Topic: portable recorder for "field recordings"

[phonophobie]

Hi !

i am searching for a nice portable recorder (md/whatever) to record mostly sounds from nature.
i hope there are some people here, who do same things like me...

I don´t have that much money these days - so i was looking at the more budget ones, and heard about the hi-md´s ... i guess these are not the best when i comes to good microphon preamps etc.. but i like the fact that hi-md can record in uncompressed pcm format. However i don´t know much about them, so any comments and recommendations would be very welcome!

If there is a alternative to (hi)-md recorders please let me know! But, remember i don´t have the money for the BIG ones.

btw.: i currently use OKM2 Microphones, which are a bit noisy but they are ok for the price. Maybe i pick up better ones later..

and i just found a site where they sell portable preamps:
http://www.microphonemadness.com/categories/preamplifiers_stereo.html

what do you think about those?


hope you can help a little. afterall i am not That experienced...
cheers 

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

Go with a Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox 3 (if you can find one).

Terry

[phonophobie]

thanx!
it does not have a mic-input right?
otherwise it looks not bad, but how do you use it with mic´s ?

[F.O.Bean]

it has mic in and line in in the same jack, also, the optical in is there too, its def a versatile input

BUT, id run line in and get some line transformers which would get you sufficient gain and make up for running line in instead of mic in

[phonophobie]

ah  ok i will have closer look at this jb3 thing. Thanks for suggestions !!!

btw: i´m glad i found this nice forum here 

[phonophobie]

okaaaaaaaaaaaaay ! i did a little search on this forum here and noticed that everybody like the jb3. Well i am completly new to this units, since the only recorder i ever had was a simple sony md .... hope you have the nerve to answer some more questions 

-are there any disadvantages about the jb3 ?
-is this the only recorder that can record *wav files ? or is it just the best for the price ?
-when was that thing released - it´s hard to find it in stores - is it a older one ?
-any good reviews outhere?
-is there anything i should check out before buying a jb3 ? maybe firmware of older ones ? anything that i should check, when buying it second hand maybe ...
-are you using it mostly with a preamp ( i would like to record silent things too )

hmm... guess thats enough for now

[Zaphod]

Have you browsed the NJB3 FAQs yet?

http://www.taperssection.com/yabbse/index.php?board=14;action=display;threadid=16338

It is the only unit that currently records to .wav that is reliable. And yes it has been discontinued so you have to try and find a refurb off of eBay.

[phonophobie]

great! thanks a lot !

i guess i will go for a JB 

[dklein]

you will need a pre for the jb3.  The mic input setting is unusable because it severely rolls off the high frequencies.

[InfiniteOhms]

i'd definately recomend having a preamp for the jb3 ... but line transformers might do a good job, i dont have any experaince with them. But if you can afford it, get a preamp.

[phonophobie]

just received my jb3

so i am just looking for some infos about it here.

btw.: is it normal that some audiotracks are on the hd when it´s new?

[johnw]

Yes it comes pre-installed that way.

[phonophobie]

ok. thanks. i just wanted to get sure that this is a new / unused unit...

well .. i have the jb just for a couple of hours now, but i think i need a preamp, since i have to boost levels +48 always!
i connected 2 mics on "Line IN" of jb3, and recorded some sounds.

first thing i noticed when boosting in-levels was a high noisefloor.
a highpitched sound and humming stuff...

i also did firmware update and installed this new software called " nomad explorer "
i transfered those recordings from jb to pc via usb and opened it in sound forge ( audio editor )

afterall those recordings are useless 

i hope i get better results with a micpre or something? i am no expert about these stuff, so any help would be very welcome...
i guess i could also use a micpre with build in A/D converters and use optical in on jb3, for even better results- right?

are there any tips for doing better recordings sofar?

thanks!

