Reactive

I would opt for the microphone method, my main reason would be to capture the live performance sound of the band. This of course would presume only using a MD with a set of mic's and a decent pre-amp. I was recently given a CD of a live performance DJ set. It sort of sucked, because you had no idea that it was being played live. The person recording simply ran the MD directly from the line outs. Some of my best recordings have been a combination of both, ie a MD plugged into the P.A line outs, and a seperate MD with microphones. A multi-track editor such as Cool Edit allows for the finishing touches. This creates a phenominal sounding final CD. I highly recommend trying this if you have the opportunity.

I'd agree with A440. Pick up your recorder, a set of Mic's and practice with them first. I have recorded the most amazing sounds with the most minimal of equipment. I would start with a set of Stereo microphones, they come in two configurations: direct plug in and cable. For the most flexibility and to allow you to learn properly I would recommend the cable version. We sell them with some advanced features. I'm trying to directly avoid pushing our fine products on this forum, however in cases like this it's difficult Once you have your recording gear, go to a place where the sound is not going to change too much. Take a note pad. Make a series of recordings with the same settings on your recorder. Change only the location. Make a note of each location. This 20min exercise can lead to all sorts of enlightening things about your particular recording technique. I have found that a bad location can totally kill a recording, things like wind noise, crowd chatter, dead bass and super position of bass can add and remove from the desired recording. Good luck, It's a great and very rewarding hobby. Let us know how your results?

Hi Andrew, how are you making out with the windsock? Here is some good info: http://www.equipmentemporium.com/windscre1.htm Gerry

An easier solution would be to chain the recorders together: Connect the headphone jack from recorder 1 to the line in of recorder 2, and you should be able to record in brilliant HI-FI. Make sure that the output from recorder 1 is not overloading the input of recorder 2. You may be able to select a line-out option while recording.

This is an intersting thread, I will add my own experiences: When MD came along it blew me away, far better than tape, impossible to write over a previous track, superb sound....you know the rest, that's why we are all still here. BUT, trying to get your now digital recording up to a pc quickly, sigh that's where it really lacks. You take a picture on your camera and you can digitally transfer it to a pc quickly and easily. Why oh why can we not do the same with a minidisc recorder. Thanks to Sony and the music recording industry who are still in the dark ages about all this, we have a great recorder that still only allows an analogue upload (unless you buy a new HI-MD, even then it's not easy). THanks to Sony and those other guys, they have paved the way for new products that will allow digital transfer of files: Flash recorders, eridols ect ect. We are working with a client in Europe that is using the new breed of pocket pc's for journalism. Lot's of features and easy transfer of data. In the end that is the one feature that will win over all the rest. Fun times, and new products heading our way soon

You won't hear your breathing at all. Given the sound level in your recording location, the pre-amp will have to be turned all the way down. No way to hear any noises such as breathing, smoking ect ect. I have found the best mounting location (in stealth mode) to be on my shirt collars pointing forward. If you wear a dark coloured shirt you won't be noticed. Locate yourself mid point of the P.A stacks and away from loud chatty people. Don't record with the auto gain function on, instead use the manual record level, and check your levels to make sure your not distorting. If all goes well you will have an audio recording that will take you back to that exact moment everytime you play it. It's a great way to capture the moment. Thanks Gerry Bolda www.reactivesounds.com

I'll jump in here to say: Plug in mic's have their place when your recording goal does not have production quality in mind. This can be an ideal microphone for reporters, interviewers, or anyone that wants a quick hassel free recording solution. I have made many a great recording using mono and stereo plug in microphones. The motor noises are intermittant, and I find that if the recordings are not linear I can easily remove those noisy parts of the recording. For speed, minimal setup and portability the plug in mic's cannot be beaten. It's just a matter of working within the limitations of the equipment. Thanks Gerry Bolda

In some cases of high loudness the microphone elements will distort, even with a volume attenuator down the line, your still going to have that distortion factor. How do you get around this? Part One. Power the microphones at their full rated voltage (approx 10 volts dc, for most electet based mic elements). This allows the microphone to operate at it's full dynamic potential. You will have the added benefit of allowing that mic element to accept a much higher sound level before it distorts. Most mic elements can handle approx 100dB when powered thru the mic jack on a minidisc recorder. Power the element at approx 9v and that same element can handle 115-120 dB. That's a significant increase in power handling. Very significant. You'll need a power supply that connects to the microphones and the MD recorder. We sell them under the name of a "Juice Box" on our retail web site, more info to be had there..... Part two. By-passing the MD recorder pre-amp: The minidisc recorder, a marvel of technology, by far the best portable recording device out there in my opinion. However, the pre-amps have not been designed for loud recording noises, especially from a mic element that puts out a really high signal. Solution: By-pass the pre-amp completely by inserting the mic plug into the line-in jack. How is this possible without a mic pre-amp you ask? Well it turns out that the electret mic element when properly powered by an external power supply such as the "Juice box" will put out a very high signal. High enough in most loud recording situations that a pre-amp is not required at all. Now that is cool!! The result. A beautiful clean recording that rivals professional gear costing many times more. One last tip. Be aware that some practice is required, you must know your gear, and be an active listener before you hit the record button. In fact this is a point that is worthy of another discussion. So i'll leave it at that for now. Good luck, let us know what your experiences are, and we all benifit from it. Gerry Bolda www.reactivesounds.com

