Best mic for recording Speaking/presentations on mz-n707 (R)

[md1runner]

I purchased a Sony NetMD MZ-N707 (Type R)some time ago, mostly for the purpose of recording speaches to then download and create products from. After reading through this forum I realize that maybe I could have made a better choice of recorders...so...that said.

1) Is my impression correct? Or is this a good unit for this?

2) What type of microphone do I need? The recommended ECM 717 appears to big and clumsy.

3) I saw a lavaliere mic. by Microphone Madness that was recommended for "speakers". Anyone know about that one?

4) I own an Audio-Technica ATR35S (it has a little battery and on/off switch in line). What is something like this good for.

5) Best program to record and edit my recordings to my PC (notebook) with Windows XP. I understand that I can only do it real time?

6) If I also want to record directly to my PC (notebook), what is the best way to do that? What kind of mic.? What program needed.

Thanks for any help

[Reactive]

I'll try an answer your questions:

The MZ-N707, is probably just fine for your needs. A mic sensitivity would be handy but not the end of the world for speech recording.

You need a lavaliere type microphone, mono, mounted approx 5 inches below your chin. There are many to choose from. I can personally vouch for our own Auris Microphone, a high quality microphone that excells in this type of situation.

The audio technica looks like it would do as good of a job. I guess the prices is a little low, and thus the quality may not be as good. Hard to tell unless you have a side by side comparison.

Cool edit is very good for post audio editing. I started with this many years ago, and have not looked back.

Your note book should work just fine with the Auris, things to watch out for are low pre-amp settings (gain) and tone controls. You may want to consider a seperate pre-amp down the rd, for a much higher quality recording. (ie clear sound with no hiss)

I hope that gets you started?

[A440]

CoolEdit is now Adobe Audition, and excellent but pricey. For something as straightforward as speech you can get Audacity free.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Try your AT mic with the recorder--I'm not familiar with it, but it may well do the job. Speech is not that difficult to record because it has a narrow frequency range. If you get a mono mic, make sure it has a stereo plug (like the one on the gizmo under my signature, with two bands), or it will only record on one channel. Personally I think one-point stereo mics, or a pair of mics placed together, give a warmer sound for speech, but it's a matter of taste.

And, hey, don't knock the MZ-N707--mine has served me well, and I know radio journalists who use them daily for interviews because they are such little workhorses. You can emulate mic sensitivity by getting a Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control, $6.49--that's the gizmo mentioned above. Turned all the way UP is like having low-sensitivity for louder sounds.

The mic jack in your PC may be the weak link in a direct recording, because they usually come with low-quality preamps and soundcards. If you're planning to use your PC for frequent hi-fi recording you may want to look into getting an outboard mic input (like Griffin's Imic) or maybe even an outboard soundcard. But try what's there first--speech may come through just fine.