Topic: Steam deck / ROG Ally for recording

[grzy7316]

So I was just thinking, I have a steam deck & a rog ally , and I was wondering if it would be viable to use either one as a recording device.
they  have a microsd slot that could be used for storage (although the microsd on the ally is a bit finicky ) , they run a full linux / windows OS so I could throw some recording software on there & have  a USB-C port that can be used to connect to a compact  dock with regular USB ports for hooking up peripherals.  I have a couple of 65W power banks that I could hook up to run the dock & the devices themselves, and I could hook up a cheap USB condenser mic or 2 .

I really don't want to go buying a bunch of dedicated gear for taping at this point, wanted to see if I could get something that doesn't sound like complete garbage out of stuff I have laying around the house. 
The Microphones I currently have a pair of are Drelan V3s, which were Like 30 bucks a pop when I bought them. They are Cardiod Polar Mics that allegedly capture 192kHz/24bit .    I have 1 for my downstairs office & 1 for my upstairs office. 
I know they wont compare to the kind of mics people around here tend to recommend, but I was thinking about at least making the attempt without spending any money on additional gear . 
 I was thinking I could use Audacity to record and just set each usb mic as its own  channel .  Does anyone have any further ideas / suggestions for how I can maximize my ability to record without buying too much additional gear ?  Was mainly thinking about buying some kind of pole / stick / tripod device to get the mics above crowd level.
 The mics work with a 10ft USB extension + 6Ft USB cable in my home setup, so I would assume I could probably get the mics about 10 ft into the air.   

[grzy7316]

The other thought I had was to grab something like a zoom H1 essential and try just chucking that up on a stick for recording .  That has a low enough cost to initially get into things that I don't have to worry about the WAF issue when it comes to buying new gear for any kind of hobby

[Kyle K]

I don't have much to add with regards to deck/ROG as a device (but I'm curious!) but if you're looking for affordable entry level taping you may consider looking into the MV88 (though it might only be for iPhone?) - I have heard some totally serviceable tapes with it, and I prefer them to the h1 tapes I've heard (though of course a huge element of taping is positioning and the room and I can't speak as much to that for these comparisons..)

Here's an MV88 tape - essentially a stack tape from the looks of it

https://archive.org/details/tmg2022-04-30.aud.mv88.flac24/tmg2022-04-30t02.flac

And here's a matrix from the same show:
https://archive.org/details/tmg2022-04-30/02_Corsican+Mastiff+Stride.flac

And here's one of the better h1 tapes I've heard (same band, same song):
https://archive.org/details/tmg2021-12-16/tmg2021-12-16-23.flac

I taped a run for this band where someone else captured them with the MV88 and I was always really surprised at how well those pulls turned out. I've heard lots of rough h1 internal captures, though it is hard to say how much of that was due to be the technique utilized.

Edit: sorry, I missed that you already have some mics, I think you're saying you'd be using those mics with the h1? In which case my h1 comparison is a bit moot, I initially read it as you considering using the internals.

[Rairun]

I used the Zoom H1 on its own for quite a few years (from 2012 to 2015). I bought it because I liked making videos at shows, but my little camera's mics couldn't handle high SPLs. In that context, I was ecstatic about it! Eventually I did grow very familiar (and tired) of the H1 internal mics' sound signature, and I bought external mics, but for a while there they served me well. There's nothing glaringly wrong with them - they just sound a lot less 'tight' than my CA mics. I can identify a certain hollowness they add to the snare drums from miles away.

I looked up the Drelan microphone you mentioned. Couldn't really find any info on the maximum SPL. Imho there's a good chance it wouldn't be able to handle a moderately loud show, and considering the price, I doubt it is better than the Zoom's internals for live music. Plugging two of those into a steam deck would be so fiddly in the middle of a venue, too. I'd say go for the Zoom (or another budget recorder), and when you outgrow the internal mics, buy a decent set of external mics and a preamp or battery box to plug into it.

[grzy7316]

I don't have much to add with regards to deck/ROG as a device (but I'm curious!) but if you're looking for affordable entry level taping you may consider looking into the MV88 (though it might only be for iPhone?) - I have heard some totally serviceable tapes with it, and I prefer them to the h1 tapes I've heard (though of course a huge element of taping is positioning and the room and I can't speak as much to that for these comparisons..)

Here's an MV88 tape - essentially a stack tape from the looks of it

https://archive.org/details/tmg2022-04-30.aud.mv88.flac24/tmg2022-04-30t02.flac

And here's a matrix from the same show:
https://archive.org/details/tmg2022-04-30/02_Corsican+Mastiff+Stride.flac

And here's one of the better h1 tapes I've heard (same band, same song):
https://archive.org/details/tmg2021-12-16/tmg2021-12-16-23.flac

I taped a run for this band where someone else captured them with the MV88 and I was always really surprised at how well those pulls turned out. I've heard lots of rough h1 internal captures, though it is hard to say how much of that was due to be the technique utilized.

Edit: sorry, I missed that you already have some mics, I think you're saying you'd be using those mics with the h1? In which case my h1 comparison is a bit moot, I initially read it as you considering using the internals.

The Mics I have are not compatible with the H1 as far as I know - they are USB mics that I have a a pair of  from working from home. Not sure how well they will do for recording live music, but figured if I have em, might as well try em
https://www.amazon.com/Microphone-Condenser-Professional-Recording-Podcasting/dp/B07SWXMFJV