Topic: best point and shoot?

[John Willett]

I would probably agree that the Sony PCM-D50 is the best quality.

My short-list was the Sony, the Edirol R9HR and the Olympus LS-10.

In the end I went for the Olympus based on the "feel" (it just felt perfect in the hand) the ease of use and the size.

It is the size that it easily slips into a pocket and I carry it with me all the time - the other two are slightly larger and carried the risk that I would leave it at home (just when I needed to use it of course - Murphy's Law).

But I would be happy with any of the three.

[sailcat]

Thanks again everyone for your input. Dallman - you're rigtht on the money - more experimentation with placement is the key for sure. Of course, this requires getting a bunch of other people to participate in my agenda when theirs is different, but I'll have to do it. Just as an aside - notice that I didn't post in "ask the tapers", but went immediately to the idea of buying something else to solve my problem. I've done enough studio work to know that mic placement is often the greatest part of getting the sound you want, but some part of my brain was secretly hoping that one of these boxes would do it all for me.

I wonder how much interest there is in more point-and-shoot discussion? Some of us just have to work that way, and some of the manufacturers are using much better built in mics and pres. Just askin'

[rastasean]

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug08/articles/edirolr09hr.htm

I read this review last night from the magazine in person! It was a pretty good article and a fair review, but you can't read the review online for free. Go to your local book store and read it but don't buy the magazine since they don't offer reviews to be posted online for free.

[Ozpeter]

Go to your local book store and read it but don't buy the magazine since they don't offer reviews to be posted online for free.

Why should they?  They're a business, and reviews are the most expensive part of their content to produce.  It's a bit like saying "go to band X's concert and listen from outside, but don't go in as they don't let people have free tickets".

[rastasean]

Go to your local book store and read it but don't buy the magazine since they don't offer reviews to be posted online for free.

Why should they?  They're a business, and reviews are the most expensive part of their content to produce.  It's a bit like saying "go to band X's concert and listen from outside, but don't go in as they don't let people have free tickets".

Fair enough but all the other reviews I've read have been online for free. If you want to buy the magazine, I won't stop you. I just didn't find it worth my mom to buy.
That's all.

[John Willett]

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug08/articles/edirolr09hr.htm

I read this review last night from the magazine in person! It was a pretty good article and a fair review, but you can't read the review online for free. Go to your local book store and read it but don't buy the magazine since they don't offer reviews to be posted online for free.

You are quite wrong here.

Sound On Sound certainly *do* let you read the magazine on-line for free.

Just not the latest issue.

On-line magazine content is locked to subscribers only (and you *can* get a cheaper on-line only sub. if you want) for about three months - after this it can be read by anyone.

I think this is entirely reasonable - reviews and magazines are expensive to produce.  So why should any mag. put up everything free on-line immediately?

I think Sound On Sound are very good here - if you want to be a cheapskate and read it for free, just wait a couple of months or so.

[rastasean]

I think Sound On Sound are very good here - if you want to be a cheapskate and read it for free, just wait a couple of months or so.

But I've already read it.

[dallman]

I wonder how much interest there is in more point-and-shoot discussion? Some of us just have to work that way, and some of the manufacturers are using much better built in mics and pres. Just askin'

I think it is a great topic. I really dislike having to "hide" my mics, but there are times I do, and while some of what then happens is luck, some is from experience. I have recorded putting my MT in my shirt pocket with a t-mic on it and done very well. Some critical pieces for me when I do this are that I have a battery box than snaps on top of the unit and converts the 1/8 jack to 1/4TRS. This is important on the MT1 is the 1/8 jacks are too sensitive, but it also gives the deck more height to stick out of my shirt pocket. And the T-mic is attached to an "L" shaped adapter (1/8 to 1/8) that gives me the ability to swivel the T-mics.

The biggest issue (always) is the noise and talking around me...

I much prefer to use the unit plugged into my church mics that are in croakies so they are on my glasses. Mics higher up, and depending on my relation to the sound source, even if I have chatty folks around me, sometimes putting the glasses atop my head, allows a straighter path to the sound source and minimizes my pickup of the crowd talking. I do not mind crowd buzz (don't love it, but can deal with it) but really dislike picking up individual conversations while recording. Those are my usual issues.

There are other situations that I handle differently, but I always try to anticipate factors such as where am I sitting, where will the sound souce be, how much crowd is in front of me, and how critical is it that the mics not be seen.