King Ghidora

I also have a NHF800 and I agree with pretty much everything said by A440. There are advantages to the RH1 for sure but IMO the battery is a pretty big disadvantage in all HIMD's from the 2nd generation models on up. I will put up with having to go through a few menus to setup manual audio control in order to get a recorder that uses a battery as common as the AA. You will just never have a problem getting a battery for one of the 1st generation units. I'm not so sure that will be the case a few years down the road with the RH1. I realize that most people will replace their recorder before battery availability becomes an issue but I still have my first MD recorder and I still use it. I expect my NHF800 to be useful for several years to come. It would be a shame to not be able to get a battery for it while it is still functional. Obviously I can't predict that will happen but I can predict that I will be able to get batteries for my NHF800 for a long time into the future. Then of course there's the price difference. For quite a long time a company offered first generation HIMD recorders on eBay for prices that were quite good. The NHF800 sometimes sold for around $100 and I've seen the NH700 go for around $75. I bought a slightly used NHF800 with a bunch of discs for $115. That's quite a bit less than the RH1 costs.

You're hit on the major problems with recording with head mounted mics Nathan. They give you a great sound if you have a good setup but yes you might get some noise from cables moving and also you need to keep your head pointed in the right direction to get the proper sound. It certainly can be done as many prove all the time. It just takes some discipline and a good setup that will minimize cable noise. It mainly takes some practice working out the bugs after you get your equipment. You can find lots of good advice on how to get it done on this board and others. If you set your mind to do it can give you great sound. Nothing is as realistic as a binural mic setup but in answer to another of your questions yes it does matter if you play it back on speakers. You might lose that "sounds like you're really there" quality to some extent if you play back the sound with speakers. Also it does matter if you actually use your head as the mount for the mics. Just placing mics a few inches apart is not quite the same as mounting mics essentially at the point your ears pick up the sound. You do get some blocked sounds from the opposite side when your mics are mounted near your ears so again it mimics the natural setup of your ears better than anything else.

It's possible to connect an audio device through USB though A440. I understand what you're saying and I know that's why people considered TR to be a big advantage for HIMD discs that had already been uploaded once (according to Sonic Stage anyway). But it's possible to bypass the circuitry of the sound card with a device like the Griffin iMic2. Yes it was easy to bypass the sound card with a HIMD recorder because it came with a USB input for an analog signal but converters that allow an analog signal to be input into a computer through USB are plentiful and fairly cheap. TR will allow you to pick up the signal from these converters. Regardless an analog input is still an analog input whether it comes in via the USB or a line in jack or a mic in jack. I understood that TR could bypass some of the circuitry of a sound card where the signal was processed. I believe it can bypass much of the software needed to process an audio signal also. The web site leads me to believe that TR bypasses circuitry and software that other programs don't bypass. It might be neccessary to use a USB converter to bypass the sound card circuitry as has been described for HIMD devices but that really isn't a big problem. As you can see devices that allow you to do that are common and pretty cheap.

I disagree about what Total Recorder can do for an old MD. People used TR to record the analog output of HIMD discs after Sonic Stage would mess up and not let people upload digitally. So that was always an analog signal coming from a HIMD unit into a computer. What TR does is bypass the sound card and it's electronics which in many cases aren't very good (especially on a laptop for example). It allows recording directly to a program like Audacity from the MD (old or new). If you read the description of TR it says it can be used to record any source such as cassettes, LP's, microphones, etc.. So essentially it does the same thing for an old MD as it does for a HIMD. It bypasses the circuitry of the sound card. The program intercepts the signal before it is processed by the sound card and sends the signal to a recording program. If TR has any benefit for a HIMD disc then it has exactly the same benefit for a MD disc. The only way to record a true digital signal from a MD disc is to have a MD player that has an optical out and connect it an optical in jack on a computer. Some sound cards have optical input jacks. The recording will be done in real time but it will be a digital copy of the MD disc. With a sound card with optical inputs and the right cable you can make digital copies of your MD's using the MD player you have.

