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Author Topic: Sony PCM-D100 Part2  (Read 114937 times)

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Offline mitchellm

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #15 on: August 21, 2014, 11:51:02 AM »
I have the M10, D50, and D100. For ambient sounds I wouldn't think twice: D100 all the way.

Keep in mind the D100 also plays nice with external mice: even directly plugged in. I've used with some binaural mics (for ambient sounds) up through an EV RE20. All with success.

Some have reported the D100 does not do such a good job with really loud music: and that may be true (I have not tested myself). But for spoken voice, ambient sounds, and any other soft of quieter sounds: beautiful.

Offline Amir

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #16 on: August 21, 2014, 12:16:00 PM »
I have the M10, D50, and D100. For ambient sounds I wouldn't think twice: D100 all the way.

Keep in mind the D100 also plays nice with external mice: even directly plugged in. I've used with some binaural mics (for ambient sounds) up through an EV RE20. All with success.

Some have reported the D100 does not do such a good job with really loud music: and that may be true (I have not tested myself). But for spoken voice, ambient sounds, and any other soft of quieter sounds: beautiful.
Agreed! I've also seen/worked with all of these Sony recorders and can confidently say that the PCM-D100 offers the best internal mic/preamp performance -- currently own a D100 myself. As for loud music and sound sources, the trick is to use the Low-mike continuation physical switch on the left edge of the recorder, and that'll basically take care of any sort of audio. So far I've never resorted to the versatile Limiter in loud concerts with the Low-mike continuation switch set to On. Simply put, I absolutely love this recorder and -- in combination with my Sound Devices USBPre2 card/mixer -- I basically have a full-blown studio.
« Last Edit: August 21, 2014, 12:18:34 PM by Amir »

Offline t.jay

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #17 on: August 22, 2014, 09:12:55 AM »
I have some problems with my windscreen. It seems to be too small! It is a nightmare to put it onto the D100. I have to stretch it with much force, otherwise it doesn't fit. Anyone with similar problems? Or could it be that I just have a badly manufactured exemplar of the windscreen?

Offline mitchellm

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #18 on: August 22, 2014, 09:24:47 AM »
My windscreen is very tight. I find it relatively simple to put on, but I do have to give some attention and care to doing so. The benefit is it won't come off easily! I suppose you could have a windscreen that truly is too small. But I can't simply pull my windscreen on in a nanosecond. It probably takes me 30 seconds to put it on properly. But it seems to fit and do the job well once placed correctly.

Offline Amir

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #19 on: August 22, 2014, 09:43:58 AM »
I have some problems with my windscreen. It seems to be too small! It is a nightmare to put it onto the D100. I have to stretch it with much force, otherwise it doesn't fit. Anyone with similar problems? Or could it be that I just have a badly manufactured exemplar of the windscreen?
I don't call it a true nightmare, but I can confirm your findings. There's nothing wrong with your windscreen IMO. Interestingly, The PCM-M10's extra windscreen which should be ordered separately has the very same problems. The same can also be said about Olympus LS-100 and its $49 windscreen. My guess is that if manufacturers widen or lengthen their windscreens, they'll become loose. That said, however, I've always wondered why they haven't come up with a better solution.

Offline Amir

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #20 on: August 28, 2014, 08:52:43 AM »
Guys, Transom's review of the PCM-D100 is here -- http://transom.org/2014/sony-pcm-d100/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sony-pcm-d100
It's a very interesting review especially from a broadcast/journalism-oriented perspective.

Offline yates7592

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #21 on: August 28, 2014, 11:03:48 AM »
Yeah a strange review. The lack of XLR's is a major stumbling block for me. The D100 is a great recorder with good pre's and ADC. I only used mine 2 or 3 times before I sold it because I found it too big for comfortable stealthing (being paired with the XLR-1 as well for P48). If you just need a minijack input I would recommend it.

Offline mitchellm

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #22 on: August 28, 2014, 12:28:10 PM »
@yates7592: I'm not a sound professional so I may be ignorant of the importance of XLR connectors. But my naive understanding is XLR connectors were important for:

1. better quality audio recordings
2. more secure connections

I have probably frowned upon non-XLR connectors in the past. However, I found that the Sony D100 has amazing sound quality when using the mini-jack connectors. This is with a wide variety of microphones. I could discern no downside at all (I may be a recording-novice, but my ears are pretty good.)

