Topic: A newbie wants to start taping

[ardnassac]

Hi everyone,
i have been videotaping concerts for some time and want to start making my own audio recordings.

I've read the introduction guides ([1-5],$$$) and think that i have a small clue what it was about.

I own a Cowon D2, which has a line-in and the option to make 256kbit/ 44kh .wma recordings. (http://www.cowonamerica.com/products/cowon/d2/tech_specs.html) I was wondering if i can use it as a storage [5] or even more and thus want to know for what steps [1-5] it can be used properly.
Since i already plugged a microphone into the D2 and recorded something and then was able to play/hear it, i think it has the capability of [3-5], but i have no idea if it does that job good or bad.

I am not sure if it disqualifies the D2 that it cannot record in loseless formats like flac or wav. (Perhaps it gets this option when Rockbox finally gets released for the D2.) All i can say is that i can hear big differences between 128k mp3/wma and loseless formats, but i cant hear any difference between 256k and loseless.



I think i will obviously at least need a microphone and power supply [1-2] and have no clue what kind of microphone would be good.  I cant really tell how much money i want to spend - it depends on the enhancement of the quality of the recordings... i think 100$ would be absolutely no problem and i am willing to spend more if it helps me to get better audio recordings.

I would use the equipment mainly for stealth recordings of rock-concerts (prog, psychodelic, post, kraut).


I hope you can help me with my Cowon D2 question and have some advice for me what kind of additional equipment i have to buy and have some product recommendations.


Thank you very much

[NOLAfishwater]

I haven't heard of anyone recording with one. generally most people try to record at at least 16bit/44.1sample rate wave. maybe once it's rockboxed it will be capable. I use mine for playback b/c it plays wav and flac. Don't see why you couldn't record with it with the right software. If you record into it, you will need some kind of preamplifier + microphones. Chris Church on this board makes lots of miniature microphones and battery boxes (preamplifier) that you could use in conjunction with the Cowon.

also you can put an ISO(in search of) request in the yardsale section for the gear you want and there is a good chance someone is selling something that you need.

battery box here: http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,79928.0.html
mics: http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,103461.0.html


good luck and welcome to the taping community.

[ardnassac]

thanks so far.

so you would say that is unusual to use the d2 - that means storing the files as 256kbit wma's -  as a recording device, but not impossible or a stupid idea? (i think it could take a while until rockbox gets released for the d2, these guys seem to have some serious problems with that player.)

if this is the case i will start looking for a mic/preamp.

[sunjan]

so you would say that is unusual to use the d2 - that means storing the files as 256kbit wma's -  as a recording device, but not impossible or a stupid idea?

Once you start to edit your recordings in post, you will start to realize the drawbacks of lossy formats. When you convert it into WAV for editing, it will be resampled and you'll lose data.

I won't label anything as stupid, it's all up to the quality demands of the user.
But most tapers here on TS come to the conclusion that it's worth dropping the extra $ to get a recorder that does at least 16/44 lossless.
These days, you can get a JB3 for $80 or so. And a Hi-MD recorder for even less, maybe $50, if you're on an extreme budget. Both do 16/44, with the added advantage of optical input.

That said, go ahead and shop for mics and preamp first, since you're going to need them anyway. Once you've tried them and evaluated the quality you get, you can take the plunge and upgrade the recorder.

[acidjack]

so you would say that is unusual to use the d2 - that means storing the files as 256kbit wma's -  as a recording device, but not impossible or a stupid idea?

Once you start to edit your recordings in post, you will start to realize the drawbacks of lossy formats. When you convert it into WAV for editing, it will be resampled and you'll lose data.

I won't label anything as stupid, it's all up to the quality demands of the user.
But most tapers here on TS come to the conclusion that it's worth dropping the extra $ to get a recorder that does at least 16/44 lossless.
These days, you can get a JB3 for $80 or so. And a Hi-MD recorder for even less, maybe $50, if you're on an extreme budget. Both do 16/44, with the added advantage of optical input.

That said, go ahead and shop for mics and preamp first, since you're going to need them anyway. Once you've tried them and evaluated the quality you get, you can take the plunge and upgrade the recorder.

Agree - it's not "stupid" to record as WMAs IF all you care about is having tapes for yourself and these 256k WMAs sound good TO YOU.  However, if you plan to trade tapes with anybody or generally distribute your recordings to the general public, starting out with a lossy format will be heavily frowned upon (for example, to my knowledge none of the big digital trading/torrent sites allow files to be posted in lossy formats). 

[nameloc01]

^ you're gonna have a hard time finding a working, decent M10/M100 MD for under $200. An RH1...between $3-400.

[sunjan]

^ you're gonna have a hard time finding a working, decent M10/M100 MD for under $200. An RH1...between $3-400.

You don't need a M10/M100 to do Hi-MD taping. The NH700 does 16/44 and has the same Sony quality mic preamp! Yours for less than 50 bucks with a bit of sniping:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130297895844

[nameloc01]

Does that one have an illuminated display? If not..its extremely difficult and risky going that route. Best bet are the models I mentioned or bit the bullet and get an RH1.

[Sunday Driver]

^ you're gonna have a hard time finding a working, decent M10/M100 MD for under $200. An RH1...between $3-400.

I just picked up an M200 (RH1) for $170 on ebay yesterday. Five blank Hi-MDs and all accessories included. Mint condition. Even after owning the R-09HR, the RH-1's preamp sound was more of what I was looking for.

So keep searching ebay and if you have the time and patience, sometime you can get a good deal. The Yard Sale here typically operates the same way.

[nameloc01]

Holy shit. Things really changed in the two months since my bought my other M100. wow. I suppose that says something about how bad things are getting. When I bought my other M100 about 2 months ago M10/100s were 185-225 and all of the RH1s were 3+(used). I think I'm gonna stroll on over to ebay and see what's doin.

[taperwheeler]

FYI...There is an R-1 up in yard sale...$125...comes with 4 gig card too.  24 bit recording.

[sunjan]

Does that one have an illuminated display? If not..its extremely difficult and risky going that route.

Hmm, I guess it doesn't. Whether the OP consider it risky depends on the type of venues he's taping at. At least it's no biggie if you'll use it at festivals in daylight.  Or use an LED keylight together with some jedi skills.

But with the price of the RH-1 going down, it make sense to go for the top of the line, unless the OP is on a shoestring budget. I even saw an RH-1 selling for $144:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120397748579

[fmaderjr]

Even if the RH-1 doesn't sound superior to the othe Hi-MD's (and it may-I never owned a previous model) it's the only way to go. With it, you can upload any MD recording to your computer and it is by far the best recorder to use for low profile recordings. Keep it in shirt pocket and you can look down in the pocket to see your levels. If they need to be changed, it doesn't require any fumbling around. And despite what most of you will say, if you need more than 81 minutes without a disc change, just use Hi-SP mode. You will not hear a difference, though it would bother many of you to know that the great sounding recording you just made was lossy. And as Sunday Driver said, the preamp is great. I would never settle for one of he earlier models after using an MZ-RH1.

[deadheadcorey]

buy yourself a ua-5 and iriver