Topic: Microtrack II - Part 2

[taperwheeler]

So I picked up the 1/4 cable specially wired for the mt2 from sound pro's and it works beautifully.  No sprinkler sound from the mt2 when adding gain from the mt2.  However, did notice that the mt2 is significantly noisy when running too much gain.  Think I'll be running my 9100 full-on and using as lil' of the mt2 gain as possible. Considering a naiant or sp pre that offers more gain down the road.

[rsimms3]

I just reread all of this thread specifically for reference to the 1/8" input on the MT II.  Looks like where this left off was everyone was going for 1/4" line input. 

Here is my current set up:
AT853s > CA 9100 with 4.7k mod on, volume at max > IRiver h120, Rockbox, Gain Zero

With that set up I just turn it all on, hit record, and it comes out great.  I have to increaes the volume afterward, but I have never clipped and the sound always has sounded good.  My question is, can I sub in the MTII for the h120 with the same results?  I would be using zero gain on the MTII through the 1/8" input jack.  I want to use the MTII for 24bit if the battery will last, I need to test how long mine will record on the interal battery alone due to the recording situation .  If it won't work out, that's fine, I still love my h120 I was merely hoping to take advantage of the 24bit on the MTII which I generally use as a bit bucket.

Thanks!

[taperwheeler]

I just reread all of this thread specifically for reference to the 1/8" input on the MT II.  Looks like where this left off was everyone was going for 1/4" line input. 

Here is my current set up:
AT853s > CA 9100 with 4.7k mod on, volume at max > IRiver h120, Rockbox, Gain Zero

With that set up I just turn it all on, hit record, and it comes out great.  I have to increaes the volume afterward, but I have never clipped and the sound always has sounded good.  My question is, can I sub in the MTII for the h120 with the same results?  I would be using zero gain on the MTII through the 1/8" input jack.  I want to use the MTII for 24bit if the battery will last, I need to test how long mine will record on the interal battery alone due to the recording situation .  If it won't work out, that's fine, I still love my h120 I was merely hoping to take advantage of the 24bit on the MTII which I generally use as a bit bucket.

Thanks!

I've really wanted to run the same setup (modded 853>CA Pre>1/8 input MT2).  Adding the 1/4 cabling has added a bit more bulk than I wanted.  Only prob is that the 1/8 input is a mic input only.   So running a line signal may be coming in too hot.  Somewhere in an earlier post, Guysonic stated that the 1/8 input on the mt2 was the same as max line in on the h2, so maybe it wouldn't be a factor.  I think some testing is needed.  Maybe I will fiddle around at home.

[rsimms3]

Coming out of the CA 9100 at full gain with the 4.7k mod I am adding around 10-12db from what I understand of the mod.  The full gain is 20db.  I have an important show Saturday that isn't worth throwing a good recording away on experimenting.  Maybe I will do some experimenting on the home stereo to see what I come up with.  Thanks for the feedback.

[tgakidis]

Just recieved my MTII yesterday, so I ran a "Livingroom" test last night with my V3 digi out and works perfectly.  Thanks to those who gave me "the low down" before I pulled the trigger.

[taperwheeler]

Glad you're happy Ted.  Zero complaints with it as a bit bucket and haven't been let down with it in low-pro analog stuations either.  Only wish the 1/8" input was switchable to line input like the mt1.

[tgakidis]

I got a question.  When I ran digital out of my UA-5 > Iriver H120 the levels were controled by the UA-5.  Is that the case with the V-3 > Digital > MTII?

[Brian Skalinder]

When I ran digital out of my UA-5 > Iriver H120 the levels were controled by the UA-5.  Is that the case with the V-3 > Digital > MTII?

Yup.  AFAIK, with any recorder that accepts a digital input, the levels are controlled by the device containing the ADC (in this case the UA-5 / V3).  There may be exceptions of which I'm unaware.

[tgakidis]

When I ran digital out of my UA-5 > Iriver H120 the levels were controled by the UA-5.  Is that the case with the V-3 > Digital > MTII?

Yup.  AFAIK, with any recorder that accepts a digital input, the levels are controlled by the device containing the ADC (in this case the UA-5 / V3).  There may be exceptions of which I'm unaware.

