I am keen to buy a stereo recording device to record pub sessions etc, my own playing etc. I used to have a stereo cassette recorder but tha broke a few years back. Any suggestions. I am considering a minidisc. Any one out there, I would be keen to know what make etc u would recommend or indeed an alernative device such as a dat recorder.
Sony Minidisc MZ10 or MZ 100. I have the 10, difference is for $100 extra the MZ100 has a light up display. You need a PC though, it allegedly doesn't work with MAC, unless someone found a way around that.
The MZ 10 I got for $280 on Ebay new, free shipping. It comes with that nice little stereo mike that would cost around $80 anyway so it seems a good deal.
It takes the 1GIG HiMD discs that hold up to 45 hours of music in the lowest mode, pretty good, but you can get about 8-9 hours of near CD quality in higher mode.
I find mine records a slight bit treble, but can bring it into an editing program (Audacity) and add any further EQ. I have made some really great sounding session CDs and recorded an entire live concert and made a great sounding CD from it. It's pretty amazing.
Make sure it doesn't have some really nasty automatic recording level control. Aside from that (shoot me down, but I own lots of these devices) if it's just for learning and reliving "session" moments, the recording quality is more likely to be determined by background noise and having the microphone somewhere sensible.
I own a DAT machine but aside from the great recording quality, I think you could do better with something which doesn't have moving parts.
I hear the older and possibly the cheaper minidisc recorders have nasty machine noise....the one I got seems not to except when first turning it on. So be armed and ready to record before the music starts. And for sure have the mike/device in the right spot. You can carry it around and listen with the headphones til you get the right spot. It also has a little cable you can attach the mike to, and remove it from the machine itself which might help. I find it easier to stick in the machine.
The MZ 10 or MZ 100 sony ....I think the closer you are to the music the better. But not right up to it. When I recorded a concert it was by the first row of seats, musicians about five feet away, and it was about head level or a foot above or so.
I was shocked at the quality, had just gotten the machine and was only playing with it.
What I don't like as I mentioned, once burned to CD, it sounds a little too treble for my tastes. You can EQ when you play it on the recorder through earphones, but that setting doesn't seem to take and stay for recording. No big deal if you download Audacity for free, you can EQ how you like later.... or if not compulsive like I am, you can merely add a little bass on the CD player if you make a CD from it, if you feel it needs it. Why I need it to sound great at zero bass and treble adjustment in my car player is just a MAJOR compulsive personality problem LOL!
In any case it sounds as live as can be played through the earphones from the sony minidisc itself.
One drawback is that it will only let you download the music on the disk once to the PC, then it locks it. It will stay on the disk to listen from it, but no more downloading. They are afraid you will infringe some musician's copyrights or something I guess(but we're all pretty respectful of that I think), which is silly, there are so many ways around that once it's on the PC you can burn and copy endless CDs anyway, make MP3s email them everywhere, even save them back to another minidisc, etc. Another drawback, easily overcome with truly reading the manual...it is not initially very user friendly....because it has so many options on a small display screen you have to scroll through. Once you are used to it, it gets easy though.
I have also recorded small groups at a small session and got magnificent recordings by just having the mike/minidisc behind us on a window ledge.
A recording engineer who deals with ITM all the time told me as a generality with condenser mikes(the sony one is a stereo condenser mike, actually two tiny ones but oh so powerful), three feet out and 1-2 feet above the music gives the best sound....very general advice, all rooms are different, but it's a good point to start your tests at.
Also, don't have the recording volume on this machine (or maybe any machine) cranked up to the limit. It may create "clipping" or that awful bit of static noise on the recording, esp. on loud high notes. I keep it about 3/4 of the way up. Again, if you want a proper volume CD ultimately, you can raise it in Audacity or similar programs.
The concert I recorded ....barely EQ'd in Audacity... added a touch of bass and raised the volume to where it's the same level approx. as the car radio (so when you switch from CD to Radio it's about the same level) and have given it out to friends who thought it was professionally recorded it's so good.
Maybe this recording advice would work on any machine you end up getting, though if you are looking for great quality sound this is one way to go. If you just want it to learn tunes, something cheaper may serve your purpose just as well.
