mauri

I had sent and e-mail asking Church Audio about the differences in the specs of the pro binaurals, about the mini pro binaurals pictures that didn't show clips nor windscreens, and about the battery box that didn't show the cable from the box to the line-in jack, but they haven't replied yet. I liked the specs of their mini binaurals, but haven't been able to find any sample recording, and read more than one user of TS suggesting other people not to use them for indoor concerts because they were too bassy. I think I'll go for the SP-BMC-12 binaurals, and the SP-SPSB-10 or SP-SPSB-8 battery boxes. They use different batteries, 12V and 9V respectively. I believe most of the mics I've seen need 1.5-10V power, could the 12V harm them? (The Audio Technica capsules seem to accept 1.5V as well as 9-52V phantom power, though.) Please have a look at the SPSB-8 picture, it looks like the roll-of controls are glued to the outside? http://www.soundprofessionals.com/mas_asse...l/SP-SPSB-8.jpg This boxes can optionally include bass roll-off, should I opt for it? Could it be usefull if you are in a room where there is too much bass? If you don't use it, can you always adjust the low frequencies of your recordings with audio processing software, like Audacity? I heard some great news today: Joao Bosco (GREAT brazilian guitarist and singer) will be playing in my country in 4 weeks, in an acoustic concert, just guitar and voice, something that will resemble his "Unplugged" cd (I invite you to have a listen to it, it's amazing). What a lovely occasion for my first recording!! And I promisse you I'll upload some of it to the galleries

Ok, after reading and listening, I'll choose between these mics: Sound Professionals BMC-12 Freq. response: 20-20,000 Hz SNR: 60db Dynamic range: 81dB (96db with battery module) Max. SPL: 110dB (125db with battery module) $100 Microphone Madness BSM-7 Freq. response: 20-20,000 Hz SNR: 62db Dynamic range: 95dB Max. SPL: 105dB (120db with battery module) $65 Church Audio pro binaurals Freq. response: 20-40,000 Hz SNR: 68db Dynamic range: ? Max. SPL: 120db (more with battery module) $80 Church Audio mini pro binaurals Freq. response: 20-40,000 Hz SNR: 73db Dynamic range: ? Max. SPL: 120db (more with battery module) $130 And will buy the corresponding battery module. Higher SNR is always better, isn't it? Considering price/performance, I think I should go for the CA pro... I won't bother you any more, you've been so kind. May be by September I'll be uploading my first sample Correction: When bundled with the ST20A preamp, the CA pro binaural's specifications read "S/N is 58 db Frequency response of the mics are 20hz to 20khz". E-mailed Church Audio about this.

Finally a TS user explained that you just control your gain, and that's it. If it's a quiet sound, you turn the gain up until the H120 registers it. It goes from 0db to 45db, if he remembers well. He also said that at 24db it started to get noisy. I searched at http://freesound.iua.upf.edu form sample recordings with the H120 and mic only, some of them had important hiss, somo others sounded really good. I supose it depends greatly on the mics used. So, I just bought the H120 in a local auction site, hope to get it in about 2 weeks. Minidisc is way better, but my friend wouldn't be able to bring a minidisc unit because he will be buying some other things for himself, and I don't want to make it riskier for him when he goes to the custom office when arriving. But I will ask him to get the mics, that's something that doesn't call much attention. One more thing that I don't understand about mics: the CS Binaurals specs read "The modifications add more than 20 dB to the microphones' undistorted dynamic range, flatten and extend their low frequency response, and all but eliminate recorder overload distortion". But if they pick up more db's, wouldn't that have more chance of overloading the recorders preamp? How do they extend low frequency response and eliminate distortion? Also from the specs: "Be sure to disconnect the microphones from the battery box when they are not in use". So, you can disconnect them. But I just read a topic in TS about a guy that found the CSB's sounding "hollow" for indoor events, that really scared me... what if I spend $230 on these and then I don't like what I get... Surely with cheaper mics his result would have been poorer, but I don't know, may be I'll go with a cheaper option. I'm looking forward for having all the equipment and make my first recording, and put it in the galleries to let you know how things worked!

