Sound Of Moving Parts When Recording

[Abbstrack]

hello.. i have an nhf800, and when i record, i can hear the sound of moving parts, almost like a clicking noise (perhaps it the disc turning?) I am wondering if this is an issue thats specific to my player, or all md's..quite honestly i dont recall that noise on my former recorder (nf810ck)

it also seems this would defeat any purpose if i tried recording my plugging my mic directly into my md without any extension cord.

just curious.

[dex Otaku]

MD and HiMD are have mechanic parts inside them.

It is printed in the manual of most models that you should not plug microphones directly into the unit, so as to avoid recording the mechanical noises of the recorder as it works.

Side-note:

The HiMDs appear to be much louder than their MD predecessors. I would guess that the reason for this is that, in order to track the new 1GB discs correctly [which have a higher track density than standard MD] they had to use an optical transport with a much finer positioning motor/mechanism. Since this is the first generation of this equipment, I expect it will get better with time.

I, myself, have learned to keep my HiMD in my pocket or under something that acts as a baffle when recording from extremely quiet sources. Otherwise, the unit grinding away occasionally is plainly audible in the recording.

In any case, it's just something we have to live with for now - keeping in mind that it's recommended not to plug mics directly in to even the older, quieter units.

[Abbstrack]

thansk dex, i'll have to keep that in mind, though i dont recall reading that sort of warning in the manual, but its likely i skimmed and completely missed that. at any rate, that is certainly a drawback, although not a big one, esp. considering as you said this being a 1st gen unit.

[craftech]

Manufacturers often never mention what is common to mechanical recording devices such as MD, cameras, etc....that internal mechanical noises are picked up by microphones that are close to or built into the devices. Microphones have to be moved away from the devices to reduce or eliminate it. Often only a few inches will do the trick.

John

Edited January 21, 2005 by craftech

[nickjr]

I read on a thread here once that if you're recording while the unit is plugged into AC outlet, you will pick up noises that are not there if you're using the battery.

Is this true?

[dex Otaku]

If you're using a microphone that is powered by the unit ("plug-in power") you will get the electrical noise of your house current in your recording, yes.

[nickjr]

Dex, my nh900 came with a couple of extra filters. What are these for? Can they be used to filter out this noise from the AC?

[dex Otaku]

The chokes are for filtering out radio frequency interference caused by the HiMD recorder. They are not actually for filtering interference picked up by the mic or its cable.

If you want to have filtered power coming into your recorder, you have to replace the power supply with one that is regulated and filtered, neither of which the adapters that Sony include with their units are.

[Reactive]

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