Newbie needs help in choosing Hi MD Recorder

[laoconnell]

I'm a tech-moron newbie who needs to buy a Hi MD for recording my band's live concerts and rehearsals. I've read a lot of posts here and it seems that MZNH700 or perhaps RH1 or 10 or 910 might be useful--but we use Macintosh exclusively and wondered about limitations (have been reading posts about no Mac software) for downloading to our Macs. And can they be used with an internal mic, or is it best to buy an external and battery pack? And why the battery pack if I need only a couple of hours?

I have about $200 (if that) to spend; could go over but would like to go under. I read Low Volta's intriguing post about choosing a cheaper model and going with SP binaural mics and battery boxes to power mics through line-in at loud shows but would be delighted with some specific recommendations for equipment (went to the page recommended and couldn't quite figure out the "package" available.

Thanks SO much for any help you could offer; this forum is just what I need.

[The Low Volta]

hi and welcome to MDCF,

first some bad news:

only the MZ-M10, MZ-M100 and RH1 are mac-compatible, the other models will not upload your recordings to mac... so the cheaper models (NH700/800 etc) are out of the question I'm afraid

secondly:

it could be useful for us to know where you are (and where you cold buy stuff from) as the US offers much cheaper mics than Europe and with import taxes and stuff this isn't useful in Europe at all

[laoconnell]

I'm in rural northern California, in the U.S., so I'd probably be buying online or on eBay. I saw an MZ M10 for $280 (ouch!) this morning on eBay. If I get that, that probably precludes external mic/battery pack for now, so I hope the mic is adequate for loud shows (the band isn't head-banging, ear-splitting punk, but alt. country with drums, so it does get loud). How does the MZM10 compare price/feature with MZ-M100 and RH1?

All we need is bare-bones GOOD QUALITY recording; no bells, whistles, cameras, radios, etc. necessary.

Thanks so much for your expertise! Much appreciated.

[The Low Volta]

(darn, hate to be the bringer of bad news...) but no HiMD recorder has an internal mic (and no other MD allows uploading, so you're stuck with HiMD)

but on the plus side, SoundProfessionals.com offer cheap and good binaural mics:

SP-BMC2 (A440, another very knowledgable user of these forums, uses them and has posted great recordings with them)

just search for posts by him in the live rec section, as he has another very cheap solution for 'loud' recordings (a headphone-volume-control cable that attenuates the signal and which costs $7, much cheaper than any battery-box)

besides, perhaps you can find a cheap (an unused PC from a relative or something) PC computer that is capable of Win 2000/XP... this allows SS4.0 to be run and means you could use any HiMD model you want... (could be cheaper than buyin a new Mac-compatible HiMD)

just trying to think with you...but if price is really an issue I would opt for a NH700/800 and try to find a PC to use with SS4.0 somewhere so you can spend $30/40 on relatively good mics from SoundPro's and still not overspend

[A440]

Whatever you do, don't spend $280 on the M10. The MZ-RH1, which is about to be released in the US, will cost about $300, is better set up for recording, doesn't look like it will scratch the instant you touch it and is supposed to have improved Mac compatibility.

Volta is right: If you can prevail on a friend with a PC to install SonicStage, you could get away with the basic MZ-NH700, now a bargain at around $125 on Ebay (from an Australian closeout last year). You'd upload on the PC, burn .wav files to CD, and take it from there on the Mac. Otherwise, if you're living in a Mac universe, wait a few weeks for the RH1.

As for mics: Minidisc recorders (with a few early exceptions) don't have built-in mics, and a good thing, too, since the mechanism makes noise that would be picked up by a built-in mic. Beware, as well, those mics without a cord that look like they will be so cute just plugged into the mic jack. They, too, will pick up the whir of the unit.

Does your band play through a mixer? You could record from the mixer output into Line-in and find a good level with Manual Volume. Recording from a mic, there's no way around it: You're going to need either an attenuator (Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control, the cheap and expedient and theoretically incorrect solution) or a battery module (Microphone Madness has a small one for $50 that works great:

http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmcbmminminc.htm )

Without an attenuator, the microphone preamp of the MD, as with every small recorder I've ever tried, overloads with loud or bassy music via the mic jack, no matter how low you set the incoming level. Just a fact of life.

The Sound Professionals BMC-2 offer excellent fidelity and small size. You might keep an eye out for them on Ebay--Sound Professionals sometimes offers them at a discount there. Otherwise, http://www.soundprofessionals.com is the place to look. Get them with clips.

You can pre-order the MZ-RH1 there too, but ask them when they expect to have it in stock.

Also, MDCF's own greenmachine sells his own handmade mics at a reasonable price--a real bargain for Europeans, who regularly get gypped on electronics. Check the end of this thread:

http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=14388&st=15#

Edited June 11, 2006 by A440