Thanks Brian.  I figured as much and I would also have found out soon enough 

[anhisr]

I use the V3 digital in to the MTII combination. Yes, the V3 will control the levels.

[tgakidis]

So far so good with the MTII.  Ran my AKG 426 > V3 Digital > MTII with fantastic results! 

http://www.archive.org/details/delf2009-04-16.c426b.flac

Going to give it a shot tonight with the Guns for the Dead in Woosta.

[rsimms3]

So far so good with the MTII.  Ran my AKG 426 > V3 Digital > MTII with fantastic results! 

http://www.archive.org/details/delf2009-04-16.c426b.flac

Going to give it a shot tonight with the Guns for the Dead in Woosta.

Not my kind of music....but the sound is AMAZING!  Very nice!

[Chad817]

after quite a bit of reading I think I'm going to have to pick one of these up soon.  My trusty JB3, even though it's been put to light use over the past 2 years or so, is pretty much on it's last legs.  Old man served me well, but I think it's time to make the 24 bit jump.  For my casual taping needs this looks to be a perfectly suitable bit bucket to throw behind the ua-5.

[spaceboy_psy]

Hello forum!

Firstly and foremostedlyest – a big dramatic THANK YOU to everyone who was a part of this EPIC thread. What a resource.

I’ve decided, after a loooong time of research – days solid!, that I will be buying myself a Microtrack II.

I just wanted to try and list all the issues and notes I’ve taken in order to make sure I’ve covered everything[!] and maybe get some advice on a couple of things. (hopefully this will help anyone else looking into the MT II)

Here it goes...

1)   I can use balanced mic or line to TRS inputs or unbalanced to 1/8” inputs without problem. To use unbalanced into TRS I need to have a loud preamp and turn MT gain right down, or use a pseudo-balanced cable. Does this cover everything?

2)   What kind of problems have people had with battery drainage? I read in a couple of user reviews that people had experienced it draining whilst off. I read elsewhere that this was either caused or exacerbated by using the Hold switch, and also some reports of it clearing up once the battery got ‘worn in’. Any more experiences/definitive story on this? I’m thinking it might be wise to run it off a battery pack whenever it’s remotely practical, so that the external battery wears out rather than the internal battery, the external being much easier to replace than the internal. I’m aware of this method of replacing the internal battery with an iPhone or iPod battery:
http://www.greendog.co.uk/microtrack/howto.php
But this is an MT 1, will this work the exact same with MT II?

3)   I should reformat my CF cards at every opportunity to avoid problems. I think that was from Guytronic on these forums…

4)   I’ve read here that people are using 16Gb CF cards with no trouble, but I understand that M-Audio still only officially support 8Gb. Anyone tried 32Gb? Anyone tried ‘Kingston 133X ELITE PRO’ cards? They seem to be the cheapest 16Gb cards I can get.

5)   Anyone found or made a windshield that works well with the plugin mic?

6)   Can you still only change recording level while recording, or has this been changed?

7)   I can get this for a fair bit less than I was expecting, so I’m considering buying a new mic. Another stereo omni condenser mic would be good, not necessarily the same T-mic design, but something smallish would be good, which I can either have plugged straight into the unit or on an extension and clipped somewhere inconspicuous. Basically how little can I spend on this to get a noticeable improvement? Something I can get from a UK vendor would be best. There’s 3 options at Sound Professionals for $50, $60 & $70 respectively. Any experience with these? Or I found this Olympus ME-51S mic: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-145037-ME-51S-Stereo-Microphone/dp/B000BTAH62/ref=dp_cp_ob_ce_title_1

[8 )]   Battery pack?? Are there any limitations on what specs I’m looking for? The ‘BATTERY SIZING 101’ over at www.sonicstudios.com seems to suggest to me that more voltage/current/wattage = more power supply, is it as simple as this? Anyone got any advice between something that’ll take AA/C/D batteries or some sort of battery unit that’s basically another Microtrack battery in external form, like this: http://www.macally.com/EN/Product/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=32
Or this: http://www.amazon.com/Lenmar-Universal-Powerport-Power-Adapter/dp/B0015ZZZLS/
This one is tricky for me, as I’m taking the thing to Nepal in the summer and I don’t think I’ll always be in a city with even semi-reliable mains power. So looking for a reasonably heavy duty solution here.

