Compression Issues - Himd

[jadesmar]

Hi forum,

I just purchased a MZ-NHF800 with a Sony condensor mic for recording my band's practices.

I used the following recording settings:

REC Mode: Hi-LP

REC Volume: CANNOT SET

MIC AGC: LoudMusic

MIC Sens: Sens Low

Time Mark: Off

Some of the bass and snare hits seem to be cut off when recording.

I have uploaded an example of the problem here:

http://www.yearofthegone.com/bass/projects...gg/Comp-err.wav

(It's about a Meg in size so I can only keep it there for a couple of weeks.)

The sound problem I am seeing, assuming this is 2 bars of 4/4 music, appears on the snare hit on the 2nd beat of bar 2.

Can anyone help with this?

[A440]

What you're hearing is AutoGainControl flinching from your snare-drum accents.

You got Cannot Set because you need to be paused while recording to get into manual volume every time you start recording. Why Sony didn't allow us to set Manual as a default setting remains baffling and annoying.

Anyway, to get into manual volume press REC and PAUSE simultaneously. You'll see mic levels changing while the time display blinks.

Then Menu---REC SET--REC Volume--switch from automatic to manual. You can then, by moving the center stick (>) or turning the wheel, pick a manual volume of x/30.

If you had the recorder set before to Low Sens it should still be set that way--Sony lets that setting stay switched--and leave it on Low, or switch it to Low if need be. The Standard/Loud Music item no longer matters because you're not using AGC.

Un-PAUSE to start recording. Test various manual volume levels, perhaps starting with 10/30 or 12/30. It will depend on your mic and the loudness of your band.

Each time you press STOP you have to go through the whole Manual-volume drill again, so use PAUSE rather than stopping.

I'd also suggest using Hi-SP rather than Hi-LP for better quality. You'll still get more than 2 hours per 80-minute disc.

Even with the AGC annoyance, that's a pretty crisp recording. Manual should do the job once you find a usable level.

And in the immortal words of James Brown, make it funky.

[jadesmar]

Thank you very much for your assistance.

I was impressed by the clarity of the recording but annoyed and what I considered to be some sort of compression/gate issue. I will give this method a try this evening and let you know how it works out.

I just tried HiSP mode on one of my disks and it claims to have 7 1/2 hours of recording time. I think this will be more than adequate for any of my sessions.

Hey, it also appears that SYNC REC can be set in the same manner. More fun stuff to play with.

Cheers and thanks again.

[A440]

Hey, it also appears that SYNC REC can be set in the same manner. More fun stuff to play with.

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I suggest turning Sync Rec off--it's mostly useful for recording CDs in realtime, separating them into tracks when it detects 2 seconds of silence. But if it detects silence for a certain amount of time, it will shut off the recorder completely. Just as with AGC, the less automation the better--you're smarter than your MD.

You can make track marks during the recording just by pushing the Track button.

[jadesmar]

I see, thanks for the heads up.

My software would probably complain about any attempts to edit a 4 hour wave file and I am slightly concerned about the auto-track marker splitting songs in 1/2.

The manual claims it goes to standby after 3 seconds and stops recording after 5 minutes. Thus, I may try it when running through a set but, when recording an entire session, I'll need to shut it off.

If it works when running a set, great; if not, I'll make friends with the track mark button. The concern there is that the recorder stay pretty far from my bass amp.

For now, I'm just "playing with my new toy" before I settle upon the recording solution that works best for me. Given the clarity I achieved last night, I can be fairly confident that there is one.

[A440]

You can add track marks while you're recording OR afterward--that is, while listening back to the MD. As long as the MD doesn't have its write-protect tab open, track marks can be added and deleted without affecting how it sounds. So you don't necessarily have to be running back and forth to the MD during the rehearsal. With fast-forward (which you can listen to as you run it), you could place track marks pretty quickly after the session.

But if Sync works for you, by all means use it. I'm not sure it will, given that you're probably not dead silent between songs Make sure you turn off the Auto track marker which will insert marks automatically every five minutes, too.

[pmvn]

Some of the bass and snare hits seem to be cut off when recording.

I have uploaded an example of the problem here:

http://www.yearofthegone.com/bass/projects...gg/Comp-err.wav

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Hey it's sounds cool to me No annoying snare, nice compression

[pmvn]

But if Sync works for you, by all means use it. I'm not sure it will, given that you're probably not dead silent between songs 

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I wonder if Sony will implement 'adding track marks based on gain level'

Occaisionally I get extra tracks when recording from the radio (which is quite noisy still) however it only happens when there is a quick fade-in to a relativly high level gain so no slow fade in's those have to be added manually.

Sync is set to off btw I wonder what was Sony thinking with that auto-on auto-gain, everytime setting the levels manually sjeehs. Well somethings are brilliant while others are rather moronic, aah well...

[jadesmar]

I didn't try synch, I was too concerned about losing sound and track information.

Adding track marks manually during recording was a little tedious and, more unfortunately, made me aware of the recorder during the entire session. I would like a plug in and forget it solution. And, I see that sync is not going to work for this purpose.

Hence, I am moving on to experiment with adding trackmarks before uploading but after recording. Tonight, I am going to turn the recorder on and leave it. I'll see how this turns out tomorrow.

I assume that adding track marks is a simple matter of pressing the T-Mark/Rec button during playback of an analogue recording. How does removing them work?

I would provide samples, but the rest of the band is leary about releasing songs on the Internet at this stage. I somewhat understand their reservations but, will try to find something to upload this weekend in case anyone wants to hear the results of my NHF-800 recording sessions.

[Christopher]

I assume that adding track marks is a simple matter of pressing the T-Mark/Rec button during playback of an analogue recording. How does removing them work?

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This is in your instruction manual.

[jadesmar]

Sorry, didn't mean to offend.

[Christopher]

No, no offense at all, I just want to make sure that you knew.

[jadesmar]

By way of explanation, my machine was open box purchase and had no manual. I have the PDF but no facility to print it.

In addition, sometimes I just type whatever I am thinking -- well meaning to look up the information for myself at a later time.

[A440]

To remove track marks, start the track, hit Pause, go back (with the center > stick) and you'll see MARK xx. Push the track button and the mark is erased.