Simple mobile recording rig suggestions?

[sounddevisor]

Here's my challenge -

A friend of mine wants to put together a small rig to record his wife's concerts - she's a classical pianist who does solo and small group concerts. He's wants something simple, and he's not under any illusions about getting pro quality results - they're not planning to release any of this stuff, it's really for personal use.

Not sure of his budget, but let's say under $1000. He needs something that's easy to set up, since he's not an engineer - meaning, probably, a stereo mike as opposed to a pair that he would need to position, and a stand-alone recorder rather than a separate pair of pres feeding some recording device. What set-up will fit these requirements and give him the best results - again, remember that he's not an AE and ease-of-setup is of primary importance.

Also, he mentioned to me that he's interested in a Marantz Compact Flash recorder - he likes the idea of no moving parts in terms of reliability, etc. It sounds reasonable to me, but I have no personal experience with CF recorders - anyone care to comment pro- or con-?

Thanks a lot, gang

sounddevisor

[Bixby]

As far as a stereo mic, I'd recommend the Audio-technica AT825.

We've just gotten a couple of the marantz flash recorders at my day gig (radio). They are still fairly pricey, so they'll eat up a good portion of that $1k. Sound quality wise, they're ok - I've only been able to test them with spoken word.

I do think their interface leaves some to be desired - I can handle it, but for our newspeople that don't want to have to think about things, it's pretty easy for them to push a wrong button and accidently be recording in MP3 instead of wav. But our newspeople are about as anti-tech as you can get!

And the best quality you'll get is 16-bit, 48kHz.

They're not bad, though, and the technology shows a lot of promise. Again, my main complaint is with the user interface.

You might also consider the portable CD recorders - I think marantz makes those as well. I don't know what the guy'll be using for editing and whatnot, but to have a CD as the end product at the end of the concert is pretty slick.

Hope that helps-

[sounddevisor]

Bixby -

Thanks for the input. My friend isn't anti-tech, just not an AE. In fact, he's a software engineer, so he's certainly not technophobic.

I think he's also considering a CD-burner, probably the Marantz also. I have to say that the idea of relying on a CD burner as a sole source for a live recording makes me a little nervous - I've burned enough coasters in my day, and he won't be running a safety DAT or anything. I also think he's planning to do some minimal editing, although if not the CD would indeed be nice.

I'm guessing that the AT825 and the CF recorder will just about hit the $1000 mark, so maybe that's his best bet.

Any other suggestions, anyone?

sounddevisor

[Steve Smith]

if he is using Quality CDrs, I would feel wayyyyyy more secure in a CD Burner than using a CF device...

[Paj]

What's the likely max recording time you will need for any given session?

Paj
8^?

[Gerax]

Hi

If he has a suitable laptop computer he could go with a Digidesign Mbox: with around $500 he'll get a decent sounding front end with two Focusrite Platinum pres (not tht best but usable), nothing to setup except mic cables and an USB cable from the box to the laptop, extereme portability (it all fits into a laptop carrying case), reliable software (Pro Tools 6.1.2) for editing and finishing of the recorded tracks, 24bit 48KHz resolution, monitoring section included.

For mics I'm not experienced with stereo ones except a Sanken (can't remember the model) but I guess it'd be a bit out of budget, so I'd second the Audio Technica suggestion, as I have several mics from them and they are a killer bang for the buck.

I'd also get good quality headphones like the Sony MDR-CD780, which are tailored for digital recording mediums and are really comfortable for long sessions monitored on cans.

Ah, don't forget a boom mic stand...

Total is around $1000 maybe a little more considering that I've added headphones and that I calculated retail prices, but you should be in the ballpark, and that would give him a more than decent sounding setup for his needs.

Hope this helps

L.G.

[thenewyear]

I'll third the AT825 used it many times & like it. There isn't really a rival for a quality stereo mic at this price point that i know of although Sony used to do one in the ECM series but I have not seen one for years & doubt if it is still made.

Another machine to throw into the pot is the Tascam DA-P1 (but he doesn't want moving parts) - 16bit 48kHz.

The MBox + the 800MHz iBook would be an excellent solution & could do up to 24bit 48kHz.

If he already has a suitable computer maybe he could even stretch to a Metric Halo ULN-2. This would let him get up to 24bit 96kHz.

[Gerax]

Originally posted by thenewyear:

There isn't really a rival for a quality stereo mic at this price point that i know of although Sony used to do one in the ECM series but I have not seen one for years & doubt if it is still made

Yes, it's still in production, I have one for my Sony Walkman DAT, and though it's a really handy and portable combo, the quality isn't as good as with professional mics and recorder; I use it sometimes when I cannot have power available in remote gigs, or when I cannot haul my rig (for production sound duties), but I found it a bit noisy, something that I always have to take care of in post with NR plug ins, plus it's a bit harsh sounding.

Nice to have it as a backup though.

L.G.

[John Hedger]

I have been pretty happy with my Superscope PSD300 CD recorder! Similar to the Marantz but this unit has both a CD player-well, with many playback options, along with a CD burner/recorder. They retail for abot $1200 but I got mine on Ebay for about $780. The onboard preamp works really well with dynamic mics...such as a pair of Shure SM 58's or possibly Sennheiser 421's if they are in your budget. I believe on the Superscope website you can hear examples from a classical violin/piano recital recorded with Shure 58's.

Instead of using dynamic mics, I chose to buy a couple of budget Presonus TubePre's, a pair of Superlux CMH8A large condenser mics and an Alesis tube mic. My total cost including the recorder was around $1400. I connect the Presonus pre's through the AUX input in the rear of the unit, thus bypassing the onboard Superscope preamp.

Good luck in your purchases!!

John Hedger

[thenewyear]

the quality isn't as good as with professional mics and recorder;

I think perhaps we are talking at cross purposes. The mic I am talking about is the ECM-999PR which I have always found to be excellent. I know there are quite a few budget models in the ECM range but this mic is very professional. It is basically a copy of an AKG C424/C426B.

But as I said I doubt if it is still in production. It is about 6 years since I stumbled across one...

___
neil.

[Unbound]

I actually record small gigs quite a bit, mainly classical recitals. I have just a couple suggestions-

THE 'IF HE HAS A COMPUTER' SETUP- I agree that the mbox would be a good idea, but I also like the motu 828, the first series is way down in price right now (since they released the mkII) and would be a great thing to pick up if he plans on starting to do a little more recording. with the $400 or so he would have left over, he could get a nice stereo pair of small condenser mics (ie. a couple AKG C1000S)

THE 'IF HE DOESN'T HAVE A COMPUTER' SETUP-Go with a portable DAT, if you get a Sony with just the 1/8" jack you can get one of the many stereo 1/8" mics available, I also suggest the Audio-Technica stuff, or you can always get a cable that splits to two xlrs and go with the mic I had used with my DAT-The Crown SASS Binaural Mic. OK, I love this thing, and it can run on two 9volts so you wouldn't have to worry about a pre, and this mic sounds great!
Well that's my 2 cents.

Aaron Hyde
-Unbound Audio
"If my van doesn't start, is my studio still considered mobile?"

[bawingi]

I know it has been a while since the original posting, but I have sucessfully used the MXL 990 stereo with an MBox in the field. I got great results.

They also make a USB stereo mic now too, which for recording concerts should be pretty good. It is only 16bit, but from what I have heard, the results with it are outstanding for an inexpensive mic, and no interface needed.

Unfortunately Digidesign don't like USB audio devices, so it won't work with Pro-Tools, (try to get any support from them too!) but with Sonar, Cubase or Reaper it should be fine.

Oh, Reaper rocks for the money by the way!