Won't I get noticeable volume drop downs when an incidental loud noise kicks in? (maybe even some clapping from the audience).
Good levels are obviously the best approach. But I'd rather have a volume drop down than the distortion of clipping.
Well, I like to forget about my recorder after I've started "rolling the tape", be it because I might be playing in a session myself or just because I want to enjoy a concert I'm attending without being concerned about levels and whatnot. That I could do with my old Sharp MD. I always put it in recording level L9 out of 30 (if you ever had one, you might remember it had L and H in addition to the number), and recordings always came up sounding quite good, with no distortions at all.
You'll learn the set-it-and-forget-it levels on the PCM-M10, too. They'll just be different.
I suppose you mean DS70P. Well, yes, I understand they're different mics. I just wanted to test the internal mics for my first recording, but was surprised that I could get clipping with something that was just moderately loud.
I know that the DS70P doesn't go all the way down to 20 Hz, but I've read that might be a good thing for concerts, as you don't overload the input with excessive bass, is that true?
To me it's better to get an accurate recording--even with the bass-heavy mixes that are all too common at concerts now--than to have a one-size-fits-all filter applied to every recording. What saved your recordings with the DS70P (yes, sorry) was the combination of its low sensitivity, the Sharp's low sensitivity setting and the lack of bass, not just the bass cut-off. The internal mics are more sensitive than the DS70P because Sony probably intended them to be used for interviews and other relatively quiet sources.
I'd suggest you do a fairly low-volume test, with a home stereo, with the DS70P and then the internal mics recording the same source--matching, just by eyeballing, the incoming recording level. Then play them back and see how you like the sound quality.
Better inexpensive mics than the DS70P include the tiny Sound Professionals BMC-2 or, more expensively, the slightly larger Church Audio mics; either way, add a battery box. (Church Audios often show up in the Yard Sale here.) If you try them, sorry to say, your old recordings may sound squashed or claustrophobic.
Battery boxes aren't big: 9V ones are barely larger than the 9V battery, and Sound Professionals and Microphone Madness both make 12V versions that are even smaller. The MM Classic Mini, really small, has a lifetime warranty, but the batteries are expensive and I've had to get mine repeatedly repaired.
I've had better luck, and the battery is cheaper, with the SPSB-10 with short detachable cables.
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-SPSB-10 I use a belt pouch, LowePro Ridge 30, that holds the PCM-M10, battery box and remote quite neatly.