There is software available that allows you to bypass the soundcard D/A converter and get as close to a digital recording as possible from your old MD. It's called Total Recorder and there are discussions about it on this board. There are also hacks that alter certain older MD recorders so that they can be switched into line out mode instead of headphone mode. It's a tricky thing to do but you may consider it to be worth the risk. I used it on my NetMD recorder and I didn't have any problems. One of these hacks is detailed in this thread.

There are a couple of places still selling NH700's in North America. At least there were a month or so ago. The links I had don't seem to be working right now. Maybe they no longer have them.

If ever there was a case for Fair Use to come into play this is it. You aren't trying to make money from your recording so you can record it legally. It is a very likely example of a improved version of the original so that too allows you to record. Fair Use was created just for such occasions. Your only concern is with the people presenting the program claiming they have a copyright to it. They would have a very hard time proving they have a copyright over something a minor child played. Record away. You have nothing to fear.

I have a single GS omni lav that I use for recording audio for my video projects. I know what you mean about the lack of bass in their samples. But I have seen a lot of people who are serious about recording swear by GS omni lav's and a battery box. It seems like I heard some samples that made me think they were better than the samples on the GS web site. You just never know about samples from a concert though because it's very hard to know what the original sounded like. I was basically repeating advice that I've heard on boards for quite a while. I know I am very happy with my omni lav for voice recording. But of course the requirements for recording voice and music are very different. I actually prefer some roll off in the bass range for voice because it makes the voice easier to understand in a recording. I don't have a battery box. I use a single point Nady stereo mic for recording music. I haven't done any stealth recording in quite a while. When I did I used a Sony ECM-MS907 which is definitely weak in the bass range. But it was a highly recommended mic when I bought it. I do think my GS lav is weak in the bass department but not so much too strong in the mid range. But again I have heard lots of people swear by them for stealth recording. They certainly are small enough for the job and they aren't susecptible to problems with not being pointed exactly at the source. I really like my GS but again I use it for a different purpose.

Small mics from either Sound Professionals or Giant Squid and a battery box should make recording in stealth mode work quite well.

Just for the record here I'm not saying the MS907 is the choice I would make for a mic in that price range. It isn't. It was several years ago when I bought mine but there have been significant improvements in mics in that price range over that time period. The MS907 sounds pretty thin to me now compared to other mics in the same price range including the Nady CM-2S that I bought recently. The lack of a good low end response in the MS907 is a significant problem IMO. You can do better in that price range these days even considering the mic sells for about half of what it did when I bought mine. That said it is a very good mic for stereo imaging. That's the one thing it does really well because of a well done M/S design. That's the one area it is probably better at than my Nady. I wouldn't say the Nady is terrible at stereo imaging though. It's pretty good IMO it just isn't as good as the Sony. I can post that bluegrass sample for you soon. I have a link to a bluegrass tune that I recorded with my Nady already online. You can find it here. Keep in mind that it's from a practice session though. I'll try to post a sample that I recorded using the Sony sometime soon. BTW Musician's Friend has a 45 day trial period for all audio equipment no questions asked. It's hard to beat that and they generally have competitive prices too.

Actually the MS907 has excellent stereo imaging. It uses the M/S technique which is very effective in reproducing a good stereo field. That's probably the strongest feature of the mic. I would agree that there are some single point mics that don't have such great stereo imaging but this Sony isn't one of them. I've owned a MS907 for several years and I have always been amazed at how accurately it creates stereo sound. I have both the MS907 and a newer XY design single point stereo. My newer mic has much better low end response but it doesn't compare when it comes to creating a good stereo image. Different mics have different strengths. Stereo imaging is the best feature of the MS907 IMO. I have recordings I've done of a bluegrass band that I work with using the Sony mic. The way this mic places the instruments in a field is really amazing. I can post an example if you like.