We ship to the UK frequently, takes approx 5 days with express mail. Hop on over and compair: www.reactivesounds.com

Microphone location is often missed in these discussions. I have had some experience with my own acoustic piano, and depending on where you mount the mic's you can get a fantastic recording, or a really dismal recording. After numerous attempts to capture the magic of the instrument, I settled for a Stereo mic set up, one placed on the kick board (with tape) and the other just inside the the baffle that hides the string array. With this set up I was able to capture the harmonics and over tones, as they often ring long after the keys are pressed, and more importantly the silence between passages. I don't have that piano anymore, but I often listen the the few recordings I made, and now I miss it . There is a beautiful, mystical sound that is hard to describe in words that comes out of a 100 yr old piano. I replaced it with a Kawai digital piano (so I could play without disturbing others), it's completly portable, but lacks the 800lb wamrth of the acoustic model. These days I am looking for a new instrument to play, I'm thinking a flute. Anyone out there that can spare a few mintues on the subject?

thanks!! That nasty "feature"always bothered the heck out of me. Great to see that they changed that. Have a great Christmas.

That,s not exactly true. Line in level sensitivity can be changed on the fly with all my Sharp recorders. Sony are a bit different and require you to pause first. It makes sense to have the line in adjustable, there have been times when the mic's are putting out so much signal, that I had to reduce the line in level to approx 80%.

Just to add to this: We designed a good work around for this last year: The micpod, it's a small pocket sized mic stand for T-mic's, Delta mic's ect. It has greater flexibility than just an extension cord. More details here at our US distributor: http://www.minidisco.com/micpod.html

Glad to hear that the Auris Microphone impressed you. We spent alot of time coming up with an attractive, small and yet very functional housing for that microphone. To answer your question about transient high's: I always recommend that when recording a loud live show that your use a seperate power supply for the microphones. If you can afford it, a seperate pre-amp will really make those microphones shine. The boost box was designed for this purpose, the clipping led makes it very easy to set your levels (especially in dim lighting situations). Are you recording in manual recording mode? Automatic is not recommended for concerts because the circuitry cannot react fast enough to compensate for the loud transitions. Thanks and please keep us in the loop.

The headphone output is a dual mode output. You should be able to go into the menu system of your recorder and change the output from audio to line. Then your headphone jack will be functioning as a line-out. Cool eh!! Sharp was one step ahead of sony on this one, you simply turn up the volume past 28 and it magically becomes a line out signal (unaffected by tone controls). Good luck, now go and record with some of most portable high tech equipment ever made.

There should be no problem using a mic power supply with the mic-in on your recorder. Line in would be a far better option, less distortion, high dynamic range. You may find that the loud concert will easily overload the mic pre-amp. Thus avoiding it by using the line-in.

Does your mini cam have a seperate audio in? often a white coloured RCA jack or perhaps a break out cable? I'll presume yes so i can elaborate further. You'll be sending a stereo signal into a mono input jack. Thats ok. Equipment required: Microphones Microphone power supply (Juice Box, we can help you with this) that's it. Just plug the output of the juice box into the camera (you'll need an adapter to go from the 3.5mm male stereo plug to the camera's input jack. Radio shack should be able to provide everything you need for this. Even though you are using stereo mic's you;ll only record one channel or side of your mic set up. Good luck and let us know if this works for you?

I have had many a poor recording from too much hiss. My investigation led me to a combination of loud self noise microphones, and even louder internal pre-amps. Even when recording without anything plugged in you will get a certain amount of noise. This is generated by the electronics inside your recorder (I have noticed that when compairing the Sony to the Sharp, the Sharp is much quieter). So what can you do about all this? 1. Keep your current equipment, and remove the hiss with some post software editing. I usually keep a template of my recorders noise print on file, and use that to remove the hiss from some of my recordings. Keep in mind that removing the hiss also removes some other sounds, and depending on what you recorded it could make it sound worse. 2. By-pass the internal pre-amp by feeding the mic signal into the line in. This will result in almost no pre-amp noise at all. However, You will need to power the microphone with an external pre-amp or a simple power supply. Note when using the much cheaper power supply only, you'll need a loud environment to record in. Let us know how you solved this problem?

