Topic: Sony PCM M10 vs Marantz PMD661 for "non-serious" recording with internal mics?

[su6oxone]

Retired taper here who also used to own the M10 and the PMD661, but never used the internal mics.  Fast forward 5 years and I want to buy one of the two again but mostly to use with the internal mics for --ahem -- recording loud music from my neighbor's house (to play for police when they show up after the music has already stopped, to buiild for a potential lawsuit in the future, etc.).  In any case... they have eclectic tastes, ranging from hip hop to Indian dance music to new age sh*t.  Would either of those recorders do a decent job of recording the music with the internal mics to get a decent sense of how loud it is?  Would one be better than the other?  I don't think distortion wouild be an issue because it's not close to painfully loud, just loud enough to bother us a lot.  I would prefer to avoid using external mics, but I wonder if the higher cost of the PMD661 might mean the internal mics are better and it could be useful in case I want to actually get some "real" external mics via XLR inputs.  If the M10 would be fine for this purpose that would be ideal I guess since it's a lot cheaper.  I remember I loved both units in the past so no concerns about either in general, although it seems the Marantz is not even sold in the US anymore (or the MKII version either). 

Any suggestions/input would be great, thanks!

[dactylus]

What happened to the PMD 661 MKII?

[su6oxone]

M10

Good Luck

Thanks.  Is your suggestion based on experience with either or both the M10 and 661?

What happened to the PMD 661 MKII?

Doesn't seem to be sold in the U.S. anymore.  Can import from UK maybe.

[404 Not Found]

Marantz PMD661 MKII is still sold in US.  B&H, Full Compass & Sweetwater have in stock availability on their website.

BTW, I have the PMD661 and I have never liked the internal mic's on the recorder. I'd go with the M10 for internals.

[su6oxone]

Marantz PMD661 MKII is still sold in US.  B&H, Full Compass & Sweetwater have in stock availability on their website.

BTW, I have the PMD661 and I have never liked the internal mic's on the recorder. I'd go with the M10 for internals.

Thanks, I may go with the M10 then.  661 is "discontinued" per B&H and not in stock on Sweet Water and Full Compass ("please call for availability").

[tnelson]

Have you considered just using a sound meter app for your smartphone?  There are lots of them, but SoundMeter from Faber Acoustic (~$20) is probably the best, and would enable you to log sound levels over clock time periods. You can use either your built-in phone mic or add on a more accurate reference mic. For your purpose, it sounds like a plotted log of sound/noise levels over the day/night would be of more use than recorded samples of the music.

[su6oxone]

Have you considered just using a sound meter app for your smartphone?  There are lots of them, but SoundMeter from Faber Acoustic (~$20) is probably the best, and would enable you to log sound levels over clock time periods. You can use either your built-in phone mic or add on a more accurate reference mic. For your purpose, it sounds like a plotted log of sound/noise levels over the day/night would be of more use than recorded samples of the music.

Thanks, I may try it out, but I used a dB meter that I bought a while ago for that purpose and was not able to get levels that seemed to correlate with what I was hearing, so not sure if a phone app would be better although it does sound useful and I may check it out. 

For now, I just ordered a M10 (only $220 at Adorama so probably it is being discontinued soon as the other thread speculates) so hopefully that will be helpful.  I may end up using my Panasonic camcorder as well and possibly make a matrix as it is always more impressive and probably more effective to have video to accompany the audio.

Thanks everyone!

[jazzgtrl4]

fyi,

just taped Peter Bernstein, Larry goldings and  Bill Stewart.  Plopped the 661 right on stage, off center.  check it out, id say not to bad for the internal mics, first time i tried it.


http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=177498.msg2187588#msg2187588

[acidjack]

If you want something easy, I'd just try a phone accessory like the Shure Motiv MV88. It's not the most awesome thing ever, but it sounds pretty good, and probably as good as the M10 internals. Plus it's M/S so you can adjust the stereo image. Saves you carrying an extra box around and even easier to get into venues... (Oh and costs less than an M10)

[2manyrocks]

I suggest a video showing a sound level meter and recording the music, especially if obnoxious.  Radio shack used to sell a meter that you can probably find on eBay for under $30.  You also need some record of the time this is happening.  If it goes on all hours, you want to document that fact.  Even a notebook log of the times of loud music and the db levels would be helpful to show a judge.

[su6oxone]

I suggest a video showing a sound level meter and recording the music, especially if obnoxious.  Radio shack used to sell a meter that you can probably find on eBay for under $30.  You also need some record of the time this is happening.  If it goes on all hours, you want to document that fact.  Even a notebook log of the times of loud music and the db levels would be helpful to show a judge.

Great ideas, thanks to you and everyone else who replied so far!

[su6oxone]

You'll mostly get LF bleeding through the walls of your neighbor's house, so you need to set a meter on fast-response C-weighted.  Unfortunately most noise ordinances are not well drafted, and even if they do have an objective standard for noise, it's probably stated in an A-weighted measure, which largely ignores the LF that is probably annoying you.

It's mostly but not only LF, some of it is base-less New Age flute type music that gets cranked up, and with windows open, etc.  Unfortunatey, Seattle doesn't address amplified music at all in its noise ordinance except between the hours of 10pm-7am, so it's fairly useless, but I did send a strongly worded letter on Friday formally asking them to keep it down and it has been quiet since then.