Portable digital recorder for collecting sound FX

[introvert]

www.ecocharge.com

[soundguydave]

Is anybody using the marantz PMD 671? Price is right for me, but how does it stack up against the others?

[tnjazz]

Originally Posted by stilts27

NOOB question...How would I go about that? I have a MiniMe on its way and will have either the H4 or Microtrack soon too....How would I power the MiniMe in the field?

Thanks

The MME runs on 6-14V. Get a DVD player battery (9V) which will cost about $35 or so, and then go to Radio Shack and build an "adaptaplug" system with their cable and the two tips that fit the battery and the unit.

Much cheaper and much lighter than EcoCharge, which is sealed lead acid batteries.

The DVD player battery will run the MME for quite a while (a good 3-4 hours or more).

[introvert]

Congrats, you just lost a sale for ecocharge. I'm going to do the same when I pick up a new MiniMe later in the year. Thanks!

[charles maynes]

depending on what you are doing, I find the NP1 batteries to be the best for me- They are easily rented in major markets, they last a long time, and there are many accessories which allow a fair deal of flexibility-

They are expensive, but they are also an industry standard.

I use to use the Eco-Charges, but I found them to be too heavy and bulky.


charles maynes

[stilts27]

Originally Posted by tnjazz

The MME runs on 6-14V. Get a DVD player battery (9V) which will cost about $35 or so, and then go to Radio Shack and build an "adaptaplug" system with their cable and the two tips that fit the battery and the unit.

Much cheaper and much lighter than EcoCharge, which is sealed lead acid batteries.

The DVD player battery will run the MME for quite a while (a good 3-4 hours or more).

I see....Thanks for the info guys...

[georgia]

I just purchased a ZOOM H4... neat toy... I recorded some ambience in the cab between times square and tribeca on the way home. I'm going to import it and I'll put come clips up for review...

It seems like a neat gaget. It feels a little plastic-ie.... but otherwise it seems built well enough.. I don't like the fact that it doesn't have a mic stand screw hole on the unit. You have to attach a small base using velcro straps that has the stand mount on it. It's got an ok wind screen squishy that covers both mics , but it when riding in the cab, it doesn't stop wind noise much. So if these files are any good , i'm going to try to make a better screen.


Let's see if it's just a toy or a valuable tool...

cheers
geo

[minister]

all you damn rotten kids with yer fancy digital gadgets....GET REAL!

[JesseJ]

Originally Posted by georgia

I just purchased a ZOOM H4... I'll put come clips up for review...

Yes please do!

Can't wait to get my hands on the new H2. Hope Zoom get's them out to stores soon or I'll get the H4. The timestamp would be a great feature thou. I really do wonder how the quality is on those mics...

I have tons of stuff I need to record, so I'd really want a lightweight portable recorder that I could have with me at all times... it is funny how different the city ambience is from country to country because of different providers and different regulations, your traffic signals and garbage cans are different from place to place. Ofcourse the nature sounds very different from place to place. I can't find any ambience that would suit me on any CDs... I have to record it 'all' myself.

I'm going to work on four different projects this year that need ambience from the archipelago in Finland (about 20.000 small islands and skerries), I bet there is no-one providing those sounds :)

[hef]

i'm thinking about getting that H4 or H2. for ambiences, dj sets, and random whackos in the city. how does it fit in the pocket? or does it? definitely would like to hear how those files turned out, georgia.
does the H2 have same type built-in mic? is the only downfall no xlr/1/4'' inputs. seems to have more plus side with surround, time stamping, and smaller size.

[kwhaus]

I was actually going to go out yesterday to pick up an H4 but it got busy at work and I couldn't get out.

I'm headed to Florida for a short vacation next weekend and want to collect some sounds. There is a highly rated shooting range in Indian River county where I'd like to try to get some gunshot sounds. I'm not sure how the H4 will handle those sorts of levels but I suppose I'll find out.

I may go out today to pick one up and spend the weekend testing it.

Kevin

[georgia]

Ok.. SO I purchased the H4, walked to the corner of times sq and bought some AA batteries ( not included )... hailed a cab, jumped in and opened the box. I was able to upwrap, install the SD card and batteries with no issues. I powered it up and without reading the manual I was able to figure out how to set it to 48khz and stereo. I started recording and was able to record 10 minutes with the SD card that came with the unit.

I have attached 3 files , untouched... These are indicatitive of the quaility I got with no testing or understanding of good and bad ops of the unit. About 2 minutes in I figured out the wind problem.. ( not unlike any other unit )

the unit was handheld just inside the cab window to screen from excessive air flow ( also using the little wind screen that came with the unit)

1. WIND.aiff - times square busy street, with a couple spots where the wind hit the unit.

2. RADIO.aiff - driving down 5th ave with teh cab radio on at a moderate level. You can hear the directionality ( not bad ) the cab radio was clearly understandable by myself in the backseat, in fact I asked him to turn it down for the Washington square drive by.

