Recording live - I know this topic has been here before but:

[Bobilewicz]

Dear MiniDisc fans,

Tomorrow I am going to a concert of G3 (Satriani, Vai, Fripp) and would like to preserve these moments for posterity. I have Sony MZ-N710 (OK, I know this might not be the ideal MD recorder but that's what I have) and I will be using ECM-MS907 for capturing the sound in an acoustically imperfect venue (well, Poland does not have really good venues, damn!) from what I expect to be a wall of speakers several thousand Watts in power.

Shall I:

1) set the MD to high or low mic sensitivity?

2) use automatic level control or manual (the latter much more difficult to monitor continuously in the dim light)?

Any info asap would be very greatly appreciated.

I am also considering purchase of two small mics such as ECM-C115 or ECM-T6 but I doubt I'll be able to afford even one, let alone two. However, I would like to know your opinion on whether or not this is worthwile purchasing such mics from the point of view of both sound quality and "secrecy" of recording (in this respect they're surely better than the ECM-MS907!).

Regards

Wojtek, Warsaw, Poland

[KJ_Palmer]

I'm not what you might call a 'serious' live taper, but:

1. Use low sensitivity for loud music or 'near' sounds (eg. interviewing). High sensitivity is for use in the opposite case, ie. soft music or 'faraway' sounds (eg. lectures). Generally speaking, don't use AGC for music, as it may result in an uneven sound.

2. There shouldn't be a huge difference in sound quality between the ECM-907 and the other Sony mics you mentioned. By all means use a smaller mic if stealth is a factor. For better sound quality you should be thinking of a higher spec mic from somewhere like http://soundprofessionals.com or http://microphonemadness.com.

[Ferenc]

well, Poland does not have really good venues, damn!

Wojtek, Warsaw, Poland

Czesc Wojtek!

I think that Sala Kongresowa in PKiN has quite good acoustics. I was there at several concerts.