glauber

Sound Professionals: http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/.../item/SP-PASM-2 ($200, including preamp and microphones -- this is the new version of the microphone i have, with more features; i haven't used this model, but i like the one i have) http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/.../item/SP-PREAMP ($180, preamp only) Reactive sounds (i haven't used them but they have a good reputation and their banner is on top of the forum :grin:): $200, very nice preamp http://www.reactivesounds.com/spa2.php

IMHO single point stereo gives a much more realistic stereo image. With dual monos, to get good stereo separation you need good physical separation. If you have 2 cardioids, you can put them in a 60% angle and it's similar to a single-point stereo setup, but clumsier. Using a directional mic lets you get more of what you want to record and less of the surrounding ambiance. But maybe the ambiance is what you want. It's always a compromise. Buy both kinds. Radio Shack used to have an excellent little micophone pair (dual mono omni) for $17. It's a pity they don't have that anymore.

Yes. Me too. Gentle compression can make music really stand out, but it's better not to do it too much. With vinyl, cassette and radio, you have to compress, because of the limitations of the media. CD and other digital media can express a lot more dynamic range.

Most commercial recordings (probably all?) are compressed, to reduce the dynamic range. That makes for easier listening in noisy situations (e.g. car), and more efficient radio broadcast.

Thanks, this makes sense. In my case, the hiss is present even if the microphone is turned off.

Crappy may be too strong a word. They're under extreme constraints for size and power consumption, which limit what they can do. With the Sharp 190, it seems to have 2 levels of preamp. The settings go from 1 to 30. Up to 20, it shows a letter "L" (low), over 20, that letter changes to "H" (high), and the hiss kicks in. There's also a small pause (interruption in the sound) when you go from L to H, which leads me to believe that a secondary preamp or maybe a different circuit altogether kicks in at that point.

I'm no specialist (so take this with a grain of salt), but i'd get a good amplified microphone. Sound Professionals is what i use, but i'm sure Reactive is good too, etc. Just get a good expensive preamp or a preamplified microphone with a good expensive preamp. Anyhing less than, say, $200 is probably not good enough. Then connect that to the line input of your recorder, not the mic input. The idea is to bypass the (often crappy) internal microphone amp. You might want to look into stuff like the Edirol, or one of the new non-md recorders that are able to record uncompressed (e.g. WAV) audio. MD is very nice, very easy to use, but not the best when you want to move your recordings to a computer. Hi-MD is promise more than reality right now. It may end up being a great thing, but on the other hand, Sony is also very capable of dropping it and leaving you with useless expensive hardware. I'd say give it a few years to mature or die.

I'll think about starting to use Hi-MD when Sharp comes up with a Hi-MD unit. I won't commit to a one-vendor format.

I accidentally voted for Buchanan. Can i fix it?

Well, since you're twisting my arm :wink: Here's with the Sony SM907 connected to the mic port (5MB MP3, sorry): http://www.glaubernet.com/music/20040914/2...14_FluteJam.mp3 you should be able to hiss under the music (sounds a little like wind). Here's with the Sound Professionals connected to the line port (1MB MP3): http://www.glaubernet.com/music/20041012/2...1012_Bruach.mp3 The Sound Professionals mike is omni. Notice how the amount of reverb increases when i move away from the mike a little, about halfway into the recording. Also notice how it picks everything, including my breath and the key clicks. Very sensitive. You'll hear some hiss, but that's my breath on the flute. Listen for silence when the flute isn't playing. Both recordings done with Sharp MD-MT190W(S) recorder. No effects added (reverb is ambient). Analog upload to PC soundcard, then Lame to convert from WAV to MP3.

Since the Sound Professionals microphone i have can be used (apparently) as a preamp too, the next thing i should try is using the Sony microphone through the S.P.'s preamp. I'll let you know how it goes, next week. I like the directionality and stereo quality of the Sony, but at least in my case, i need the output level that the preamplified microphone can supply, to bypass the noisy amplifier inside the MD recorder.

It went well. I find that the hiss is gone. The best result is plugging this microphone/preamp combo into the "line" input of the MD (Sharp MT190). But then you lose the ability to insert a mark (new track #) every 5 minutes. I ended up using it in the "mic" input, but setting the levels in the Sharp very low (10 or 8). Then adjusting the level on the preamp up slowly until it's where i need it without clipping. There is a very slight deterioration when compared to using the line input, but this allows me to have the new track marker every 5 minutes. This Sound Professionals mic has very good low frequency response, maybe better than the Sony's. Stereo separation is OK, but not as good as with the Sony MS907. I wish i had a microphone configuration like the Sony, but able to generate a stronger signal. Maybe something with its own preamp. The hiss i'm getting with the Sony is coming from the Sharp MD's microphone amplification. The hiss kicks in as soon as the recording sensitivity goes higher than 20. That's where there is a quick interruption in the input, and apparently a different or additional amp kiks in, in the Sharp. g P.S.: The Sound Professionals microphone i have is actually an older version, but looks like the one i mentioned, without the additional gain toggle switch (it has only an on/off and the level pot.

I have the same problem. You may need a microphone that can generate higher levels of output.

I use a MS907 (Sony) with Sharp MT190 MD recorder. Most of what i record is acoustic live music, and i find the levels are not sufficient. I have to use high gain in the Sharp, and this is introducing hiss (i figured out that the hiss starts when the MD's mic preamp switches to high gain, i.e., beyond level "20").

What do you guys think of this microphone? http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/.../item/SP-PASM-2 I'm about to give it a try tonight, recording my band's rehearsal. I've been using the Sony MS-907, but i'm more and more disappointed with the amount of hiss that it seems to be introducing in the recording. I'm hoping this will be quieter. g