Problems with Skipping while Recording? and Other Questions!

[Mulio!]

I have a Sharp Md-Mt877 that I bought from soundprofessionals for recording live concerts, and occassionally there will be a skip in the recording. Is this due solely to movement of the recorder while recording, or is it a problem with the quality of the minidisc?

And can distortion be caused by the type of microphone used, or rather is distortion due solely to the recording controls used: levels set, whether mic in/line in is used, amount of bass rolloff used?

And finally, after recording a concert where the level has been changed while recording, you can notice a distinct change in volume. Is it possible to use a sound editing program to level-out the changes in volume? Which sound program is preferable?

THANKS!

[SimonMagus]

I have a Sharp Md-Mt877 that I bought from soundprofessionals for recording live concerts, and occassionally there will be a skip in the recording.  Is this due solely to movement of the recorder while recording, or is it a problem with the quality of the minidisc?

And can distortion be caused by the type of microphone used, or rather is distortion due solely to the recording controls used: levels set, whether mic in/line in is used, amount of bass rolloff used?

And finally, after recording a concert where the level has been changed while recording, you can notice a distinct change in volume.  Is it possible to use a sound editing program to level-out the changes in volume?  Which sound program is preferable?

THANKS!

Sorry...not sure if I have the technical savoir-faire to address the first two issues...perhaps something jostling the mic connection, or jumpiung around too much during the show?

I'll guess at the 2nd and say that cheaper mics that have lower-end components and/or lower dynamic ranges may cause distortion/clipping with sounds at the extreme end of either spectrum?

For the third issue, you may want to get your hands on either Cool Edit or SoundForge (although SF only works with .wav format, while Cool Edit can edit MP3s) and experiment with normalization (which you would want to do anyways to ensure a robust volume to your end product). You might want to normalize the lower-volume section to a higher degree than the rest of the recording...it might take a lot of fiddling, and you might not get a crystal-clean perfect result, but no audio recording is perfect, and it could very well drastically improve your end result.

I'm sorta stabbing in the dark here...but hope this helps.

[Mulio!]

Thanks for the reply- I think it's difficult to answer these questions due to the fact that there's so many variables that can affect the quality of a recording.

[Mark Nicholson]

When you change the microphone volume and go from 20 to 21 you will get a skip.

[Guest Anonymous]

I also experimented skips in 2 successive recordings with my sharp MT888 though I hadn't moved more than usual. So I started using another pack of mds (and another brand) and I haven't this problem anymore.

[Guest Anonymous]

The skipping is probably due to the bass vibrations shaking the minidisc recorder.

I used to have that problem. One way round it is to lay the MD recorder on some foam. If you are standing, and holding the MD< then there's probably not a lot you can do about it. I'm assuming it was a loud concert?

As for distortion.

It could be anything in the recording chain really. Although, even the cheap mic I use can withstand 120db, which should be loud enough for most loud gigs, but my weak point is the mic input on the MD.

I'm gonna have to buy a battery module so that I can use the line-in, cos my mic needs "plug-in power".

Be careful not to twist of move the mics jackplug in the MDs mic input, cos that causes loud crackles, due to the plug-in power's resistance changing (or something).

[Ferenc]

I also experimented skips in 2 successive recordings with my sharp MT888 though I hadn't moved more than usual. So I started using another pack of mds (and another brand) and I haven't this problem anymore.

Could you specify which brand of MDs caused skipping and which not.

[Markr041]

I once had a terrible problem of skipping on recordings made on a Sharp. The cause was Memorex mini-discs. Every recording made with them had skips. When I switched from Memorex (to TDK, or Sony, or Maxell) the problem never again appeared.

[Ferenc]

And what about gaps (not skips)? I very occasionally observed it during playback, but just the other day they appeared on my recording - about three-four times in a one-hour recording. Gaps last for a few tenths of a second, in both channels, usually at the same time but sometimes are shifted a little bit. It is definitely not a contact problem since contact noises cannot be heard. I have a Sony MZR-900 and the disc is TDK (MRGX-80 or whatever). What's the cause and how to avoid it?