msteeln Posted July 15, 2010 Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 Having made my second semi-successful venture towards capturing (mellow) live music, all went well enuf but the ECM-DS70P mic that comes with the MZ-M200 still needs more wind protection than the SONY provided carrying pouch that I tried, on a light wind night. So, I need to find something proper. What's best? Are there any 'dead kitten' type that will fit this mic well? What is a suitable alt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmsla Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 In my opinion only, the best alternative is a much much better microphone. Look at the AT 8022. B&H in New York City is selling it for a great price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msteeln Posted July 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 No doubt that's a real good mic, but @ $350+ it won't happen soon for me. A little fuzzy mic hat is much more likely right now... I was considering the AT-822, which get's rave reviews. Your thots on this one, and compared to the 8022? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmsla Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 Msteein, I have both the AT 822 and just picked up the AT 8022 this week to compare. They are both excellent stereo condenser mikes. I have gotten many great sounding recordings from my 822 both in my studio and in field settings like jazz clubs or in one instance on a subway platform. Audio Technia is no longer making the 822 but, it can still be found pretty easily with a Google search. That said, the 8022 is considered the alternative to the 822. Both mikes come with two sets of cords, one set with left and right quarter inch plugs for use with a mixer or other professional level equipment and another cord that terminates to an eighth inch stereo plug for going directly into the mike input of a minidisc recorder or such. I am finding that for the same price as the 822, at B&H anyway, the 8022 is in fact an even better sounding mike. wider dynamic range, less flat sounding...brighter and wider sounding. I would actually like to sell one of my 822s (I have two) and get a second 8022. In another topic on the forum called Live Recording I posted a link to some A/B comparison recordings between the 822 and a Sony mike called an ECM-MS957, a very expensive and awful sounding mike. The thread is called Live Recording Using MD and Transferring To CD by Samantha D. I'm pretty sure my links are still active. I'll try to upload and post a link for an A/B comparison between the AT822 and the AT8022 and that mike that comes with the M200, that DS70P. The difference will amaze you. I sympathize about the cost of a high quality microphone but, having a high quality digital recorder for mike recording is pointless unless you have a really good mike. That is the first link in creating the signal that will be recorded. And remember that all live recordings start as an analog signal. If your mike is low quality, the results on you high tech recorder will be disappointing. The DS70P is really best suited for recording speaking, not music. I'll try to get that link set up soon for you. Best, -J 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msteeln Posted July 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 I sympathize about the cost of a high quality microphone but, having a high quality digital recorder for mike recording is pointless unless you have a really good mike. That is the first link in creating the signal that will be recorded. And remember that all live recordings start as an analog signal. If your mike is low quality, the results on you high tech recorder will be disappointing. The DS70P is really best suited for recording speaking, not music.Absolutely! At this point I'm merely getting used to recording at shows again, and these are lower volume Hawaiian music gigs that my present mic/s handle well 'enuf' while I learn to drive my M200. But eventually something big and loud will come to town and I do want to be ready with something proper, if not equipped with a cartioid mic. Thanx for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsychoPimpKiller Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 I have an AT822 and it does pretty well. I started out recording some local bands with an ECM-MS907, and then later upgraded to an ECM-MS957. While the 907 seemed to record more bass than treble, the 957 did the opposite. I tried mixing the 2 together and that didn't work out too well at all either. I finally decided to get an AT822 and I noticed a big difference over the 2 Sony mics. Since it was a local band that I knew and was friends with, I would set up all 3 mics and record them but now I just use the AT822. It is so much better at capturing the true sound of the music I am recording. I got mine used off of Ebay for a little over $100. Luckily I got the 2 Sony mics off of Ebay used too, so I didn't spend a bunch of money on them (I would never pay over $300 for an ECM-MS957). The 957 is definitely better than the 907 but not as good as the AT822, though. On another note, I have used my ECM-DS70P to record some other shows where I had to be "stealth". While it didn't do the greatest job of recording, it is very listenable and a good reference for me to go back to. I do use a 10dB inline attenuator with all my recordings so that the bass doesn't overpower my recording, and that seems to make a big difference. My recordings I did before I got the attenuator are kind of distorted in some places. I am not a pro at all but just do it for a hobby. Each one of the mics that I've used have given me decent, if not some good recordings. No where near CD quality live recordings that you would buy in the store but they work for me. It took a lot of trial and error and reading stuff on forums and asking questions. I now feel pretty good that the recordings I do will be decent enough to listen to and give to the bands so that they can use them as a tool for themselves. Sometimes the venue that you record at can affect the way it sounds on the recording, too. Some places acoustics are not as good as others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 If you have problems with too much bass you might be surprised how good the all-in-one flash recorder (ICD SX750) is. That was my only criticism of that beast, the bass a little light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmsla Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 Hey PPK, Good story about your mike experiences. I've used some of those other mikes you mentioned and came to the same conclusions. One thing I wanted to point out about your experience with too much bass...the AT822 has a "low frequency roll off" position on the switch. Basically it limits bass below a certain frequency level, I can't remember what but it's on the spec sheet. I've used it and it works very well. It's the second click position on the on-off switch. I have no experience with attenuators and don't know how to use them so maybe they are a better way to go. You can certainly do an A/B test. I'm just reluctant to pass the signal through any accessories. I notice I get the best sounding recordings when I plug the mike directly into the MiniDisc's mike or line input as opposed to when I have the mike going through my mixer first. I seems that anything the signal passes through adds something to the signal...some hum, hiss, or other interference even if it's subtle. Not saying I get bad recordings using my mixer but, directly into the recorder is best. Do you notice that sort of thing with an attenuator? -James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsychoPimpKiller Posted July 23, 2010 Report Share Posted July 23, 2010 No, I never noticed anything out of the ordinary with the attenuator. The music I record is at a lower volume because of the attenuator but that is all I've noticed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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