Topic: Edirol R-09 mic replacement

[fmaderjr]

It is now more or less clear to me that the risk of screwing the things up is too high for a noob like me, and it's not really worth trying to do it myself. I should really consider Chris Church mod when I'll have enough money for that.

I highly recommend the Micsketeer for anything moderately loud up to ear cushingly loud. I sounds incredible. For the quieter stuff, the recorder's less than stellar preamp requires external mics and and external pre for best results.

[acidjack]

I think the bigger question is the overall utility of this mod, which depends on the use intended.

If the intent is to "stealth" or record performances with the recorder concealed (say, in a shirt pocket), it is worth pointing out that the quality of the recording will likely be significantly worse than a comparable recording made with the same mics mounted higher up and aimed more properly (I'm not intimately familiar with the R-09's mics since I wouldn't use them for anything other than interviews, but I believe they point out from the "top" of the unit, no?).  People can debate for hours whether mounting mics on your chest or collar is as good as mounting on your head.  I suppose my answer would be, sure, if you're 7' tall.  And actually, even then, I'd still want the mics on my head....

If you're going to put the thing on a stand or some other type of boom, then it seems like a wise one-box option.  Given that the price is, I believe, also comparable, I'd think CA-11>battery box>R-09 is a smarter move than changing out the mics.  Just my $0.02

[fmaderjr]

You'll note that I didn't say a word about stealth. I've used it mainly as a backup recorder for open taping and even as a main recorder for my friend's bar band. I wouldn't dream of stealthing with it when I have much better options (hat mounted CA-14's, etc.).

I assumed we were all in agreement it is never a good idea to stealth with any recorder's built in mics, no matter how good, unless there were no other options.

Given that the price is, I believe, also comparable, I'd think CA-11>battery box>R-09 is a smarter move than changing out the mics.  Just my $0.02

I agree 100% for someone on a limited budget. I just think it's great to have in addition to an external mic rig for the times when you want to be able to set up quick for open taping with a minimum of hassle. 

[acidjack]

You'll note that I didn't say a word about stealth. I've used it mainly as a backup recorder for open taping and even as a main recorder for my friend's bar band. I wouldn't dream of stealthing with it when I have much better options (hat mounted CA-14's, etc.).

I assumed we were all in agreement it is never a good idea to stealth with any recorder's built in mics, no matter how good, unless there were no other options.

Given that the price is, I believe, also comparable, I'd think CA-11>battery box>R-09 is a smarter move than changing out the mics.  Just my $0.02

I agree 100% for someone on a limited budget. I just think it's great to have in addition to an external mic rig for the times when you want to be able to set up quick for open taping with a minimum of hassle.

We are in total agreement, I think - as I said, all depends on the use intended.  Micsketeer seems like a useful mod if the goal is simply to have better mics in the R-09, and I agree that for open taping (or interviews) where you could optimally position the machine, it should work fine. As you say, if you are doing any kind of recording where you cannot optimally position the device openly, internal mics, whether upgraded or not, are suboptimal.

[fmaderjr]

Agreed!

It does sound great when internal mics are called for. The original mics with the R-09 are useless for music recording. They sound awful.