[F.O.Bean]

for the best results, hands down, get a pre/ad all in one box if possible, you really need that digital in, it does wonders

[phonophobie]

ok. Is there a small one for less then 200€ ? otherwise i have to sell the jb3, i think 

[F.O.Bean]

what about a used ad/20, does anybody know if those have gain

that would be suitable, i say thats your best bet, maybe some line transformers before the ad/20 to boost the signal a little, and the a/d stage of the ad/20 ispretty clean, IMO and would take care of your noisefloor a great bit, so i say thats your best bet

max price there, maybe like 200 for the ad/20, and then maybe 40 bux for line transformers, that sounds about right

[phonophobie]

if there is a analog one with more boost it would maybe be enough for me 

i just had a look at this site here: http://www.micsupply.com/ad20.htm
only +15db is not that much, right?

what do you think about those devices i posted in the beginning of this thread?
http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmsterpreamh.htm

good size and +40db boost

well, i am totally new to portable mic preamps so i don´t really know what to buy. afterall all i need is amplify my okm2 mic´s
( soundman.de)

thanks

[F.O.Bean]

under features of the ad/20, it says max gain is 45db, it just says that it improves a dat or MD machines gain by about 15 extra db, so that should almost be enuf gain right there

some of the things you record will be softer too, so you will need extra gain, buy line transformers and an ad/20 for the budget, the ua5 is a lil big for your applications, especially if you'll be on the move

but seriosuly, let your ears decide

[caymanreview]

i think the ad20 applies a minimum gain of 20db

[phonophobie]

ok, thanks - i should have read everything better before i posted this 15db-thing 

i found this infos about linetransformers here at taperssection:

A great way to add gain without buying a relatively expensive preamp.  Short on gain and don't have the cash for a preamp?  Or starting out and want to put as much money into your mics as possible and save for a preamp later (a wise choice) - line matching transformers are the way to go.  Clean, inexpensive gain to hold you over until you get the cash to support your upgrade bug.  Some options:

Audio Technica  (http://www.audiotechnica.com)
CP8201
CP8305
   
Hosa  (http://www.hosatech.com)
MIT-176

Shure  (http://www.shure.com)
A85F

okay, if i buy a linetransformer and the ad20, i have to find a way to connect my okm2 mic´s. 
the okm2 has a stereo miniplug ....

i noticed that it´s not that easy to find any of these things in stores here in germany..
and yes, it should be a small and easy setup, since want to record things on the fly
puh.. that whole thing gets really complicated for me ...
maybe i should open a thread in newbie section too 

[Brian Skalinder]

okay, if i buy a linetransformer and the ad20, i have to find a way to connect my okm2 mic´s. 
the okm2 has a stereo miniplug ....

Typically, you shouldn't need both the line transformers AND the AD-20.  The line transformers apply gain.  The AD-20 applies gain.  You don't need both.  And you'll need some sort of power for the mics (sorry, I'm not familiar with the OKM2's, so I don't know if they require internal power, battery box, or phantom).  At any rate, with the gear you've mentioned, you'd run one of these setups:

[1]  OKM2 > power for mics > line transformers > JB3
[2]  OKM2 > power for mics > AD-20 > JB3

In [1], you're using the line transformers for gain and the JB3's ADC.  In [2] you're using the AD-20 for gain and ADC.  I think [2] will sound better, but it's also the more expensive option.  Line transformers are cheap (approx USD$40/pr), so if you're on a budget I'd recommend [1] and see if you like it.  If you decide it doesn't sound good enough for your tastes, then you can always sell the line transformers and pick up an AD-20.

[phonophobie]

the okm need 6Volt power, and comes with a battery box ( my batteries are empty - always )
infos here : http://www.bluthard.de/preise/mikrofone/mikrofonevonokm.htm
and here: http://www.soundman.de/

so it´s not neccesarry to have an additional powerbox for the okm´s.
but i still have to get a couple of adapters to connect everything with Stereo-miniplugs!

also soundman dealers suggests to use the Sony SBM1 in addition to portable recorders:


but this is a expensive thing again - and like the deneke, it´s hard to find..

that line transformer only options sounds good, but how much gain will such line transformer provide?


hmm setup would be:

OKM2 > adapter from stereominiplug to > Stereo Linetransformer or 2 Mono Linetransformers > adapter from transformer(s) to miniplug > jb3

is that correct 

[Sean Gallemore]

what's up with Europeans and the OKMs?

SBM-1s used are $300
AD-20s used are $175?

[BobW]

Odd, why would anyone talk about portable recorders for "field recordings" on this board ?   

[phonophobie]