Topic: sony pcm-m10? equipment recommendation for an equipment dummy.....

[TCarter]

Hi, I’m a classical clarinet player, and I have the need to make recordings for two situations: 
A)  alone (clarinet only) in a quiet room or small, quiet hall.
B) piano and clarinet together in a quiet room or small, quiet hall. 

I'd like to be able to make my own CDs for auditions, personal use, etc., so I am thinking to purchase a portable digital audio recorder like the sony pcm-m10. 
I’m totally “not with it” when it comes to equipment, as the last thing I bought to record myself was a sony minidisc recorder 10 years ago.  (I know, it’s like I’ve been buried under a rock).

For the above situation I described, my questions are:

1) Would using a sony pcm-m10 with the internal mics be a good choice for my situations?  (I like the sound on my sony md, so I feel comfortable staying with sony).
2)  Would using a sony pcm-d50 with internal mics yield dramatically better results for the same situations?
3) In your opinion, for the situations described above what kind of set-up, internal or external mics, would yield the best results (beautiful, clean, accurate sound) for a budget of $260 ~ $450?  Is there really going to be a dramatic difference in quality of recording spending $260 vs. $450 on equipment?  A dramatic difference?  If so, what do you recommend?

10 years ago, there was mini-disc and DAT, so I feel completely out-my-know-how in trying to choose a portable digital recorder.  I greatly appreciate any advice.

Thank you,
Tim

[F.O.Bean]

I would recommend church audio ca14 omnis and a 9volt battery box and a sony m10. That will yiels you right around $400-$450

[adrianf74]

Seeing that we're talking solo/classical here, I would strongly suggest a preamp like the Church Audio 9200 where you can add 30+ dB of gain because it will be quieter.  You would likely have to gain the M10 up all the way and still might not yield sufficient levels.

[ScoobieKW]

piano, clarinet, drums and upright acoustic from stagelip.

recorded with onboard M10 mics. (small amount of noise from my being overlly conservative with gain levels.)

http://archive.org/details/pk2011-08-05.M10.flac16

[rastasean]

I think getting the recorder first and seeing how that works would be the approach I would take.

[ScoobieKW]

I highly recommend getting external mics, but getting an M10 is an excellent first step. It's mics are good, it's preamps are very good, and it's battery life is excellent.

[F.O.Bean]

If you only get a battery box, run mic in to the m10. That should get you sufficient levels!

[TCarter]

Thank you!  You guys are amazing!

[acidjack]

About M10 vs. D50 -

the M10 mics are omnidirectional, and they are pretty good.  As noted, they can be improved upon for not much money, but they're pretty good on their own, for the purpose you describe. 

The D50 also has nice internal mics.  Those are directional (cardiod), meaning they will require being aimed more carefully and will reject unwanted sound from away from the source.  More or less, they'll record a broad field of what is in front of them, whereas the M10 will record 360 degrees of sound from all around it.  Whether that is good or bad is a matter of preference and situation.  You are playing quietly by yourself, so the omni mics may sound more natural. 

I wouldn't buy a recorder based on its internal mics anyway, so I'd say start with the M10 and go from there. If you find you want to add mics for it, you can add decent external mics for less than the price difference between the M10 and D50.

[TCarter]

Acidjack--thank you so much!  Your knowledge is fantastic, and I really appreciate yours and everyone's insights regarding my questions..... 

[adrianf74]

If you find you want to add mics for it, you can add decent external mics for less than the price difference between the M10 and D50.

THIS.

[F.O.Bean]

If you find you want to add mics for it, you can add decent external mics for less than the price difference between the M10 and D50.

THIS.

100% agreed!!!!!!!!!

[TCarter]

What mic would reccomend? 

[F.O.Bean]

Church audio ca14s

[earmonger]

There are CA-14 cardioids and omnis. Again, omnis will provide a more natural recording of what your ears hear, while cardioids will focus on the sound in front of them.  For concerts, many people here (not me)  use cardioids to shut out talking, audience noise, etc. and focus on the stage. But if you are recording yourself and your practice space sounds good, you may prefer omnis.

[acidjack]

There are CA-14 cardioids and omnis. Again, omnis will provide a more natural recording of what your ears hear, while cardioids will focus on the sound in front of them.  For concerts, many people here (not me)  use cardioids to shut out talking, audience noise, etc. and focus on the stage. But if you are recording yourself and your practice space sounds good, you may prefer omnis.

Useful advice... I'd add that the OP can probably get an idea of whether you like omnis from using the M10 internal mics. If you like the sort of "feel" of those recordings but not the detail, get the CA-14 omnis. If you think, "I'd like to hear more of 'me' and less of the room' then go cardiods.