Build it!!!! Now coming from a microphone manufacturer you might find that remark kind of funny. However, I am a passionate audio nut and I do like to dabble in the electronic's once in a while. That circuit should provide you with a cleaner, quieter recording than using the mini-disc internal pre-amp. If it works you'll feel like super man, you will have saved some money, and wrapped your head around the electronics world for half a day. Let us know your results, and good luck. PS be sure to check for cold solder joints, #1 soldering problem.

For simplicity I would go for a plug in mono microphone with no cables. They take up absolutely no room, and produce a very clean voice recording. I would look for a mindisc recorder with a MIC JACK. Minidisco has lot's of options. Good luck

A pre-amplified microphone is one that will have it's own power supply, and it's own pre-amplifier all built in. The output of such a microphone should be line level, which is the industry standard for all audio devices. With a pre-amplified microphone you could plug the output into the cd, aux, or tape jacks of your home stereo and hear yourself sing over the speakers I have a bit of a problem with these devices, as they are hard to find, and the ones that are out there do not have a gain control to adjust the clipping level of the mic. Gain is the amount the pre-amp actually boosts the mic signal by. It should be adjustable, preferably with a knob that gives more infinite control. Zero or unity gain (as it's commonly called) does not amplifiy the mic signal at all. This can be a great setting for a very loud recording environment. Clipping occurs when the microphone signal is too high for the level of the pre-amp. This results in a very nasty sounding distortion. Turn the gain all the way up and shout into the microphone. It will clip instantly. So knowing where to place your microphone, knowing how much gain to set the pre-amp to, and monitoring the levels are the three components required to make a great sounding recording. It's easy and fun, I encourage you to record as many different things as you can. Good luck

I'll just add that the true cost of running a legitimate business is way more than the material cost of a few microphone elements. Taxes, wages, overhead ect all have to be built in to the cost of a microphone. Chris, I respect what your doing, (we started out on ebay back in 2001 with the pen microphone), however you'll find that your costs will sore as your business grows. It is a certainty. I enourage those of you that are handy with a soldering iron to make your own microhones. However, If you are looking for a particular design and some quality (ie something that does not look homemade) then look to the online retailers. My humble respect,

Hi Toby, Automatic recording level control or autogain, is disappointing for anything that is louder than normal voice conversations. The electronic gain circuitry simply cannot move fast enough to keep up with the loud and quiet volume changes that you often find at a concert. Always record with with manual record mode. You'll need to practice this a few times before you get the correct ballpark settings. Essentially you want to set the level at the 5th bar segment, then occasionally monitor this to ensure that you are not driving the pre-amp too hard. That microphone and 90% of all electret based mic's do not perform well in very loud recording situations. The reason for this is bias voltage. A small amount of voltage from the minidisc recorder powers the microphone. Typically 1.5-3v is about all they can provide. Those microphones perform way better at their max voltage capacity (up to 10 volts in most cases). The only way to provide the correct power would be to add a Microphone power supply to your gear. We sell them for $49.95. One last potential problem is dirt. Make sure you always wipe your microphone plug before you insert it into the jack. Do not touch the metal contacts with your fingers. Over time a noticiable degradation of sound can occur though a build of of dirt and oil on the microphone contacts. You can periodically clean them off with a mild solution of rubbing alchohol I hope that helps, and please let us know if you were able to correct this problem.

I don't see why it would be a problem, you can leave the dead rechargeable in the unit and continue to feed it new AA as needed. Note: I have successfully field charged the MD internal battery by taping together two D cells (in series to create 3v). I then taped a wire to each end of the battery terminals, and then to the dead minidisc battery respectively. After approx. 3hrs the battery was fully charged! I was able to further recharge the battery several times using the same D cell. The charge voltage is about right, and the amps are self regulating (ie. the MD battery will only take what it needs). A VERY handy thing to have out in the middle of nowhere. BE SURE TO GET THE POLARITY CORRECT or you'll be sorry Best of luck!!

The mic recording side will be analog, the digital recording side of the unit is for recording a cd thru an optical cable. The cd player would have to have a digital output so that you can record in digital. All Microphone recordings will be in analog, then converted to digital by the MD internal analog to digital converter. A microphone operates on the principal of changing sound pressure. This in turn is translated to voltage, which is given the term analog by the industry. I hope that makes some sense? It can a bit overwhelming at first, but you'll soon get a hang of the jargon.