3. WASH.aiff - driving past washington square park in chelsea...


I think i'll keep it. With a good wind sock and some practice it's going to be a good tool for gathering ambience and sounds.. It's very small and could easily sit on a counter or table unnoticed...

the SD card that came with the unit is 128meg you can use up to 2 gig cards so i'm off to the store to get a couple 2 gig cards.

cheers
geo

[georgia]

file 2

[georgia]

file 3

[kwhaus]

I picked up the H4 and can't comment very much since I haven't done a lot with it yet. I got a nice little "pocket tripod" intended for cameras that fits the stand mount. It is a sunpak 2003. Initially I was toying with tabletop mic stands which 1) need an adaptor and 2) lack the ability to pivot or adjust in any way. The sunpak has a nice little locking ball type pivot and the height is adjustable to a degree. I'm actually recording myself typing with the tripod on the desk in front of me this very moment.

This thing is going to be fun. My brain is totally swirling with ideas for recordings.

[JesseJ]

Originally Posted by georgia

the SD card that came with the unit is 128meg you can use up to 2 gig cards so i'm off to the store to get a couple 2 gig cards.

Thanks for the sound clips Georgia!

PS. I read somewhere that you can even use a 4Gig SD even if the specs don't state that, but please be sure to check...


- Jesse -

[georgia]

yea, I almost bought a 4 gig chip... I ended up purchasing two 2 gig SD chips for $19.95 each... so they're obviously getting cheaper.


cheers
geo

[JesseJ]

Originally Posted by georgia

With a good wind sock and some practice it's going to be a good tool for gathering ambience and sounds..

Yeah, how do you feel about the sound quality yourself? Obviously you were there when you recorded the sounds , so how natural do you think it sounds? I think the soundclips sound ok, I mean it is for ambience, so usually there would be a voice over and so on... so one can not be too quirky about the quality, but nevertheless.. I think you will know better.

I could momentarely hear some handling noises, is there really no hole for a mic stand / boom?

Any tips for 'good wind socks'? Anyone? I am going to be recording in propably some quite hard winds this summer by or at sea... any tips foy DIY socks for the likes of this H4 or the upcoming H2 kinda machines? foam+ some fuzzy fabric? How do you people treat that somewhat muffled wind-socked audio, just add more treble with an EQ or do you have some patent formulas?

[JesseJ]

Time for some videos too:

H4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47Qe-57ErTg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnChOJbCWOE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLRbildNaAE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyfG3SsdfmQ

H2:

n/a (will update when there's something to show)

[charles maynes]

That is the problem with using a built in mic- YOu have no way of adjusting it during recording- Ultimately a connected mic would be far more flexible (as well as better sounding)


charles maynes

Originally Posted by JesseJ

Yeah, how do you feel about the sound quality yourself? Obviously you were there when you recorded the sounds , so how natural do you think it sounds? I think the soundclips sound ok, I mean it is for ambience, so usually there would be a voice over and so on... so one can not be too quirky about the quality, but nevertheless.. I think you will know better.

I could momentarely hear some handling noises, is there really no hole for a mic stand / boom?

Any tips for 'good wind socks'? Anyone? I am going to be recording in propably some quite hard winds this summer by or at sea... any tips foy DIY socks for the likes of this H4 or the upcoming H2 kinda machines? foam+ some fuzzy fabric? How do you people treat that somewhat muffled wind-socked audio, just add more treble with an EQ or do you have some patent formulas?

[georgia]

I thought it did a good job of capturing the ambience around me. There are only 3 settings for the Mics ( low med and high sensitivity. ) there is no "gain" capability or control other than a 3 position switch. I think with the fluffy wind screen I'm going to buy and butcher to work for this it will be ok. As a tool for the tool box, I recommend it. as a be-all-end-all portable sfx recording device... nope.

the good news is the H4 can record in 4 tracks or 2 tracks using either the 2 installed mics and/or the external mic connects on the back. so I'm also going to try it as a recorder with stick and my usual location mic.

cheers
geo

[Berolzheimer]

FWIW a couple friends of mine who both have microtracks, both had problems with them. One of them lost the files he'd recorded, the other was able to recover his after a session with tech support on the phone.

[petsematary]

About the Sony PCM-D1... what's it like when you hold it in your hand while recording? Any rumble and noise? And has anyone come up with a fur windscreen for the mics yet? Last time I checked (6 months or so ago) there were none. Which pretty much makes it useless for outdoor recording. Any wind...I mean the slightest breeze...will ruin the recording completely.

