Recording acoustic guitar and male vocals

[omgmichael]

Hi. I am a complete newbie to Minidisc as well as taping. I want to tape a show I am attending the 20th. It will be acoustic guitar and vocals. I am thinking of using/purchasing these mics.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sound-Professionals-Bi...1QQcmdZViewItem

What do you guys think? I really don't need it to be extremely high quality, but I would like it to be decent.

I also need a suggestion for the cheapest decent MD recorder with a mic input. Thanks!

Edited May 6, 2007 by omgmichael

[King Ghidora]

I suggest you read the Wikipedia article on binaural mics on this web page. A binaural mic recording sounds quite bad when played back through loudspeakers. They sound great when played through headphones though but they are not designed to be played through speakers. Download the audio file and compare it on speakers and through headphones. You'll hear the cross talk and distortion on the speakers and you'll probably hear the fabulous 3D sound when played through headphones. It all depends on how you will be playing the recording back whether you want this SP mic or not. I prefer true stereo mics myself because you can play them through speakers or headphones and do well through both. They aren't as good as a binaural through phones but they are MUCH better through speakers.

The cheapest MD recorders are the original MD recorders. They sound very good but they are hard to come by these days. They have been out of production for several years now.

I would suggest that you get an iriver IFP-890 mp3 ecorder if you want to go the cheapest route to a decent recording. They sell for under $20 on eBay and they have a mic input. The pre-amp isn't the best in the world but it isn't bad either. You could combine that with a AT Pro 24 and have less than $100 in a decent system.

I would suggest though that you spend $200 on a Zoom H2 when they come out in the near future. They record in 24 bit and they have their own built in mics. IMO they are the future of portable recorders. They are a tremendous value for a recorder but they aren't much as a player. The iriver I mentioned would be a better player if you want a device that will record and play your recordings. I say this because the H2 will be much bigger to carry around than the iriver.

[omgmichael]

Thanks for the suggestions. Do you think I will need a battery box? I don't see it being to loud, but I am not sure. It's a small club like venue.

[greenmachine]

Depends on the sensitivity of the microphones. Lower is better in this case.

[boojum]

Not exactly. Binaural mics do not sound bad at all when used in a regular stereo array. I have a pair of OKM II's which I use as binaural when the mood strikes me and otherwise as omnis, currently in an OSS/Jecklin array which yields very good stereo images and sound. A binaural recording will sound odd through speakers and fine on headphones, but the mics themselves are just omni's.

[King Ghidora]

I actually put something in about the way you set up the mics in my post at first but when I tried to post it my internet connection hiccuped and it didn't get posted. You're right. If you set these mics up in a traditional stereo type array (like an XY setup) then they should sound ok on loudspeakers. I intended to say that in my second post (the one that actually got posted) but I forgot to mention it. I also talked about how companies mis-use the term "binaural" in my first post. This mic could be setup either as a binaural or a XY and get entirely different results. In fact unless a person knew how to set up a binaural they wouldn't get a binaural recording at all. Mic placement always means a lot and this is a perfect example.

I'm not sure why the people at Sound Pro's label these mics as binaural. I don't know if they include instructions on how to set them up as binaurals but the alligator lapel clips they include would not give a person a binaural setup at all if you actually attached them to your lapel. It would be more of an AB mic setup.

Edited May 8, 2007 by King Ghidora

[omgmichael]

Well, I ended up going with and ordering a Sony MZ-NH700 and the SP-BMC-2 mics. Since I didn't purchase a battery box(yet) can I just use the mic in and set to low sensitivity with the SP-BMC-2? Or will that yield distortion?

Edited May 8, 2007 by omgmichael

[A440]

Well, I ended up going with and ordering a Sony MZ-NH700 and the SP-BMC-2 mics. Since I didn't purchase a battery box(yet) can I just use the mic in and set to low sensitivity with the SP-BMC-2? Or will that yield distortion?

Amplified, you're almost guaranteed to get distortion. Unamplified, maybe not. It's just a matter of how loud it is and how much bass there is.

A cheaper but slightly lower quality way to avoid distortion is to use a Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control (my avatar): Mic-->Headphone Volume Control-->Mic-in. Turn the volume control knob on the Headphone Volume Control to its maximum, and control record level on the unit. Use Low Sensitivity anyway.

Alternately, Mic-->Battery module-->Line-in.

Also, you must use Manual level to record music. Disc in unit, REC/PAUSE (time display blinking), MENU-->REC SET-->REC VOLUME-->Manual (not Automatic), and start with about 20/30. Find a level where the indicator stays a little over halfway up the scale and then leave it alone--you will hear every change you make.

[omgmichael]

Thanks for the reply. Do you think a 9v powered portable headphone amplifier would work instead of the RS Headphone Volume Control?

[A440]

Do you think a 9v powered portable headphone amplifier would work?

No. It won't. I have a Cmoy headphone amp powered by two 9v batteries and it doesn't provide enough signal going into Line-in. And I don't want to amplify the signal going into mic-in. Try yours recording from your stereo speakers, but I doubt it.

The headphone volume control only costs about $7 and is a lot smaller, and it does work. Just make sure its volume knob is all the way up.

[omgmichael]

OK, will do. What about MIC AGC should i leave that at Standard or LoudMusic?

Nice recording of 15 step BTW A440

Edited May 10, 2007 by omgmichael

[A440]

OK, will do. What about MIC AGC should i leave that at Standard or LoudMusic?

MIC AGC stands for Auto Gain Control. You might as well leave it at Loud Music in case you accidentally end up recording in Auto. But as long as you're using Manual it won't have any effect.

I know it looks tempting to leave on Auto and Loud Music, but I promise you'd regret it. Try recording off your stereo a few times and listen to the results. Getting into Manual Level looks complicated when explained, but it's just a few clicks that turns into a fairly simple routine.

I edited one of the guitar riffs from "15 Step" so I can use it as a ringtone. Gets an interesting reaction from RH diehards.

[omgmichael]

How long would you say a fresh alkaline AA(Duracell ProCell) would last in comparison to the the rechargable AA the recorder came with?

[A440]

I think the rechargeable is rated at 700 milli-amp-hours. MaH.

The Duracell is over 2000, if I remember correctly, maybe even 2700. So three times as long, perhaps nearly four.

Don't waste your time with the rechargeable. Use it for playback, but not recording.

[omgmichael]

Just got back from the show it was a blast and the recording turned out very well! Thanks for all your help A440, as well the rest of you.

I will post a few tracks once it's done transferring to my HDD and I get some sleep!

[omgmichael]

http://www.sendspace.com/file/obwmii

let me know what you think