You know what, by joe, I think that’s it! Hopefully I’ve just created a helpful summary for any prospective Microtrack buyers, or present owners for that matter, and hopefully someone has definitive answers to some of these questions!

Again, many many thanks for this thread.

Keep pebblin’

Simon

[taperwheeler]

Hello forum!

Firstly and foremostedlyest – a big dramatic THANK YOU to everyone who was a part of this EPIC thread. What a resource.

I’ve decided, after a loooong time of research – days solid!, that I will be buying myself a Microtrack II.

I just wanted to try and list all the issues and notes I’ve taken in order to make sure I’ve covered everything[!] and maybe get some advice on a couple of things. (hopefully this will help anyone else looking into the MT II)

Here it goes...

1)   I can use balanced mic or line to TRS inputs or unbalanced to 1/8” inputs without problem. To use unbalanced into TRS I need to have a loud preamp and turn MT gain right down, or use a pseudo-balanced cable. Does this cover everything?

2)   What kind of problems have people had with battery drainage? I read in a couple of user reviews that people had experienced it draining whilst off. I read elsewhere that this was either caused or exacerbated by using the Hold switch, and also some reports of it clearing up once the battery got ‘worn in’. Any more experiences/definitive story on this? I’m thinking it might be wise to run it off a battery pack whenever it’s remotely practical, so that the external battery wears out rather than the internal battery, the external being much easier to replace than the internal. I’m aware of this method of replacing the internal battery with an iPhone or iPod battery:
http://www.greendog.co.uk/microtrack/howto.php
But this is an MT 1, will this work the exact same with MT II?

3)   I should reformat my CF cards at every opportunity to avoid problems. I think that was from Guytronic on these forums…

4)   I’ve read here that people are using 16Gb CF cards with no trouble, but I understand that M-Audio still only officially support 8Gb. Anyone tried 32Gb? Anyone tried ‘Kingston 133X ELITE PRO’ cards? They seem to be the cheapest 16Gb cards I can get.

5)   Anyone found or made a windshield that works well with the plugin mic?

6)   Can you still only change recording level while recording, or has this been changed?

7)   I can get this for a fair bit less than I was expecting, so I’m considering buying a new mic. Another stereo omni condenser mic would be good, not necessarily the same T-mic design, but something smallish would be good, which I can either have plugged straight into the unit or on an extension and clipped somewhere inconspicuous. Basically how little can I spend on this to get a noticeable improvement? Something I can get from a UK vendor would be best. There’s about 3 options at Sound Professionals for $50, $60 & $70 respectively. Any experience with these?

[8 )]   Battery pack?? Are there any limitations on what specs I’m looking for? The ‘BATTERY SIZING 101’ over at www.sonicstudios.com seems to suggest to me that more voltage/current/wattage = more power supply, is it as simple as this? Anyone got any advice between something that’ll take AA/C/D batteries or some sort of battery unit that’s basically another Microtrack battery in external form, like this: http://www.macally.com/EN/Product/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=32
Or this: http://www.amazon.com/Lenmar-Universal-Powerport-Power-Adapter/dp/B0015ZZZLS/
This one is tricky for me, as I’m taking the thing to Nepal in the summer and I don’t think I’ll always be in a city with even semi-reliable mains power. So looking for a reasonably heavy duty solution here.

You know what, by joe, I think that’s it! Hopefully I’ve just created a helpful summary for any prospective Microtrack buyers, or present owners for that matter, and hopefully someone has definitive answers to some of these questions!

Again, many many thanks for this thread.

Keep pebblin’

Simon

1.  You can use 1/4 inputs running gain from external and internal pres with a specially made cable.  Soundpro's offers one on their site...others here could make you one.  From my analog recording experience with the mt2, it's better avoiding using the internal preamp gain as much as possible as it can be noisy if using a lot.

2. I always run an external.  So far, no probs with powering.

3. I keep a 16gb card in my mt2.  Have never reformatted it, and no probs yet.  I'll be interested to know if reformatting is useful.

5. Never used the t-mic, but it has a builtin windscreen.

6. Recordijng levels cn be changed before or during recording.

7. I use sp mics...like them, but everybody has their own preference.  You'll need a battery box with most electret mics if you wanna record loud shows.

8. Any mini usb power pack should work.  Duracell makes a sled device utilizing 2 aa's.