Ok, the Hi-MD's are still relatively new and not many people have much experience taping with them, so I thought that I would write a review of one of my recordings (being a n00b, myself.)
I'd first done some research to see what other tapers had used for their recordings. One common piece of hardware that I came up upon was the SP-SPSB models from Sound Professionals for Bass Roll-off, because the rock concerts that I go to were typically in small clubs and loud.
So, for my recording, I used the MZ-NH1, SP-SPSB-1, and MS-907.
The first taping that I made was at an in-store appearance. The in-store wasn't very loud, they had two stand speakers on the side and some in the back. Before the show, I had preset the MD to "Hi-SP", the mic sensitivity to "Sens Low," and the AGC to "Standard." The SP-SPSB has its own volume sliders that I set to about 80%, I used 69 Hz for the roll-off. I carried everything in my pocket, so I wasn't going to adjust the volume during the show. I was about 25 ft from the band. Checking the level meter, I was well below the -12 db or the first hash. So, I moved up to about 18 ft and that was better.
Problems: Some of the problems that I occured during this recording were checking the levels and the mic. To check the levels, I had to pull the MD out of my pocket and doing so caused the miniplugs to turn and jumble around. I received a few pops in the recording from that. Second, the MS-907 is uncomfortable to hold during a show. I ended up setting in on some CD cases next to me. I probably didn't need the bass roll-off, since the show was more moderate.
However, the second show was much louder and I think it was crucial that I had the bass roll-off. For this recording, I sat at a table and laid everything out. I took a black shirt to put everything on and to keep the stuff from rattling and picking up noise. Again, I was about 30 ft from the stage. I changed the bass roll-off to 96 Hz to include a little more bass w/o overdoing it. I made a test recording for the levels during the opening band, but I think that I settled the volume slider to around 75% during the main performance. During the loudest points of the show the levels were about 3 dashes above -12 db and a rare 4 here and there. However, I don't believe that I had any overloading.
Problems: None really. I changed the volume according to the show and I had the mic sitting on my shirt. I brought the jog dial to check the level (in case it was too dark), but there was enough light.So, I could relax and enjoy the show.
Being my first live recording with an MD, I was very pleased with the results. It sounded exactly like CD quality. The second recording turned out alot better than I had hoped. I was able to pick up every note in detail w/o the sound running together. I could pick up all of the drum clicks, and the cymbals weren't overpowering. The bass was in good moderation and their was no humming or distortion. The entire recording sounded together and balanced.
Final Notes: I knew before hand that the venues and band had no problem with me taping the show. So, the MS-907 was good. However, if anyone were to record standing up or trying to be incognito, I'd recommend some other mic that clips to a shirt or is less bulky. The equipment was a bit much to carry, but some good cargo pockets worked fine, and I recommend bass roll off for loud recordings.
Hope this helps anyone out,
BK