Ok, I got it about the line-in overload. About built-in mic: I don't plan to use it. About battery: yes, that's a big minus... but I read in TS that you can change it, the thing is getting a new one. I'll do a search. The H120 I may buy comes with the charger. I started a thread in TS asking about the level meter adjustment before reading your last post, and it has led to another question: it seems the unit does not have MIC-IN? Untill now I havent been able to get TS users understand what I ask for, don't know if it is my confussion or my bad english, but will keep trying. I'll wait for your PM with the H120 samples (couldn't hear the T30 sample yet because I'm at work and I can't download mp3 files here). About the battery box in the CS mics: it should fit into a pocket, I think (look at http://www.core-sound.com/mics/1.php ), and whether I use the mics through mic-in or line-in it's always better to have the battery connected, am I wrong? I don't see any use where I would need them without power, but I have no experience at all and may be missing something...

A440, I already sent you a PM, thanks! When you talk about possible line-in overload, it's only in the case that you don't use a battery module, am I wrong? After browsing TapersSection I see that one of their prefered recorders are those from iRiver's H series. I am considering the H120 right now (I saw one in a local auction store); though it's not a solid state device (it has a hard disk), but it has very nice functions: PCM recording, recording level monitor (wich is the most important thing missing in the T30, I think), etc. It works with Rockbox firmware. In the H120 user's manual it reads that "Volume level can not be controlled on the H120 while recording from an external device.", I supose Rockbox fixes that, but I'll have to ask the guys at TS. If I end up buying that one, I could spend some more $ on the mics. I found Core Sound's binaurals, wich include a battery box. The reviews are possitive about them (well, they should be, they are expensive). I'll keep on investigating, hoping it is useful for someone else too. Thank you!

Thank you A440, I knew about misticriver.net, that's where I learned that the problem with the 96Kbps recording limit with the UMS firmware could be solved going back to MTP. I found some tests a french guy has done with the Samsung YP-T7FX mp3 player. http://stephane.aubert.free.fr/SAMSUNG.YP-T7FX/ - (you may go to babel.altavista.com to get it translated) This unit records at 192Kbps. He connected preamp and mics to it, put a cd on his stereo system, and put the Samsung 1 meter away from the speakers, and I think the recordings he managed to get are not bad at all. I don't know what the difference would be between this scenario and a concert in a theater or club. One shoud have to experiment a lot with the preamp gain level (if needed) and the recording level setting in the mp3 player. I wonder if the mics and the preamp he used would have much difference with the ones we've talked about in this thread. The mic capsules are Panasonic WM60A. The MM-BSM-7, for example, has "Panasonic 61 series" capsules. Don't know about SP-BMC2. By the way, A440, do you have any sample recording made with the T30 that you could share? If this forum's galleries are not the right place to upload it, may be you could use rapidshare or megaupload. Thanks in advance...

Guitarfxr, thanks for the link to Full Compass. I browsed the site, but couldn't find mics that were appropiate for taking them to concerts... A440, thanks for the link to Tapers Section, it's a very nice resource. I have found some sample recordings made with the iKey Plus, they all seem to lack bass. I searched further for information on the H4, R09 and MT, but they present important drawbacks. H4 is very big and not good quality (read what some users say about it in http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,85918.0.html and what some technicians say about it in http://www.sonicstudios.com/zoomh4rv.htm). MicroTrack has corrected most of it's faults with the latest firmware update, but I don't like the fact that it has no replaceable battery. I think the R09 is what people like most, but it's build quality is poor (they say it looks like cheap plastic and many users report broken input jacks in the very first uses). And buying a R09 + SD card + battery box and mics would cost more than $500. I think the NH700 has the best price-performance ratio by far. What I don't like about it is that it's display has no backlight (am I wrong?) and that a solid state unit is preferable to the minidisc mechanism. I'll wait for the H2 some days hoping it's better than the H4 for what I need, and then try to make my decision based on all that you have kindly suggested. Guys, you are so generous when you take time to reply and share your knowledge, all that I can say is THANK YOU! Best regards, Mauri

P.D.: MiniDisc Access has MD recorders, battery modules, and mics. The MM-BSM-7 looks like a good mic, doesn't it? They also have battery modules with adjustable bass roll-off function. Also found the "iKey Plus" portable USB recorder in Sound Professionals. I'll be searching for reviews.

