Topic: What gear to use?? Recorder & Mic

[Chrysler]

Hi folks,

i am an absolute newbie and need some guidance.
I intend to record pop/rock concert - i have absolutely no clue what's the best equipment one should buy nowadays.
Is DAT still the best recording solution? Should i get the Sony TDC-D100 or should i buy a HDD Recorder like the Gmini or iRiver?

What Microphone should i get?

I stumbled over the Sonic Studios DSM-6L
(http://www.sonicstudios.com/dsm.htm) and the
 SoundProfessionals Mic SP-BMC-10

(http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?category=9185&item=SP-BMC-10&type=store).

Can these also be used with HDD Recorders?
What additonal Equipment do i need (like battery backs etc)


So, is there a best solution?

Cheers,
Jan

[caymanreview]

your budget for this whole thing is the first thing we need to know to help

[Chrysler]

i thought about spending $300-450 for the mic
and for the recording gear max. $400 if i buy a DAT recorder and maximum $500 if i buy a HDD recorder.

So the overal budget is like $1000.

But in general what is better DAT or HDD recording?

[caymanreview]

stealth or open taping?

[Chrysler]

stealth (thats why i picked these mics that can easily be hidden)

[caymanreview]

as for recorders. i started out with dat, then moved on to a HD based recorder(jb3) and am now back fully to dat. with stealthing you have to factor in the analog to digital stage in your recorder. the dats being good and most of the hd based recorders out now (iriver, jb3 etc) arent great. im sure you will get alot of advice on this subject, but i would reccomend a nice dat deck (d100 or m1) if you have the cash. you also have to figure in level meters on the dats are far better than any of the hd recorders out yet.

i think those SP mics are definantly a good choice, but when looking at them you will be stuck with omnis forever. when i started i had a set of the at933s      http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?category=110&item=SP-CMC-6&type=store
that have the card/hyper/subcard/omni caps available. this might come in handy in stealthing different bands/venues. SP also sells seperatly a battery box for all thier mini mics that you can buy with a bass rolloff that is fairly decent for the money and the box is powered with one 9v battery

i really dont have any knowledge about any of the sonic studios dsm mics, so il let someone else chime in on those

you wont really need any battery packs. run a dat off internal AA's or a hd based recorder off of internal batterys. and the mics off of a battery box. i would stay away from using any stock mic preamps on any dats or hd based recorders

[caymanreview]

So the overal budget is like $1000.

if it were me, for 1k bucks i would pick up some used dpa's and a used dat deck.

used dpas in the yard sale section for 700, and you can buy decks all the time for <300 here. im thinking there are a few for sale right now

[Chrysler]

hi,

thanks for the recommendation

 for the mics again:

do you think stereo omnis (binaural) or stero cardioid are the better choice?
I want to get the best quality for burning the recorded audio on CD to listen to it on my stereo afterwards.

Does DPA have a Homepage so i can check on what they offer?

Is there noone else who can give his opinion on this Topic and the Sonic Studios Mics?

Thanks again,
Jan

[caymanreview]

http://dpamicrophones.com

i think a set of mics that have the interchangeable caps would be the best bet myself. then you can change caps to suit the occasion (shitty room, stack tape, up close, far away etc etc)

i wouldnt want to limit myself to a mic with fixed caps like the original SP mics you posted about, but thats me.

the caps really depend on alot of variables, and its good to have all of them covered be it you need hypers one night or omnis the next night

its still early, and i was up at 5am to shoot my opinions out there... people will chime in... give it a little time

oh and, welcome to the best board on the net! +T

Dustin

[jlykos]

Agreed 100% with Cayman here.  Get some dpa 4060 or 4061 mics, a power supply and a used DAT deck and you will be fine with your budget.  The dpa are fixed omnis, but sound better than any other stealth mic with interchangeable caps in your budget.  Run them line-in to a Sony portable DAT deck and you will be golden.

Among the Sony portables, the D100 and the M1 have better A/D converters and are smaller, but cost more (~$500 each used).  The D7 and D8 are a bit larger and the A/D does not sound as good, but are cheaper (~$300 used).

[Chrysler]

hi,

i notived that the dpa has only one mic whereas the other mentioned mics all have two sperated mics (likely L/R). I assume it still can record stereo?

[jlykos]

hi,

i notived that tha dpa only only one mic whereas the other mentioned mics all have two sperated mics (likely L/R). I assume it still can record stereo?

You need to buy two of them.  One for each channel.

[Chrysler]

  thats going to be expensive...

[caymanreview]

buy your gear used, wont be that bad

set of dpa 4061s in the yard sale section for 700 right now

[Chrysler]

yeah, i intend to buy (at least the D100) used.
from what i read they seem to have already been sold.

A pair of 4061 retail new for $837 here (including 16% tax)  - $700 for used ones seems a little bit much?

[jlykos]

A pair of 4061 retail new for $837 here (including 16% tax)  - $700 for used ones seems a little bit much?

Not really, they tend to hold their value well.

If you live in Germany or other EU states, musicians-gear.com may have a better price.

[Brian Skalinder]

A pair of 4061 retail new for $837 here (including 16% tax)  - $700 for used ones seems a little bit much?

If you're in the US, consider looking around and calling some of the more common online retailers, maybe Sonic Sense for starters.  Often times published retail prices are not the actual selling price, but the retailers are prevented from publishing lower prices publicly.

[Chrysler]

i am located in germany. I just checked on musicians-gears prices. They are the same as anyones for the 4061 (333EUR - excl. tax would be 285 EUR each (approx. 720 USD for a pair)) (only the black colored version is 50 EUR more expensive  ).

With the current EUR-USD exchange rate i assume i make a better deal if i buy in america.

It would be great to get an opinion on the other mics i mentioned...

[caymanreview]

what about import taxes or whatever you may incur for buying in the states?

[Chrysler]

if buyed used i only have to undervalue the package and it will pass customs without having to pay taxes (marked as gift).

As for D100 - even if declared corretly it still would be cheaper to import it than to buy it in germany (it still retails for 900 EUR here).

I found the DPA 4061 black for 512 EUR (644 USD) for a pair (new - from ireland).  

[thoman8r]

yeah, i intend to buy (at least the D100) used.
from what i read they seem to have already been sold.

A pair of 4061 retail new for $837 here (including 16% tax)  - $700 for used ones seems a little bit much?

16% sales tax?!?!  Geez man, remind me not to move where you live!

[Sean Gallemore]

pair of AT853Rx - used for $350
SD mp-2 - used for $375, maybe less
D100 - used for $400 (i presume even cheaper if you don't need the 7pin)

almost within your price range, a little self-fluffing

[Chrysler]

i am a little bit confused which mic i should get now. Do the DPA 4061 also provide the ability to plug different card/hyper/subcard/omni into its cap?

How do the Core Sound Mics (http://www.core-sound.com/mics.html Products)perform?