[Nicola_W]

Hey guys. Just a quikkie.

I have a Zoom PS04. Has anyone ever used this for taking recordings for SFX/Ambience recording etc? I bought it for recording guitars but obviously it has other, better uses. I'm just wondering if any of you guys know about or concider it to be up to the job......

Cheers.

[pollyserial]

anything you can get your hands on could be 'up to the job'...it just depends what the 'job' is!! for years I used to use a little sony walkman cassette recorder, and if you define your aesthetic approach in a way which can incorporate noise + lower fidelity, you can make it work!

of course, if you want to record sounds which are broadly usable in a variety of contexts, you may find yourself quickly going down a path of endless, unquenchable gearlust as you get deeper into the game.... :) I now use a Sound Devices 702 + a variety of microphones, and I'm EXTREMELY happy with that unit. built to last, top notch performance. but also the price of a decent used car.

The most important thing is, get out there and do it!! ...work with what you've got.
That's the best way to figure out what you need and where the shortcomings of your gear lay.

Definitely get yourself a good pair of headphones, though, otherwise you won't be able to actually hear what's going on. I personally really like the little in-ear suction cup models these days......though most prefer big cans, there's plenty of posts about that kind of thing on this forum.....

[Nicola_W]

Funny enough, I actually tried a pair of those in ear suctiony cup ones last night at a friends last night and was well impressed. They cut outside noise out amazingly well. I think I may invest in a decent pair so I can hear what I have recorded when in noisy places.

[Chris G]

dont kill me for not reading the entire post..... but what about the Sony MD recorders. you can get those fairly cheap and with one of there pretty decent mics get some clean audio.

[berniebeaudry]

Originally Posted by Chris G

dont kill me for not reading the entire post..... but what about the Sony MD recorders. you can get those fairly cheap and with one of there pretty decent mics get some clean audio.

I just read all of the posts and was wondering if the MD recorders would be mentioned. I have the Sony MD-MZ100 (Sony just came out with a 200 version I think) and I took it to Europe with a chamber orchestra I was helping to do a documentary on. Used it to do a stereo recording of the performances using the included mic. Didn't have a good stand to put the mic on (clipped it to the fur of my Rycote windscreen for my boom mic (Schoeps shotgun) but as long as I was staying still enough the sound was very good. The machine ran a long time on its internal rechargable battery with a double A auxillary battery. When using the mic you only have a choice of sensitivity. The automatic gain control isn't too bad. I came back with 15 discs that I transferred via usb and the Sony software that converted the Sony files to Wave Files. These are uncompressed 48k files and the disks are 1gig each. The format is HiMD. I chose this unit because its so small and the media is so cheap. About $7 a disc and you get almost two hours of stereo on one. The transfer process was fairly quick and I could easily review the cuts in iTunes. The mic itself is very small and can plug directly into the unit, or you can use the included extension cable to get away from any mechanical noise the MD recorder makes.
If I knew how I could post a clip of some of the music.
Bernie

[Soundproof]

Just last night I once again enjoyed the easiness of the Edirol R-09 as I recorded some thunder/rain with using just the built-in mic. I always have it with me and I'm really happy with it. I don't plan on using it for hi-quality SFX, but for example quickly recording things as they come along it's fantastic.

You can check this clip out: Download.

The clip is in stereo/16bit/48kHz.

As for the MD vs. others, I prefer the R-09 over my Sony MD which I still own from my radio-days.

[dollycorvette]

am currently considering the zoom H4 - it's so cheap and fine - esp good for one of the many surprise interviews - BUT for collecting ATMOS/location FX I'll connect a RODE directional mic .... I'm sure with the quality mic it will sound clearer. --------From this thread - I thought that all of the H4 recordings from georgia and the u-tube clips - were soft and not crisp sounding. but i have put this down to the internal mics being good but the RODEs better. -----I was concerned [Geogia] pointing out:
[quote=georgia;1195772]There are only 3 settings for the Mics ( low med and high sensitivity. ) there is no "gain" capability or control other than a 3 position switch.

this sounds really low end. - but i guess for its price its good - 2 XLR inputs/ or 1/4"Plugs with internal stereo mics all on separate tracks is so versatile or atleast i get the impression this can happen. the Mini disc thing does sound perfectly pocket cool - esp if your using it as a back up recorder for film or something - i just now attracted to the ZOOM H4's XLR and 1/4inch option - for film i dont like the idea of pre-amps or any extra attatchment when im talking something so low end on price its good if its really convienient - i can record a band on this really- low end. -----
the korg MR-1 at my local music shop RRP $1299(AUS) and the zoom H4 RRP$649 - i'll go the H4 and will post up some of the location recording with the RODE