I think the intended use of the recording makes a big difference in what quality you want to use to encode. If I am recording something that will be played through the crappy sound system in my truck I don't worry too much about quality being top notch but it does have to be an acceptable level. I don't record in 48 kbps or anything ridiculous like that. I will use Hi-LP though because the sound system it's being played through is no better than FM quality anyway. But if I want to listen to something through my best headphones I want much better quality. I'm apparently different on source material too. If I download an mp3 from the web I don't want to make it worse by encoding it at a lower level like Hi-LP. It will sound very bad if I do that IMO because it is getting double compression. If I'm transfering someting from a CD I will go ahead and use Hi-LP because it can stand to lose a little quality if the intended use is through a crappy sound system like the one in my truck. But it will definitely be noticeable if I play it in my car which has an excellent sound system. I think these questions are just something a person will learn to deal with in time. There are no perfect answers for every situation. Just remember that it's best to try to get the best quality you can get for your situation. You don't want to find that you recorded a bunch of music on a 1 gig disc only to hear really terrible sound from it on a long ride home from out of town when you really wanted to hear those tunes.

I've been using MD recorders and players since before there was a Sonic Stage. I never have had any problems with Sony software because I knew the limitations of it and I stayed away from expecting it to do things it clearly wasn't good at doing. With my NetMD player I used Simple Burner instead of Sonic Stage or OpenMG. I did my homework and found that Sony software just wasn't all that great and there were ways to avoid it's pitfalls and problems. I made sure I didn't turn control of my computer over to Sony at any point. I don't need my songs converted to Sony's format. I just need to transfer songs to discs so i can listen to them or I need to transfer recordings from my recorder to my computer. I just set up ways to avoid Sony having control over my songs and I was always fine with their software. I know it's a shame that their software doesn't operate as promised but that's just how it goes sometimes. I love the quality of their players and I have found many uses for them over the years. I do understand that it stinks that Sony is trying to let MD die a pre-mature death. I just don't expect them to listen to us when they make that decision. Sony does what Sony wants to do. There are plenty of things to complain about when it comes to MD and especially the software. But there are things that are great about the format too. I just try to look at the positive side and ignore the lost possiblities.

You should be able to get a charger and 4 AA batteries for around $20. This particular charger comes with 2700 mah batteries but those ratings can be fudged by companies. There's no real standard for those ratings. Of the many batteries I've bought the ratings don't really translate to better performance in the real world. I'd look for one with a 15 minute charger. I'd also make sure the charger has independent control over each battery. This one I found was just an example. It doesn't list a charge time and it says it has dual controls which means it controls 2 batteries at once. You might want to do a search to see what is really the best system to get. This example I found is probably not the best choice because of the reasons I mentioned.

Is it possible you are picking up interference from something? All mics are not created equal when it comes to picking up interference from things like flourescent lights and various electromagnetic fields. You might want to try a sample recording outside and away from anything electric just to rule out electrical interference. The differences in cables makes a big difference in how much interference a mic might pick up. I'd want to rule this out first if I was having a problem. Next I would check to make sure your plug was fitting properly into the MD mic jack. It could be a manufacturing defect causing your mic not to connect properly.

Have you tried recording through the line in to see if it records at all? It might tell you if there isn't any possibility of a software problem. If it doesn't record at all you might be looking at a mechanical problem. It's somewhere to start.

I emailed for a list but never received one.