I thought the connections would be more "dubious". I was simply wrong about the D100. I found the connections very tight and secure. I think XLRs would be even better, but I'd grade the mini-jack connections on the D100 as "A" in terms of security/snugness, etc. I'd give XLR connectors an A+. Anything at the A level I'd be happy with. I realize there are some situations where the difference between the two connectors might make a practical difference: but in my own usage scenarios I experience no practical difference.

So am I missing something here? Are there other ways in which an XLR connector would be considered superior to mini-jack? My major concern was audio quality, and the D100 comes out A++++ on that.

Offline yates7592

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #23 on: August 28, 2014, 04:11:15 PM »
@mitchellm - yes xlr input becomes quite important when your mics are terminated with xlr's and you want to take advantage of that . Robust connection, fully balanced, zero interference - one less thing to worry about.

Offline Amir

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #24 on: August 28, 2014, 04:51:28 PM »
@mitchellm - yes xlr input becomes quite important when your mics are terminated with xlr's and you want to take advantage of that . Robust connection, fully balanced, zero interference - one less thing to worry about.
My hunch is that when one spends about $800 on a recorder without XLR, they consciously seek other factors such as audio quality. The PCM-D100 delivers on that front and as someone who owns Olympus LS-100 and has worked with the DR-100MKII, H6 and H4N I should make the bold proclamation that I'll never return to anything below the D100 in terms of preamp performance.
That said, I'm a broadcast-oriented individual and preamp performance is very important to me -- especially in ultra-quiet areas when dynamic mics or internal mics are used. Most people here use their devices to record concerts in conjunction with battery boxes/preamps/low-powered mics; so they might not/need not judge the D1000 the way I do.

Offline mitchellm

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #25 on: August 28, 2014, 07:09:43 PM »
@yates7592: Got it! I had completely forgotten about mics terminated with XLRs. None of mine are, so I can always use an XLR-to-mini-jack cable. Makes complete sense what you're saying.

I'm not in broadcast, but like Amir my main interests are in ambient sounds and spoken voice. Both of these are relatively quiet: especially relative to some bands. So, for me, high quality pre-amps in a small package is priority #1 to me. Lesser pre-amps don't work so well, or add noticeable background hiss. That's why I love the D100: very high quality pre-amps.

I should say that I've always been in search of the "perfect" audio recorder: one that I can use in my office, going other locations in my city for interviews, and even when traveling. The D100 is that all-in-one perfect answer. When at my university I can pair it with the Sound Devices Mix-Pre (or a SD USB Pre2) to do interviews with great lav mics. Can record in my office with a nice studio mic. When traveling far away I have 3 "travel" mics: small electret powered lav mic, small binaural mics, and a relatively small interview mic (Beyerdynamic M88). The flexibility the D100 gives me is fantastic.

I'll confess that if I were recording lots of loud music, with boisterous and unruly crowds, I'd probably opt for my Sony M10. Don't need the super quality pre-amps in those situations. The M10 works well with loud environments. And if something goes wrong, I'm out $200 instead of $800.

Offline flipp022

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #26 on: September 16, 2014, 05:13:44 AM »
sony pcm-d100 is too expensive, I test here both pcm-d100 and wmd6c

I get better details in the sound with sony wmd6c metal tape c 90 ,

on metal stand ,I use not dolby , only with low level live shows get I noise

but with loud live shows works it fine, more details in the sound as with the sony pcm-d100 .cheers
« Last Edit: September 16, 2014, 09:36:58 AM by flipp022 »

Offline beatkilla

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #27 on: September 16, 2014, 09:27:01 AM »
Do you any audio samples of comparison between these two?Id like to listen to them.

Offline flipp022

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #28 on: September 16, 2014, 09:41:09 AM »
I delete samples , I must taped new show tonight , but maybe can I recorded new samples , of PC loudspeaker

Offline mitchellm

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Re: Sony PCM-D100 Part2
« Reply #29 on: September 16, 2014, 11:37:24 AM »
Both samples sound pretty bad. Not impressed with the older wmd6c.

On the D100 the record volume was set too high: so there's noticeable clipping/distortion. On the WMd6c the recording level is fine, but the audio quality is okay (at best). You wrote that your "PC loudspeaker" is okay, but clearly it's not too good. That may explain why you can't hear the difference. This kind of music, single piano playing, is something the D100 captures very well.

And, of course, you don't seem to mention what mic you are using. It could be, especially in this instance, that the D100 would get a better recording w/o the external mic (hard to know, really, from this sound sample).

I'd re-record, or re-test, but with the sound levels set appropriately for the D100. The compare with headphones instead of cheap computer speakers.
« Last Edit: September 16, 2014, 11:55:17 AM by mitchellm »

 

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