ari Posted March 22, 2006 Report Share Posted March 22, 2006 Trying hard not to sound like a total newbie...I've had a MZ-N707 for about three years, and although it's considered a "budget" and low end recorder, I've always liked the quality of recordings that I got from it. The problem is, more often than not, I'd come home from an event only to find out that nothing had recorded. In the beginning, I blamed it on not pressing the right buttons, or dead batteries, but I've decided to upgrade to a new recorder, especially since I noticed a couple weeks ago that 3 out of 4 tiny screws on the front panel that hold it together have come off. The thing still plays discs, but when I try to record, it'll give an error message that says there isn't a disc inside. (Does anyone know where I could possibly buy those tiny screws online?)My needs are pretty simple, just a mic-in, with good quality recordings on a budget (I'd like to stay within $300US). I've never bothered with my remote, so remote features are not a deciding factor at all.Like alot of people, I've looked at the RH10 and RH910, and possibly the NH700. Looking at the info on minidisc.org, it seems like the only major difference between the RH10 and RH910 is the 6 line v 5 line display, and the 32 vs 25 hour battery time. (Am I reading correctly that with HiMD I can transfer any subsequent recordings through USB - and then convert as wav- and not realtime like I've always done in the past?)But then I noticed that the NH700 listed at minidisco, is comparable to the RH910, but with the addition of a mic sensitivity (high/low) selector.I mostly used my 707 to record theatre (almost always amplified, in large halls), with the occasional acoustic gigs. Until now, I've used a cheap mono mic (with one of those plugs from Radio Shack to make it stereo), and when my recorder did manage to record, I was always happy with the results (I'm not a huge audiophile like some of you... I know it doesn't take a whole lot to make me happy). I am, however, planning on buying the BMC-2 from Sound Professionals soon. Only once did I have trouble with bass (at an underground bar with really overblown speakers) so I'm hoping that I don't need an additional battery with a bass roll-off filter. But what do you guys think? Should I go for the RH10? RH910? Or the NH700?Any suggestions would be great!Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsoul Posted March 22, 2006 Report Share Posted March 22, 2006 My needs are pretty simple, just a mic-in, with good quality recordings on a budget (I'd like to stay within $300US). I've never bothered with my remote, so remote features are not a deciding factor at all.You should be okay with the Sound Professional mics, I have had great experience with them. I would recommend that you use a battery box and go line input instead of mic input or you can go mic input for acoustic material with the battery box as well. You can save money on the SP mics if you buy them from SP on eBay, I just saw the basic SP binaural mics for $39 on ebay from SP. Saves you $10 to go towards a battery box :-)(Am I reading correctly that with HiMD I can transfer any subsequent recordings through USB - and then convert as wav- and not realtime like I've always done in the past?)Yes, Yes, Yes, that's the beauty of Hi-MD But then I noticed that the NH700 listed at minidisco, is comparable to the RH910, but with the addition of a mic sensitivity (high/low) selector. The RH910 and RH10 both have high/low selector for mic sens. I mostly used my 707 to record theatre (almost always amplified, in large halls), with the occasional acoustic gigs. Until now, I've used a cheap mono mic (with one of those plugs from Radio Shack to make it stereo), and when my recorder did manage to record, I was always happy with the results (I'm not a huge audiophile like some of you... I know it doesn't take a whole lot to make me happy). I am, however, planning on buying the BMC-2 from Sound Professionals soon. You will love the difference in the real stereo mics.But what do you guys think? Should I go for the RH10? RH910? Or the NH700?If I were you, I would get the NH700 (runs on AA, records legacy MD (SP, LP2, etc but you CANNOT upload via USB) and HiMD modes (can upload via USB). You can save the extra money for the microphones and some power. Trust me, all of three of these will record the same way. You will get far more bang for your buck if you spend it on mics and power. I have been there...You could always take a look at Giant Squid Audio and get a battery box and mics in one package:Giant Squid Audio Omnis with Battery Box These are good quality and are great for what you are looking to do. Good luck and post some samples when you have time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A440 Posted March 22, 2006 Report Share Posted March 22, 2006 (Does anyone know where I could possibly buy those tiny screws online?)If you buy the screws from Sony, they'll cost you $4 each plus shipping. However, if you go to your local pharmacy and buy an eyeglasses repair kit (a little clear cylinder with parts and a tiny screwdriver, about $2) you will find one or two screws that fit. A couple of kits are the cheapest way to get the screws. Alternately, go to an eyeglasses store and see if they'll give/sell you some. Once you've installed them, lock them in by brushing a tiny bit of clear nail polish above each one. But upgrading is the way to go. Here's another vote for NH700--pretty much the Hi-MD version of your MZ-N707. It's invaluable to be able to just pop in another AA battery and not have to worry about the outboard pod. Look on Ebay: there are sometimes Buy It Nows for $125 shipped. I'm dubious about Giant Squid because their sound samples sound just awful--no bass, all midrange. I suggest SoundPro BMC-2s and Microphone Madness Mini Battery Modulehttp://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmcbmminminc.htmor, while you save up for the module, the Radio Shack headphone volume control (my avatar), just $7. Mic-->RSHVC-->Mic-In, turn the RS volume knob to max. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ari Posted March 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2006 Thank you, mrsoul and A440 for the recs!It never occured to me to look on ebay for mics although I've always scoured for prices on recorders. I searched for the SP BMC-2 there, and noticed that they are up for $35, but with $6 shipping and additional $10 for the clips, they seem to come out the same price as their regular catalog. Either way I'm sure I'll be buying them later today when I find my wallet under the mess that is my desk. And then to the drug store I go, to find some eye glasses kit - that's an ingenious idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsoul Posted March 22, 2006 Report Share Posted March 22, 2006 (edited) I'm dubious about Giant Squid because their sound samples sound just awful--no bass, all midrange. I suggest SoundPro BMC-2s and Microphone Madness Mini Battery ModuleI never had their omnis just the cardioids. I know how much A440 just loves cardioids! I think their cardioids sounded pretty good for the price. But, like I said, you can't go wrong with SP's omnis and a battery box or the Radio Shack method (what I use when I stealth record). Edited March 22, 2006 by mrsoul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauljones52 Posted March 23, 2006 Report Share Posted March 23, 2006 If you buy the screws from Sony, they'll cost you $4 each plus shipping. Yup, I bought an old unit off ebay to replace missing screws as it worked out cheaper! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ari Posted April 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2006 Just wanted to let you guys know that I took your advice, and ended up with a MZ-NH700 from Planet Minidisc (which I think they got from MD Australia, because of the Australian power plug and flyers that were in the package), with soundprofessional mics. I did order a battery pack from microphone madness, but they took almost two weeks to get here, and they arrived the day before my first big recording, so I didn't use them since I don't really know how to adjust the little levers (I don't supppose anyone can explain, or know of a website that can explain, exactly how they work? Because I really have no idea, and I'm not sure if trial and error will take me far before I get completely frustrated). My first recording still came out amazingly better than the recordings on my old recorder, and I have to say that uploading through USB is so much better than real-time. I don't know how I managed so long without HIMD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Low Volta Posted April 10, 2006 Report Share Posted April 10, 2006 glad to hear HiMD is working out fine for you... be sure to search these threads for bass roll-off or something alike as that kind of batt-boxes have been discussed before...but, best is not to use any bass roll-off. Just use the batt-box to power the mics (through line-in) at a loud show. If the thing doesn't overload (it never has for me and I've been to really loud shows) you can always lower the bass when editing on PC, but if you use roll-off, you can never get it back as it simply isn't in the recording Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgy Posted April 27, 2006 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 (edited) This is my first post here after spending a little time lurking and reading. I purchased a Sony MZ-N10 a short while ago and would like to use it to make a few stealth recordings in the near future. With that in mind....You should be okay with the Sound Professional mics, I have had great experience with them. I would recommend that you use a battery box and go line input instead of mic input or you can go mic input for acoustic material with the battery box as well. You can save money on the SP mics if you buy them from SP on eBay, I just saw the basic SP binaural mics for $39 on ebay from SP. Saves you $10 to go towards a battery box :-)@mrsoul (or anyone else that can help):Could you please provide a link to those SP mics on eBay please as I can't seem to find them. I'm based in the UK so I'm wondering whether the shipping cost would make these prohibitive? Could you recommend a battery box and mic setup from a single supplier so that the shipping costs can be minimized? Is the SP battery box comparable to the Microphone Madness one?Can anyone based in the UK recommend a similar setup available locally with links please?Thanks in advance Edited April 27, 2006 by Ridgy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Low Volta Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 be sure to check out the DIY or premade mics by greenmachine... (pinned links in the live rec forums I believe) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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