The new version of Sony Sonic Stage (3.4) has removed all the annoying limitations on tranferring and converting files. You can read all about it and download it from the Minidisc Community Forum - register for free here http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php
Here's the info that was circulated:
Sony has released a new version of Sonicstage, version 3.4, with excellent improvements to the Hi-MD format. Some of the new features include:
# Tracks can be transferred in ATRAC 192kbps to a Hi-MD device.
# Tracks recorded with a Hi-MD device with the digital/analogue inputs or microphone input can be uploaded to SonicStage and saved in WAV (PCM) format. (e.g. burn a Hi-MD disc, send to a friend and they can upload all contents to their computer without DRM woes; record via optical, no BS upload restriciton!) # Audio CD’s can be ripped in ATRAC 352kbps.
# CD information can be displayed from the tracks in My Library.
# WAV files can be converted into ATRAC Advanced Lossless format.
# ATRAC format files (including ATRAC Advanced Lossless) can be converted into WAV format.
# Song lyrics can be displayed when clicking the “Lyrics” button (only if the lyrics are encoded with the track).
The community is elated to learn that now digital and analog uploads are allowed freely
True.... I find Sonic Stage a breeze to use. It automatically (after you pick the setting initially) will convert to WAV as you download to PC. Then you can open it in any editing program, or burn a CD from it, convert to MP3 to email etc.
Again, the quality is amazing, the discs are cheap, about $6 for a GIG disc.... it can also be used as an external drive and the minidiscs as storage. I have many important files backed up on one and can transfer them to and from my laptop. You can also use the cheaper 256K or whatever they are discs. They hold quite a bit of data too. You can record with them as well if you want things in smaller chunks or want to save recordings by date separately or something. Way cheaper than little memory cards on other machines.
Portable stereo recorder advice please
Portable stereo recorder advice please
I am keen to buy a stereo recording device to record pub sessions etc, my own playing etc. I used to have a stereo cassette recorder but tha broke a few years back. Any suggestions. I am considering a minidisc. Any one out there, I would be keen to know what make etc u would recommend or indeed an alernative device such as a dat recorder.
# Posted on April 18th 2006 by fi_paton
Re: Portable stereo recorder advice please
Olympus DS-20 - only available at Radio Shack
# Posted on April 18th 2006 by elvis2440
Re: Portable stereo recorder advice please
i use my mp3 player, it is a creative zen micro and has very good quality recording
# Posted on April 19th 2006 by tnoumarap
Re: Portable stereo recorder advice please
Sony Minidisc MZ10 or MZ 100. I have the 10, difference is for $100 extra the MZ100 has a light up display. You need a PC though, it allegedly doesn't work with MAC, unless someone found a way around that.
The MZ 10 I got for $280 on Ebay new, free shipping. It comes with that nice little stereo mike that would cost around $80 anyway so it seems a good deal.
It takes the 1GIG HiMD discs that hold up to 45 hours of music in the lowest mode, pretty good, but you can get about 8-9 hours of near CD quality in higher mode.
I find mine records a slight bit treble, but can bring it into an editing program (Audacity) and add any further EQ. I have made some really great sounding session CDs and recorded an entire live concert and made a great sounding CD from it. It's pretty amazing.
# Posted on April 19th 2006 by irisnevins
Re: Portable stereo recorder advice please
I use a Multimedia Player PERSTEL PMP1004 http://www.perstel.com/eng/products/pmp1004_1.php
• 1.3 Mega Pixel Digital Camera, Digital Camcorder, MP3 Player, FM Radio, Voice Recorder
• Built in 20 GB Hard disk drive memory
• MPEG4 / JPEG / MP3 / WMA format support
• Direct Digital Encoding for TV / Audio sources
• Mass storage function with USB 2.0.
• 260,000 Color 2.83 ” TFT LCD
# Posted on April 19th 2006 by SILVIO 64
Re: Portable stereo recorder advice please
Make sure it doesn't have some really nasty automatic recording level control. Aside from that (shoot me down, but I own lots of these devices) if it's just for learning and reliving "session" moments, the recording quality is more likely to be determined by background noise and having the microphone somewhere sensible.
I own a DAT machine but aside from the great recording quality, I think you could do better with something which doesn't have moving parts.
# Posted on April 19th 2006 by Mark Harmer
Re: Portable stereo recorder advice please
Having a really nasty automatic recording level control isn't a problem as long as there's an easy way to turn it off.
# Posted on April 19th 2006 by GaryAMartin
Re: Portable stereo recorder advice please
I hear the older and possibly the cheaper minidisc recorders have nasty machine noise....the one I got seems not to except when first turning it on. So be armed and ready to record before the music starts. And for sure have the mike/device in the right spot. You can carry it around and listen with the headphones til you get the right spot. It also has a little cable you can attach the mike to, and remove it from the machine itself which might help. I find it easier to stick in the machine.
