Live (microphone) recording on a low budget?

[Guest Anonymous]

(I posted this in general discussion earlier - this looks like a better forum for this question!)

Hi all -

I'm considering getting an MD to take travelling (in Nepal and India) and record street and market sounds, crazy conversations, and especially local music (sitars, flutes, etc.)I'm guessing that some music will be amplified, some won't.

Perfect sound and computer compatibility are not required; decent sound,low cost, stealth, and durability are. (anything taken travelling can get destroyed or stolen.)

I'm leaning towards the Sony sport MZ-S1 S2 because it's water resistant and fairly low cost ($149). But the sales people tell me it will be useless with a mic because there's no pre-amp, the ones with pre-amp start over $250. I'm a bit leery about ordering a Sharp (or used sony) sight unseen over the internet, and can't find anywhere locally (Denver CO) that sells Sharp MDs.

Is built-in pre amp a must for this kind of recording?

Also, what types of (small, <$40) microphones would be best for this purpose, to hide in a shirt pockets, etc. with minimal noise when I move around ?

Any suggestions and info would be welcome. Thanks.

[sudden]

If you are on the road a MD that can use standard AA battery would make it easyer for you as it can be hard to recharge it. Most new models use a small stickergum cell and don't have external battery box so look into second hand market. A Sharp MD-MT99 or MD-MT190 would be perfect and not to expensive and they have MDLP. Sharp also have better mic in than most Sony models.

If you use a dead mic (no internal power) the you must have a MD with "plug in power" mic input, the mic get its power from the MD only. Otherwise you get nothing on your recording. All MD:s with mic in have that support but Sony are not as good as Sharp in that are.

Here is two microphones from a store in Sweden, use as reference to what you want.

Aiwa CM-TS55

Costs around $35 and have built in battery support.

Fico UDM-505

Costs around $13. Must have "plug in power" for this to work.

As a non US resident I can't help you with were to purchase these products.

[Mark Nicholson]

You can get a Sharp MD-MT190S for about $200 or a Sharp MD-MT290S for $230 from www.minidisco.com.

You could also get some Sound Pros Real Fidelity In-Ear Binaural Microphones from minidisco for $70. These mics are amazing. You put them in your ears and record. The minidisc recording is indistinguishable from the real thing. They would be great for collecting the kind of ambient sounds you are looking for and pretty stealthy to boot.

Those mics work better with a battery box but one is not absolutely necessary. You can get a battery box for $50.

I realize that you are concerned about cost but consider this. How often is it that you will get to Nepal and how much are you spending to get there? Camera, film, recordng equipment and blank minidiscs are probably cheap compared to that.

I've bought from Minidisco a couple of times and have had nothing but good experiences.

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks for the comments. I'm looking to do live interviews for an interview series that we'll load on the web. I feel like I should have an external mic. Is there anyone here doing that sort of thing that can comment on the system they're using?

I guess I'd prefer an externa mic that doesn't need it's own power source, even though I'll probably be doing these interviews in person in a hotel room. I'd like to not to have to worry.

Andre

[Mark Nicholson]

If you are willing to record the interview in mono you might do a search on Ebay for "PEN MIC Minidisc Microphone Spy/Stealth Style"

jmhambach puts a mic element in a Bic Grip Roller Style pen and sells them on Ebay for about $9 depending on the bid. I plug one into my Sharp MD-MT770 and record psychotherapy sessions for supervision. (I'm a psychiatrist in training. Tell me; how do you feel about that?)

The PEN MIC Minidisc Microphone Spy/Stealth Style is not as good as my Seinheisser MD-46 used up close but works much better than the Seinheisser for recording two persons sitting about 8 feet apart in a quiet room.

The PEN MIC Minidisc Microphone Spy/Stealth Style does pick up a lot of

noise if you are hand holding it.

But heck. You can hardly go wrong at this price!

Your recorder will need to have plug-in power and the PEN MIC Minidisc Microphone Spy/Stealth Style does work better with a battery box.