optimistic-pessimist

I'd like to get some expert opinions on something... I've been using a set of Core Sound Binaurals to tape front of stack for about two years now. When I first got them, though, I was not pleased with the size of the Core Sound batt. box , nor with the awkward bass filter switch jutting from the end , and lastly not with the all-metal box. It's overkill!... I feel like I could drive over the damn thing. So I opted, instead, to get rid of the XLR plug on the end of the mics and use a standard 1/8" plug, and then run the mics into a Sound Pros SPSB-3 batt box/ bass filter. It's much much smaller and the casing is made entirely of plastic. Now, sometimes I've been very happy with my results, sometimes only moderately so. I can say that all of my recordings are listenable... but when I listen to some bootlegs I own by other tapers also using CSBs... I question why mine aren't up to that level . Mine almost never seem to sound very "full"... even though I usually stand as close to the speakers as I can. I'm not talking about problems with levels, brickwalling, clipping, or anything like that. Simply the overall "feel" of the recording. I'm wondering how likely it is that my recordings are suffering from using the Sound Pros box over the Core Sound box. I'm hoping that my new RH10 will give a significant increase in quality of my recordings... and I'll be testing that out at 3 shows in the next couple of weeks ... but I just thought I'd throw my question out there for anyone who may be interested... or at least bored with nothing better to do. Lastly, I've considered taking a Core Sound box, taking out all the contents, and putting them into a box that I'd be happier with... maybe even switching the regular 9 volt battery for the mini 9 volts that the Sound Pros box uses. Anyone know where I might find an empty box that would suit my needs? I've attached a pic of the Sound Pros box next to my RH10 for size comparison, and taken the cover off to get a look at the inside... Note the mini-9v battery. Sorry for the long post but I'd love some opinion on this... if anyone cares enough to respond.

Yes but I'm not "uploading" them. I'm only playing the tracks THROUGH Sonicstage into a separate program which records them directly to my HD as wav. Seems like a difference to me... but then again I could be wrong. That's why I asked this question... I have read in several places on this forum about the potential problem when combining tracks in the recorder and then uploading them. I was just wondering if anyone knew if this might be a more "stable" method. EDIT: I guess you can consider me a so-called "paranoid" user... as stated here... http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=6330

Well I can't speak for certain since I haven't used my new RH10 for any live shows yet (3 coming up in the next two weeks though ) but I'm certainly expecting the PCM mode to give better results than anything possible on MD's in the past. Overclipping?... surely this was due to poorly set recording levels...

So how about an update? How did the recording turn out? Had I seen the topic beforehand I would have recommended going with a batt box as well... but maybe I'm wrong.

My 2 cents... I've been using a pair of Core Sound Binaurals (CSB) for well over two years now... and in my experience, they work best when located as close to the sound source as possible. If he wants to stand back in the crowd and record a rock concert at an arena, then I would suggest a set of cardioid mics. The omnis will just pick up too much crowd noise and, more importantly, reverb from the venue walls and ceiling. Len at Core Sound claims that the CSB's are more versatile than the CSC's, but I just don't care for the feel of a recording made with omnis while standing far from the sound source. EDIT: Len at Core Sound will let you try out his mics for 30 days and return them (minus the shipping). Gives you a little chance to experiment. Don't be upset if your first attempt at taping a show doesn't turn out the way you want... there can be a bit of a learning curve. Then again, there's lots of experienced tapers on this forum to learn from and give you a good head start.

My apologies if this has been answered elsewhere. I feel like I've read just about everything on this site and am still a little unsure about this, so I wanted to double check. I just picked up an RH10 last week and will be using it to stealth tape concerts. I understand that the RH10 will automatically put track marks in my recording if it is quiet enough for 2 seconds or so... so I'm assuming that I WILL have some unwanted track marks at some point. My question is this... I'm planning on deleting those track marks in the recorder, then connecting to my computer with USB and playing the recording through SS3.2 while recording it directly to my HD as a wav with Totalrecorder. Then I'll "master" the show in Wavelab, split it into separate tracks with CDWave Editor, and then burn to CD. Anyone see any potential problems with this process? Thanks in advance.

