Carter Posted January 7, 2004 Report Share Posted January 7, 2004 I'm considering purchasing a portable md recorder to record ambient natural sounds (thunderstorms, birdsong, etc.). I've had very good results with my md deck, a mixing board and two old sure-bg 4.0 condenser microphones. Can I achieve the same using a portable md recorder? Based on what I'm reading online - my concerns are: #1. the microphone input being quiet and, #2. being able to get the recorded signal out as cleanly as possible. I'm leaning toward Sharp md recorders (DR480? but I'd like to be able to use my good but old headphones and am concerned about plug compatability) and I have no idea what microphone (I'd like a single stereo mic but I'd like a wide stereo image and have my doubts about being able to get it without two mics with a bit of space between them.). Anyone out there trying to record low volume sounds? Carter Virginia, USA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 18, 2004 Report Share Posted January 18, 2004 Low-volume recording shouldn't be too difficult. Don't know what the connector is on your Shure mics, but if you can run them through a stereo mini plug you should be able to put them into the mic-in jack on your MD. Definitely worth a try if you like the way they sound. As for your phones, all the portable MD recorders use 1/8" stereo minijacks, so you'll need to adapt your headphones to that no matter what kind you use. If you've got the old home-stereo 1/4" plug on your headphones, you're better off getting an adapter with a little bit of cord between the big plug and the minijack, so you don't have a lever effect putting strain on your headphone jack. I've used Sony MZ-N707, MZ-R700 and MZ-R900 and the problem with all of them is that they're hypersensitive--anything near the mic is picked up, and for music at any volume you have to cut down the input signal. I'm using binaurals made with Panasonic capsules (similar to Sound Professionals' cheaper binaurals). I've also used a pair of more expensive Soundprofessionals BMC-6, which pick up plenty of sound too. If you can hear it, your mics probably can too. A problem with recording low-volume sounds to MD is motor noise from the MD player. Sony N1 and MZ-R900 whir every few minutes while recording; I don't know about Sharps. But you'll probably want to get a long cord and perhaps muffle the MD player somehow while recording--put it in a box or something. Don't get Sony's DSP mics for Minidisc, cute as they look. They only go down to 100hz, which is going to make your thunderstorm sound pretty meager. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 30, 2004 Report Share Posted January 30, 2004 Here's a mic they advertise for "low volume" recordings. I don't know if that means they overload if things are loud, or if they're exceptionally quiet, but you could certainly call and ask. http://www.outwardsound.com/products.php/1...5483dbfb9dff5bc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 30, 2004 Report Share Posted January 30, 2004 The mic preamps on portables may add some noise to your recordings, too. You might want to get a preamp or battery module and run it through Line In for a cleaner sound. But try it first with your mic going in directly and see how much noise you're dealing with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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