javajeb Posted July 1, 2005 Report Share Posted July 1, 2005 I do a bit of genealogy in my spare time. Many of my forbears are now gone and much culture and history is passing with them. So, with those that are left, I want to start recording stories, etc.I recently acquired a MZ-NH600D, which I enjoy. My question is this: what Hi-MD recorder would be best for interview style, oral history recordings? Something that won't break the bank would be best.For context, I have recorded hours and hours of spoken word in the past on Marantz portable cassette decks that were excellent. But now, I want something I could dump to my PC and preserve in other formats, etc.Suggestions?Thanks,javajeb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Low Volta Posted July 1, 2005 Report Share Posted July 1, 2005 any Hi-MD without a 'D' in the model name would dothe RH10 and NH900 would be my first choices, with the RH910 and NH700/800 next...just look around for them (check out the minidisc.org equipment browser for specs) and see what budget you have...also feel free to ask any further questionsgreetings, Volta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javajeb Posted July 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2005 any Hi-MD without a 'D' in the model name would dothe RH10 and NH900 would be my first choices, with the RH910 and NH700/800 next...just look around for them (check out the minidisc.org equipment browser for specs) and see what budget you have...also feel free to ask any further questionsgreetings, Volta←Thanks Volta.As I will be diging around, what mics would you recommend for an interview style environment? I used to stuff in the pro audio realm so I'm not sure what will interface.Thanks again,javajeb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Low Volta Posted July 1, 2005 Report Share Posted July 1, 2005 what mics would you recommend for an interview style environment? I used to stuff in the pro audio realm so I'm not sure what will interface.the Hi-MD's come with a 'mic in' and 'line in', both for 3.5mm minijacks-portsthe 'mic in' works quite well for speech/interviews and will support mics requiring plug in power (+/- 1.5V I believe)the internal pre-amp (used when going mic in) isn't that bad, and for interviews/speech even the AGC (auto gain control) is quite useful (that is to say, it won't kick in a lot so you probably wouldn't really notice it) but manual settings are recommended if you like to keep control over recording levels (but require more preparation effort and getting used to with Hi-MD)line in leads to very quiet recordings mostly and needs an external power source for plug-in powered mics... but if you use an external pre-amp you could definitely use the line in as well and the features of the pre-amp (type of connections allowed) could give you more options for micsI myself only need to record interviews/lectures and stuff for my own use, so I bought a very cheap Sony mono-mic... (I reserve my bigger budget to get me some binaural mics for recording music) so I can't really help you with conrete tips for mics, sorry...Greetings, Volta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A440 Posted July 2, 2005 Report Share Posted July 2, 2005 If you have a laptop and aren't worried about stealth or portability, you could also record directly into the mic-in jack of the laptop. Audacity, in the Downloads tab on the minidisc.org homepage, is good recording software. Some laptops do have bad mic jacks or soundcards, so it might not be the solution, but you should give it a try and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javajeb Posted July 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 Volta,To probe the depths of your experience and knowledge related to MD, I've been digging around based on your earlier recommendations. I've seen the Argos thread on Hi-MD today, so here's what I've found for US prices. Seeking opinions on what would be the best bang for the buck:MZ-NH910: $199.99MZ-NH900: $220.41 - usedMZ-DH710: $149.99/$137.78 usedThey all, according to the specs, seem to match up with my desired use. Out of personal experience/proxy experience, which would be the best one? All fit my target budget with the NH900 being a bit high, but in there.Thanks,javajeb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmachine Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 A MZ-DH710 would be useless for your purpose since it does not feature a mic or line input.A MZ-NH700 / MZ-NH800 would propably give the best 'bang for the buck' since they tend to be cheaper here and recording quality seems to be virtually the same for all models, i don't know about their current availability though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veezhun Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 go for the rh910 in this case.. better battery life than the first gen Hi MD and also mp3 playback(not upto the mark though according to many)since you need to mainly record and upload on the pc, the rh910 is ideal coz its easily available, good battery life with the AA addon, and all the inputs you need ie mic, line in and optical in.. further, since you already have a HI MD downloader, i dont think legacy recording ie MDLP would greatly interest you.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javajeb Posted July 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 Looks like, at least with amazon, that the 9x0 will be the most likely candidate. I found one NH800 for $250. A 910 new is $199/$183 used. No 700/800's there. I may lurk ebay for a while to see what they're going for.thanks. I missed the prefixed "D" with the 710.javajeb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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