You made the right decision on MD recorders. The mic jack is always there for recording music events where the sound level isn't rock concert style. There are other types of music in the world. Of course you could still record to a line in recorder with a mic pre-amp but that's usually more money than just moving up to a recorder with a mic in jack. Maybe the quality is better on some add on pre-amps but IMO the difference is minimal. The unit you chose will do great for you in just about every situation you get into. You didn't say what mics you bought. Another popular choice are Giant Squid products especially the powered omnis but the Sound Pro mics have a great reputation. The GS would cost you more than the Sound Pro too. There are still other choices depending on exactly what you want to do. I think people have pointed you toward stealth type mics because you mentioned concerts. There are other types of mics though and some of them are great. If you use Sonicstage 4 it will ask you if you want to convert to wav files when you upload from the MD recorder. It's a simple process once you figure it out which won't take you long. People tend to complain about the software issues with Sonicstage but I don't have any problems with it. I'd prefer it worked like some of the other stuff on the market where it would just look like a hard drive and you could download easily but it really isn't all that much trouble the way it is. BTW there were other choices for recording devices IMO. I know you already bought yours but someone else might be interested. A Rockboxed iRiver hard drive based recorder can be a good unit to have but you don't have a mic input so of course it's a battery box or pre-amp. Plus hard drives are fragile so one good drop and your unit is dead. I prefer MD myself. If you had more money an Edirol R-09 would be a very good choice but it costs quite a bit more than your budget.

I do believe that listening to loud music over a period of time will do damage to your ears but I don't buy the 5 minutes at 100% can cause damage argument. I've listened to much more than that over the years and I have only minimal hearing loss according to my doctor. And my guess is most of the damage I have was a result of working around construction equipment (like jackhammers) and in factories which I did about 30 years ago.

I guess I should have read his post more closely. It seems pretty simple to me. It just requires you to download the file then import it into SS to put back on the MD. Yes it takes an extra step but it isn't difficult IMO. There are other technologies that don't require this extra step but they have their drawbacks too.

Actually you can do direct transfers of mp3 files or any other data files using a HIMD player. The MD just treats the file as a data file. It won't play the file while it's on your disc but you can copy it to your computer when you get home just you could with any removable hard drive or thumb drive or whatever. You just drag and drop it on to the disc and then drag it on to your hard drive at home. You will need to install the driver for HIMD's to show up as a hard drive. I believe you can fit that driver on a floppy disc in zip format so you can keep a copy handy to install on a computer so you can use your HIMD as removable storage.

What I meant was that most people prefer other mics if they want to spend that much money on a mic. I don't have any personal experience with the MS957 but I do know many people think you can get a better mic with the same amount of money. There are other considerations of course and size is one of them. I wouldn't say that mic is a rip off. I just think I could get a better mic if I had $200 or so to spend. FWIW there are a number of sound samples from different mics posted on this web site. The MS957 isn't one of the mics there but the page might help you. You can find several comments on the MS957 on that same web site if you do a search. It could be there are comments about that mic here. I'm just not familiar with them.

The Cline Sisters Live. I have about 2700 albums though so I don't even think I've listened to this one.

Audacity is good but I much prefer GoldWave. GW isn't free but it has a trial version that isn't crippled in any way so you can try it out before buying it. It only costs around $45 and it is considerably more powerful than Audacity and IMO it's much easier to work with than Audacity. FWIW I don't think either GW or Audacity are totally kid friendly but they aren't difficult to learn either. IMO it's easier to cut and paste in GW which is probably the most important feature for a kid friendly program. I've been using GW for years (since long before there was a program called Audacity so maybe I'm prejudiced). There are things it doesn't do well but not that many. But it is definitely more powerful than Audacity and it isn't any harder to learn. In fact it's probably easier to learn. Reaper appears to be a multi-track audio program where you combine multiple tracks into a single track. GW and Audacity are more about editing a single track and making adjustments to the sound. You might want to take that into account. I'm not sure which type you would prefer. You may want to try them all to see which one gets used by the kids.

I was talking about the MS907. It has a good reputation in it's price range. The MS957 really doesn't relatively. There are other $200 that are considered much better than the Sony. That's been true for quite a while. It's only been in the past couple of years that people began to think that there are better options in the price range of the MS907. I'm sure if you do a web search for the MS907 you'll find lots of people still suggesting it is one of the best buys around. I've seen them sell for around $55 at times but they usually sell for around $65. If I was going to get a good $200 stereo mic I would probably go for an Audio Technica AT822.