Guitarfxr: Yes, I read the specs of the MX34, but it seems to be something bigger in size than what I was looking for. About its SNR, it looks like it is lower than the PASM-2 (115 dBu, though I don't know what the "u" means). The mics are probably the same as the BMC-2, wich A440 recommends (surely for a budget solution, not for a pro). I was going to ask if they were too noisy, but maybe greenmachine has given a clue about that. Anyway, I would like to know wich mics would you recommend to be used with the MX34, if they don't range in the hundreds of US$. Obviously every question I make is with the biggest respect for each one of you! A440: Now I understood about the filter. In your last paragraph you say something that is one of the things that makes me consider de PASM: if I record soft sounds (a classical guitar concert, for example) I use the preamp, if I record loud sounds, I can leave it at 0 gain and have it work as a battery module. After all your suggestions, and given the limitations I have (about bothering my friend with buying things from different stores), I wonder if there's a store where one can find the MD recorder, a battery box and a good mic, all in the same place. Other choice could be buying the H4, wich I believe makes better recordings with the integrated mics than the Edirol, but is way bigger in size. And the last one wold be the T30, with poorer quality, but if it is what I can get and afford, I'll try to enjoy it Thank you all!

Thank you for your responses! @Guitarfxr: I believe 58db is not the specification for the preamp but for the integrated mics, wich is the same as the mics in the PASM-2. About MDs availability, no, I don't have that here, but I could eventualy get my friend to buy a pack, or try to import them later. @A440: The visibility of the unit is something that I could deal with. If you record through mic-in jack (wich has internal preamp) you need low cut, but if you record through line-in with external preamp you don't need it? I don't get it... Ok, I will not consider the DS70P. But I can't find the MZ-RH1 in any store, eBay seems the only way to go, and I can't bother my friend with an auction transaction, and could never be sure about what I would be buying (it's a used unit)... too risky. Thank you again, best regards, Mauri

Hi guys, I'm trying to get recording gear mainly for rock concerts, and after reading a lot of topics in this site I'd like to ask you some questions. The options I'm considering are: 1 - iRiver T30 (line-in recording at 320Kbps with the right firmware) + Sound Professionals SP-PASM-2 integrated preamp-battery-mics http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/.../item/SP-PASM-2 2 - Sony MZ-M200, wich includes Sony ECM-DS70P mic 3 - Zoom H2 http://www.samsontech.com/products/product...cfm?prodID=1916 I live in South America and a friend of mine is going to New York for the next 2 weeks, so I will ask him to buy whatever I end up choosing. I have a limitation about what to buy, because I don't want to ask my friend to go to (or call) 2 o 3 stores to get different components; that's why I can not choose the configuration A440 recommends in the previous post (MD recorder + mic + battery module). I will ask him to buy the SP-PASM-2 (I can get the T30 somewhere else), or the MZ-M200, or the H2. My questions are: - What do you think about recording quality comparisson between the first and second options? Will the 9V power of the PASM-2 box make it's mics perform better than the Sony mic that would only work with the plug-in power from the MD recorder? What about mics quality? Are the PASM-2's mics good ones? Unluckily I haven't been able to find any recording sample made with this unit. - In the specifications for the PASM-2 I don't see anything about low cut. Is it that a battery powered mic has no need of a low cut filter, or do the gain controls have to do with low cut, or is this filter missing? - Microphone Madness offers a product similar to the PASM-2, the MM-PSMS-1. Do you have any experience with these two? Do you find any one better than the other? http://store.microphonemadness.com/mmpreamsterm.html - What can we expect from the Zoom H2? Knowing that it will work with 2 AA bateries, do you think it's integrated mics will have power enough to put up with a [may be quite loud] rock concert without sound distortions? If a concert is too loud, would it be enough to reduce the recording level? I know this unit is not in the stores yet (hope it does before my friend leaves NY), but it's performance in this respect should be similar to currently available units like the MicroTrack or the Edirol-09, or Zoom's H4, and may be you know about their behaviour. If it can handle a concert, the convenience of not having to deal with cables and connections is a plus. But sound quality is my main consideration. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer. Best regards, Mauri