of cloth--so that a table or desk isn't amplifying the vibrations. But an extension cord is definitely your first tactic.

You can go headphone out to line in or mic in (test for best quality)on a cassette recorder just fine. You probably have a laptop with only a mic-in and no line-in. Mic in has a preamp and if it's like my laptop the damn jack is loose. Cheapest way to get a line-in (cleaner input no mic-preamp noise) is the Griffin iMic--looks like an Apple gizmo but also works with Win98 and up, goes through USB port. http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic/

Get used to it: Net MD does not upload. The only way to get the recording into PC for burning or whatever is via real-time recording. Extensive discussion here: http://forums.minidisc.org/viewtopic.php?t=4276 and all over these boards.

Which Sony mic is it? Assuming you like the mic otherwise, there are some possibilities that may not involve replacing the mic. Get a battery box with bass roll-off to use with it in clubs. http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/...SB-7&type=store You could also filter the recording after you make it--record it into the PC and use a filter setting in a sound-recording program like Audacity. Also, have you tried recording from different places in the club? Acoustics might vary quite a bit. And last, how about asking the soundman to turn down the damn bass?

Try manual--just keep an eye on the levels so you don't overload. Which level is best depends on recorder and mic. If the sound is filling the club you probably don't have to worry about the directionality of the mic as long as you're not twirling around.

Use Stereo, not Mono, and LP2 at least if not SP. One MD should last through a whole show at LP2, you can always carry a spare, and the sound-quality difference is well worth it.

http://forums.minidisc.org/viewtopic.php?t...ght=imic+extigy

The only way to transfer from a portable MD is by realtime recording out of the headphone jack. Decks have optical and other outputs, but it's still a matter of realtime recording. Hi-MD may change that if it ever arrives, but it won't upload current MDs.

The MZ-N710 has a mic sensitivity switch among the menus. Check your manual. If you're recording a rock band in a small room you probably want to switch it to LOW sensitivity so it doesn't overload. Once the band is set up, it's well worth the time to do a test recording with both high and low sensitivity settings to see what sounds best, so you won't be disappointed again. If there's time, you can also experiment with mic placement, though maybe you've already found the sweet spot. And be sure to put the MD on something soft so it doesn't get vibrated during the recording.

There's no magic button to turn an audience recording into a studio recording. You're going to have to experiment. What effects or filters you use depend on what the problems are with the original recording. Too much bass? Filter the bass. Shrill? Filter the treble. Big volume shifts? Normalize. Good free starter software is, as always, Audacity. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ It's got all kinds of effects for you to try.

Your output from the MZ-N707 is the headphone jack, which is analog, so the optical input on the CD recorder won't do you any good. Use your PC, it's not hard--just imagine it as one more recording device. And you don't even have to go out and get Audacity, it's free for downloading. Your only obstacle, if you have a laptop, might be your soundcard. More info here: http://forums.minidisc.org/viewtopic.php?t=4073