Topic: Newbie...minidisc vs. digital audio recorder for recording concerts

[jklock]

Hi all, for some time now I've been wanting to get into taping and record some of the local shows in NYC that I attend (bands like Black Dice, Gang Gang Dance, Animal Collective, etc. that are extremely loud and bassy).  I've been debating whether or not to pick up a MD recorder or a digital one like the Edirol R-09.  I picked up Sony ECM 719 mic not too long ago to test on this cheap voice recorder I bought a few years back but its meant for MD so it really didn't make a huge difference on the little sony voice recorder I have- and I didn't pay a whole lot for it so not using it for newer recordings wouldn't be an issue.  Anyways, I've heard transferring recordings from a md to a computer (I have a mac) can be a pain with the exception of models like the Sony MZ RH 1 and the MZ M200 which feature regular usb transfer.  If anyone could give me some input on the best decision to make/specific models/and other advice it would be greatly appreciated!!

[greenone]

The main disadvantage of Minidisc is that you're limited to 94 minutes of 16-bit, 44.1kHz recording with Hi-MD. Unless you already have a MD player, I'd stay away from them. You can pick up a Microtrack II for the same price, pick up an 8GB CF card for $25 and be done with dealing with actual media forever...

[nameloc01]

I'd be more concerned with a decent microphone setup than with what type of deck youre using to record with...thats more important.

digital audio recorders are definitely easier to record with,but they have their drawbacks too. Ironically, the Sony HIMDs have better preamps and such than almost all of the small handheld digital recorders, but like mentioned above, unless you are running 2 decks, or want to gamble with getting a clean disc flip, you may lose some audio at swap time..it all comes down to what youre comfortable running.

[jklock]

I would definitely prefer just clicking record on a digital recorder as opposed to worry about all of the hassle with a md.  And for one of the newer/better (?- from what i've read) mds it could cost me $400-$600...which seems absolutely insane for a piece of obsolete technology

[nameloc01]

understandable.

look at some mics..thats paramount.

[jklock]

with recorders like the edirol and the microtrack II that greenone mentioned, are there any mics that are better off for those particular recorders?  I have a feeling that most of the shows that I will be recording will have to be done stealth if that plays any part in it

[nameloc01]

theres a ton of mini microphones available,look into Audio Technica,Church Audio,DPA,Sennheiser,ect,ect... all depends on what you want to spend..$$

theres a ton of threads on here about all the different types.

better yet, start listening to a bunch of live recordings to give you (a vague) idea of where to start as far as different mics and what they offer

[greenone]

They don't really design mics for recorders...any mic you buy will be able to interface with your recorder with the right cables/connectors. If you're going low-profile, then that definitely narrows your focus considerably. If you want to go as absolutely small as possible, you'd want something that could be powered directly by the mic-in on your deck (most mics need to be powered by either a preamp or at least a battery box, and plugged into the line-in, unless they're self-powered). Then you'd need just mics and whatever deck you choose. Most folks go with some sort of small external box even if they're low-profile, which opens your options up a bit.

[boojum]

I have used an MD recorder in the past.  It gave me some good results with Microphone Madness   MM-HLSC-1 mics and Sound Professional SP-CMC-4U's.  I was using the SONY Hi-MD RH-1.  It is a great recorder.  Most bands have sets shorter than 94 minutes so swapping discs is not a great big problem.

I have either been pooh-poohed or ignored on this board when I was using the Hi-MD.  Nevertheless I got good recordings.          The mechanical parts can fail.  The solid state recorders fail, too.  Just from other things.  If you want the whole skinny on MD's go to minidisc.org.  SONY considers the HiMD/MD a "mature" technology so there will likely not be any further development of the platform.

Upside: easy fit in a shirt pocket with more power and quality than the old Ampex tape recorders.  Pretty cool.

Whatever you decide to buy remember to have fun.

Cheers

[jklock]

Thanks all.

Yeah the whole reason why I was so torn on md and digital was because I've heard some really great recordings come from a sony md, while all of the amazing digital recordings i've heard have come out of extremely expensive recorders and mics...and I don't have $1000 right now to drop on a set up

[jlykos]

Thanks all.

Yeah the whole reason why I was so torn on md and digital was because I've heard some really great recordings come from a sony md, while all of the amazing digital recordings i've heard have come out of extremely expensive recorders and mics...and I don't have $1000 right now to drop on a set up

If you have half of that amount, you could do well for yourself by picking up a used digital recorder here from the Yard Sale and a set of Church Audio microphones, Core Sound Binaurals, Sonic Studios DSM microphones, or something similar.  Figure on ~$200 for a used recorder and ~$300 for the mics.  Probably even less for the mics.  If you want to upgrade to better mics in the future, you can always sell the mics and keep the recorder; that won't change.

[Aladar]

..or, if you want budget option (oh how I can understand you), you can always get old iRiver H120 (many people like it here, plus its neat mp3 player, I think you should be able to get them at around $120 max) or Tascam DR-07 (around $130) and get a Church mic (it seems you could even get a free battbox http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=130844.0). That's about $200 and should give you great recordings (many people use this combo).

[sunjan]

..or, if you want budget option (oh how can I understand you), you can always get old iRiver H120 (many people like it here, plus its neat mp3 player, I think you should be able to get them at around $120 max) or Tascam DR-07 (around $130) and get a Church mic (it seems you could even get a free battbox http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=130844.0). That's about $200 and should give you great recordings (many people use this combo).

What he said.
CA-11>ST-9000>H320
$200 for the church combo, the irivers can be had from $70 on ebay with some patience. You don't need the digi-in, go for the 300 series, they're cheaper.

$270 for a perfectly decent 16-bit stealth rig. And you'll never have to worry about a disc flip in your life again :-)

[greenone]

Yeah the whole reason why I was so torn on md and digital was because I've heard some really great recordings come from a sony md, while all of the amazing digital recordings i've heard have come out of extremely expensive recorders and mics...and I don't have $1000 right now to drop on a set up

The recorder has much less to do with the final sound of a recording than the mics do. The preamp/analog-to-digital in the recorder (or the outboard one, if you use one) will color the sound some, but most folks will tell you that your mics determine that more than anything else.

[yltfan]

Another thing to mention is the ease of transferring something from your recorder to your computer. With an R-09, or iriver, it's real easy. With MD, not so much...

My low-pro and pretty cheap setup is AT853>ca9100>iriver120. Set me back $400 total. It works nicely for me in lots of situations, and sounds good enough that my friend who runs Schoeps MK4>nbox>R-09 likes to borrow my rig for some situations.

And, speak of the devil:
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=133193.0