The MZ 10 or MZ 100 sony ....I think the closer you are to the music the better. But not right up to it. When I recorded a concert it was by the first row of seats, musicians about five feet away, and it was about head level or a foot above or so.
I was shocked at the quality, had just gotten the machine and was only playing with it.
What I don't like as I mentioned, once burned to CD, it sounds a little too treble for my tastes. You can EQ when you play it on the recorder through earphones, but that setting doesn't seem to take and stay for recording. No big deal if you download Audacity for free, you can EQ how you like later.... or if not compulsive like I am, you can merely add a little bass on the CD player if you make a CD from it, if you feel it needs it. Why I need it to sound great at zero bass and treble adjustment in my car player is just a MAJOR compulsive personality problem LOL!
In any case it sounds as live as can be played through the earphones from the sony minidisc itself.
One drawback is that it will only let you download the music on the disk once to the PC, then it locks it. It will stay on the disk to listen from it, but no more downloading. They are afraid you will infringe some musician's copyrights or something I guess(but we're all pretty respectful of that I think), which is silly, there are so many ways around that once it's on the PC you can burn and copy endless CDs anyway, make MP3s email them everywhere, even save them back to another minidisc, etc. Another drawback, easily overcome with truly reading the manual...it is not initially very user friendly....because it has so many options on a small display screen you have to scroll through. Once you are used to it, it gets easy though.
I have also recorded small groups at a small session and got magnificent recordings by just having the mike/minidisc behind us on a window ledge.
A recording engineer who deals with ITM all the time told me as a generality with condenser mikes(the sony one is a stereo condenser mike, actually two tiny ones but oh so powerful), three feet out and 1-2 feet above the music gives the best sound....very general advice, all rooms are different, but it's a good point to start your tests at.
Also, don't have the recording volume on this machine (or maybe any machine) cranked up to the limit. It may create "clipping" or that awful bit of static noise on the recording, esp. on loud high notes. I keep it about 3/4 of the way up. Again, if you want a proper volume CD ultimately, you can raise it in Audacity or similar programs.
The concert I recorded ....barely EQ'd in Audacity... added a touch of bass and raised the volume to where it's the same level approx. as the car radio (so when you switch from CD to Radio it's about the same level) and have given it out to friends who thought it was professionally recorded it's so good.
Maybe this recording advice would work on any machine you end up getting, though if you are looking for great quality sound this is one way to go. If you just want it to learn tunes, something cheaper may serve your purpose just as well.
# Posted on April 19th 2006 by irisnevins
Re: Portable stereo recorder advice please
The new version of Sony Sonic Stage (3.4) has removed all the annoying limitations on tranferring and converting files. You can read all about it and download it from the Minidisc Community Forum - register for free here http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php
Here's the info that was circulated:
Sony has released a new version of Sonicstage, version 3.4, with excellent improvements to the Hi-MD format. Some of the new features include:
# Tracks can be transferred in ATRAC 192kbps to a Hi-MD device.
# Tracks recorded with a Hi-MD device with the digital/analogue inputs or microphone input can be uploaded to SonicStage and saved in WAV (PCM) format. (e.g. burn a Hi-MD disc, send to a friend and they can upload all contents to their computer without DRM woes; record via optical, no BS upload restriciton!) # Audio CD’s can be ripped in ATRAC 352kbps.
# CD information can be displayed from the tracks in My Library.
# WAV files can be converted into ATRAC Advanced Lossless format.
# ATRAC format files (including ATRAC Advanced Lossless) can be converted into WAV format.
# Song lyrics can be displayed when clicking the “Lyrics” button (only if the lyrics are encoded with the track).
The community is elated to learn that now digital and analog uploads are allowed freely
# Posted on April 20th 2006 by RichardB
Re: Portable stereo recorder advice please
True.... I find Sonic Stage a breeze to use. It automatically (after you pick the setting initially) will convert to WAV as you download to PC. Then you can open it in any editing program, or burn a CD from it, convert to MP3 to email etc.
Again, the quality is amazing, the discs are cheap, about $6 for a GIG disc.... it can also be used as an external drive and the minidiscs as storage. I have many important files backed up on one and can transfer them to and from my laptop. You can also use the cheaper 256K or whatever they are discs. They hold quite a bit of data too. You can record with them as well if you want things in smaller chunks or want to save recordings by date separately or something. Way cheaper than little memory cards on other machines.
# Posted on April 20th 2006 by irisnevins