... or you can use the free program CD Wave Editor to split the show into tracks and then continue using whatever burning program you have now. CD Wave Editor is free to download from http://www.milosoftware.com/

Just a quick question for those of you who are more technically savvy than I... The automatic setting for recording mode has a certain input level... What level on the manual setting does that compare to (on an RH10?) Meaning, if I were in the manual level adjustment mode, what #/30 would I need to be on to have the same input as the automatic setting? Is there even a direct comparison like this, or are there differences between the settings that I'm not aware of? Thanks for the help!

Will the 40ELK allow you to 1) start recording and 2) change recording levels using the remote itself? If so then I might have to pick one up. But if you have to access the recorder itself for these features, then I might as well only rely on the screen on the recorder. By the way, I just picked up an RH10 this week and am looking forward to stealth recording 3 concerts in the next two weeks. I'm hoping for noticeable improvements over my R910.

I've heard a lot of complaints about LP2 mode. I can understand how it might affect quality when you're copying from a studio quality CD. My question is, how much difference does it make when making a live stealth recording? I've heard some pretty incredible sounding live TOOL shows (definitely a non-taper friendly band) that I believe were recorded in LP2 mode. Could they have been noticibly different if recorded in SP mode? I'm currently upgrading my entire taping rig but if LP2 mode is that bad then I'll just keep my MZ-R55 which has served me well for several years.

I've heard a lot of complaints about LP2 mode. I can understand how it might affect quality when you're copying from a studio quality CD. My question is, how much difference does it make when making a live stealth recording? I've heard some pretty incredible sounding live TOOL shows (definitely a non-taper friendly band) that I believe were recorded in LP2 mode. Could they have been noticibly different if recorded in SP mode? I'm currently upgrading my entire taping rig but if LP2 mode is that bad then I'll just keep my MZ-R55 which has served me well for several years.

I don't know too much either, but you should be sure that your laptop even has a sound card in the first place. I don't think it's a given that it will. If it does then you want to look for a simple miniplug (size of a headphone plug) input on the laptop and forge about the optical cable. The optical cable is for digitally transferring music to your MD from an optical out source. You can plug the minijack into the line out on the MD and play it into the laptop. Of course, at this point you'll need some sort of software to record the sound entering the PC. I'm not sure if there's anything free out there (but there probably is). In my case I've been using the recording software that came with the Sound Blaster Live soundcard on my computer. Hope this was of some help.

I think the reason NetMD only works one way is to prevent users from ripping songs from CD and then putting it on their PC for free trade...you know...copyright protection. I could be wrong. As for the digital upload to PC dilemma...I JUST went through the same thing. I ended up buying a used MD deck for $80 on eBay so I would have the optical out. Not too bad, I'd say. Of course, I'm using it for recording my favorite band in concert so I can remember the concert experience for years to come.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that www.soundprofessionals.com offer several different types of bass roll-off boxes with filters that will allow you to select the level of the filter. Core-sound offers one with it's mics as well, but it doesn't allow you to select the level of the filter.

The previous post was right, just a little too succinct for my taste. I've spent a lot of time shopping for a decent live rig for not too much money. The MD unit you are using shouldn't matter too much...it's the mics that make the difference. Like the previous post says, you need to use a battery box with a bass rolloff filter to power a set of sensitive mics. Plug this setup into the line-in, rather than the mic input for a cleaner recording. If you need a set of good mics for not too much check out the binaurals at www.core-sound.com.

I've been recording shows for a few years now with my first and only MD unit...the Sony MZ-R55. I've been relatively satisfied so far but I've recently decided to upgrade my whole system, from the recorder to the mics to my PC. The problem I'm having is in selecting a new recorder (since I want one that will record in long play mode). The only other features that I think will make much of a difference to me are 1)extended battery life and 2)a casing made of sturdy plastic rather than metal to reduce the chances of setting off any metal detectors. I suppose I'd also like to keep it relatively small; and a backlit remote is nice too. I've been staring at my screen for about 5 hrs straight now trying to sort through countless reviews and dimensions and photos so please...any input would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks!