Topic: Noob questions: Mics + Tascam vs Sound Devices deck

[sea-speak]

I've never done any recording. I want to have a portable, durable, very high-quality rig to record: people talking (say interview style), environmental sounds, and amateur live music in homes and other non-pro venues. I don't plan to record live, amplified pro musicians.

I am also an afflicted audiophile with a relatively serious home stereo setup with ribbon speakers. That will affect my sense of how the stuff performs.

Today I spoke to a respected equipment modder (you can probably guess who) who said that the Tascam HD P2 provides a much better sense of soundstage/space/depth than the Sound Devices 702. He said that the 702 sounds killer on mono but not so much in stereo. Question 1: Can anyone confirm this or deny it? For sound quality alone, which deck will sound better in stereo on a serious playback system given the same mic?

Question 2: what high quality, versatile stereo mics should I look at in the $500-$1500 range? I want clarity - which to me means uncolored sound, 'openness', good staging, excellent transients, high frequency extension, low noise, and so on. I don't like 'dark.' I do like a bit of warmth but that is not necessary. Another way to phrase this question might be - what's a step up from a Rode NT4 but isn't a $4000 Schoeps?

thanks much for anything and everything you can tell me.

[boojum]

My advice is to listen to both rigs. 

[Brian Skalinder]

While not the type of material for which you plan on using the gear, here's one sample of a 722 v. ACM HD-P2 in the field:

http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,88037.0.html

I think they both sound great.  Probably tough to tell how they'll sound in your planned usage, though.  You might consider going with the ACM HD-P2 and applying the ~$1k you save towards your mic purchase, taking the upper limit of your mic budget to $2,500.  The mic generally will have a bigger overall impact on the sound you're trying to achieve than the pre/ADC/recorder.

[sea-speak]

Yep, I understand that the mic will have a bigger overall effect than the recorder. On the other hand, it's a little scary to carry a very expensive and extremely delicate object around in the big bad world!

Can you provide any recommendations on stereo mics up to $2500? Or should I get, say, a matched pair of Earthworks QTCs and resign myself to carrying a little handheld Blumlein mount around?

thanks!

[Brian Skalinder]

Here's a stereo mic roundup thread.  See DSatz's post at the end for a summary of mics listed.  Don't know much about most of them, sorry to say.  But might be worth researching the list to see which may fit your budget / needs.

[sea-speak]

Thanks for the links - most appreciated.

Sorry for the stoopid questions but: can a Rode NT4, a Studio Devices LSD2, and a Peluso P Stereo all be handheld (practically speaking) for recording - or do they need shockmounts? Are these all approximately equal in resistance to wind damage? Just trying to figure out what the practical constraints are.

[boojum]

As a general rule, omnis are much less affected by the wind than directional mics. 

[digifish_music]

I've never done any recording. ...
Today I spoke to a respected equipment modder (you can probably guess who) who said that the Tascam HD P2 provides a much better sense of soundstage/space/depth than the Sound Devices 702. He said that the 702 sounds killer on mono but not so much in stereo. Question 1: Can anyone confirm this or deny it? For sound quality alone, which deck will sound better in stereo on a serious playback system given the same mic?

I am sorry but that is just crock. While there are differences between the mic-pres, minor ones IMO, neither has superior soundstage/space/depth. Either is excellent and limited by

1. The mics you use with it.
2. The distance and position relative to the sound-source

Those two factors alone will completely swamp any differences between the D/As and mic-pres.

digifish

[digifish_music]

Thanks for the links - most appreciated.

Sorry for the stoopid questions but: can a Rode NT4, a Studio Devices LSD2, and a Peluso P Stereo all be handheld (practically speaking) for recording - or do they need shockmounts? Are these all approximately equal in resistance to wind damage? Just trying to figure out what the practical constraints are.

I have tried to hand-hold a NT4 on several occasions. It is very difficult to avoid handling noise...even your heartbeat through your hand

digifish

[sea-speak]

Ok - got it. So... what are some good 'low profile' mounts to hold a mic in the field? If you have recommendations for compact/lightweight mic stands for floor use that would also be really useful to me.

[grider]

go with DPA 4020 series mics, high quality and little coloration and a true representation of the sound you are recording; as for the Tascam HDP2, do people actually run mics directly into that unit?  I can't think of a single taper or recording with that rig

[sea-speak]

hi - are you suggesting a pair of (for example) 4021s? I think those would be a little out of my price range at the moment, sad to say. (A pair is like $3200 right?).

Are you saying as well that no one uses the Tascam or that they only use it with external mic pres?

[JasonSobel]

Are you saying as well that no one uses the Tascam or that they only use it with external mic pres?

many people use the HD-P2.  most people who run mics directly into the unit have the pre-amps modified by Oade.  although there are a few people who run mics directly into the stock unit.  It is true that many people who run the HD-P2 (myself included) choose to use either and external pre and/or an external A/D.

[grider]

hi - are you suggesting a pair of (for example) 4021s? I think those would be a little out of my price range at the moment, sad to say. (A pair is like $3200 right?).

these mics would be ideal for you as you have described the sound and size you seek, and you can get a used pair much cheaper than that, probably 2200 to 2600, and yes it seems most people run an external preamp in front of the Tascam unit it seems

[Todd R]

I'll do my usual and throw out the option of the Milab VM44-link mics.  Excellent mics, very good price.  They've got a high-frequency bump that would probably be good for speech intelligibility as well as for recording at more of a distance.

Overall, I'd say that small, active cable style mics might be easier to cart around for your purposes, and having two separate mics might be more useful for conducting interviews than a single stereo mic.

The Milabs have a street price of $930, so a bit more than $1850 a pair, which might be in your range.  There also is a swedish taper on this board (brn2rn) who might be able to broker you a deal and get them for $300-400 less.  Just do a search on Milab and you should be able to find the relevant threads.

Also, from a portablity standpoint, you might want to look into the Fostex FR2le, especially one modded by Oade Bros.  For about $750 for the recorder + $1850 for the Milabs + a bit more for your bag, stand, cables, etc, you should be able to put together a very nice rig for interviews, home recording, ambient recording, etc for something in the range of $2800-3000 total, less if you can go thru brn2rn.

[sea-speak]

Yeah, I was looking at the FR2LE as well. I talked to Doug Oade about it and he said that with his mods it would be about as good as an unmodded Tascam HDP2. Seems like the FR2LE would be a good size to start with, get my feet wet.

I like the idea of two of these little mics like the 4021 or the Milab... hmm. Would these mics be better sounding than say a pair of Earthworks QTCs or would they sacrifice a bit of quality for small size? Trying to get a sense of the tradeoffs here. Do I want cardioid or omni? I don't really understand the tradeoffs there either.

Also -- what accessories would I want? Sorry again to be so noobie but if you could walk me through all the junk that makes this work together that would be *great*. (bag? mic mount? with a Milab type of mic would I need windscreens/fur coats?)

thanks a bunch. I'm making progress!

[grider]

the DPA's are as good as any generally used high end microphone, in the DPA/Schoeps/Neumann category of popularly used live recording microphones, with that said of course there is much better mics available and like anything else you can spend as much as you like, but for our live music and even studio applications these are very high quality mics, check out the website at dpamicrophones.com, they are widely used in classical music applications for their transparent sound

[sea-speak]

Ok, thanks. I know that DPA makes good stuff!

Put another way - would I be better off (purely from a sound quality POV) with a Lunatec V3 and a Fostex FR2le than with a Sound Devices 702 by itself? If so then I could start with the Fostex and then add a Lunatec later if I wanted to upgrade the sound.

Also, where are the right places to look for used mics? Here on the board exclusively? Any other good places?

[Tim]

I like the idea of two of these little mics like the 4021 or the Milab... hmm. Would these mics be better sounding than say a pair of Earthworks QTCs or would they sacrifice a bit of quality for small size?

There's no trade-off with the small size of the 4021's or the Milab's. I can't comment on the quality of the EW's but the DPA's and the Milab's are very high quality microphones, you will be pleased with either. DPA/Schoeps/Neumann/Milab - I don't think you'll go wrong with any of them.

Trying to get a sense of the tradeoffs here. Do I want cardioid or omni? I don't really understand the tradeoffs there either.

Also -- what accessories would I want? Sorry again to be so noobie but if you could walk me through all the junk that makes this work together that would be *great*. (bag? mic mount? with a Milab type of mic would I need windscreens/fur coats?)

thanks a bunch. I'm making progress!

try here, http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,35004.0.html

for an explanation on the differences between cardioid and omni check out the Microphone University here, http://www.dpamicrophones.com/

[Todd R]

Yep, I think when you start comparing Schoeps, DPAs, Neumanns, Milabs, Earthworks, etc, you probably are getting into which particular flavor you like -- all are very high quality. 

You need to be careful with the Earthworks on what you pair them with, since they draw 10ma of phantom power each, which is the upper limit for the phantom power spec, and not all preamps/recorders are available to provide that much juice.  Most other condensors draw around 2-5ma of power, so it isn't generally an issue providing the necessary power to them.

As to omni vs cardioid, the cardioid mics are probably a better all-round general purpose mic.  Depending on how you conduct interviews though, maybe you'd prefer omnis.

As to the other stuff, you'll probably need:  mic cables (or shorter XLR interconnect cables if using mic body + active cable/capsule arrangements), rechargeable batteries (either internal or external) + charger, a microphone stand(s), some kind of bag to house everything (Lowepro AW nova series is popular and pretty cheap, or the professional Portabrace or Petrol bags), a stereo T-bar to hold two mics.  Lots of options on all this stuff if you search around on ts.com.

On the mic stand issue, many tapers here use large lighting stands with the appropriate adapters to get a 9-13' mic stand.  If you are doing interviews across a table for instance, you might want little 3"-6" table top mic stands.  It all really depends on your application.

[digifish_music]

Ok - got it. So... what are some good 'low profile' mounts to hold a mic in the field? If you have recommendations for compact/lightweight mic stands for floor use that would also be really useful to me.

This is a great solution, cheap, light-weight...it's a mic stand being hand held, yes that's me.



It's nothing more than the Rode SM4 or 3 depending on your preferences...



I attach this to a camera tripod, that opens up a whole range of light-weight options, from those mini-desk models to mono-pods and normal ones. You will need an adapter too...although the SM4 and SM3 (I am holding) disassemble to reveal a camera tripod thread on the flat metal plate horizontal with the mic.

You can always screw in the shaft from a desk-stand to the mic mount if you need some more grip or simply fold up one of these.

Or get a blimp and use the holder from that...

digifish

[sea-speak]

That's what I'm talking about! Looks perfect. Hmm.

-Where do you get the grip that screws into the shockmount?

-So I could use that with a pair of compact mics (like the Milab VM44 Link) assuming I have them mounted on some kind of holder, right?

-Are there 'standard' holders for compact mics or do all of them require custom holders?

[digifish_music]

That's what I'm talking about! Looks perfect. Hmm.

1. Where do you get the grip that screws into the shockmount?

2. Are there 'standard' holders for compact mics or do all of them require custom holders?

I was editing my post so you may have missed...

1. You can always screw in the shaft from a desk-stand to the mic mount if you need some more grip or simply fold up one of these.

Depends on how long you will be holding it but you could find some pipe insulation and slip it over the desk-stand shaft as shown above.



2. The holder like the SM3 and SM4 will fit almost any compact mic, the NT4 is at the upper limit of what it can cope with BTW, weight and size.

digifish

[digifish_music]

isn't that shockmount pretty much bottomed out with that mic?

It's at the usable limit, but it's OK.

digifish

[Tim]

flashbacks Moke?

[Tim]

I can't believe you guys used to hand hold those heavy suckers! Made your arms look good for all of the hippie girls though, right?

[digifish_music]

that rode stereo mic is a big mic. I've run accross them on occasion.
is it heavy?

I've handheld my share of big mics, and that can be a grind. I don't much miss that part of the whole game.

Yup, about 480 g (16.8 Oz).

Not something to hold for a long time. That said in a blimp I have never found it to be an issue.

digifish

[digifish_music]

digifish,

you seem keen on Rode.
Have you looked into their remote capsule/cable mics?
(sorry - I don't know the model numbers)

Rode gear is made locally for me, so it's a value proposition that is hard to look past. Rode mics are very quiet, something that is an obsession with me and are also very well made, and backed up with a 10 year garantee.

You are thinking of the NT6...



Is just an NT55 on a cable extender - http://www.rodemic.com/multimedia/NT6_High_WMV.wmv

I love the NT5 (studio work mainly) so the NT6 is going to be a nice mic. Capsules avaliable are Cardioid (same as NT4 and 5) and Omni.

It's interesting that on these forums Rode seems not to be that popular, in the studio side of things their mics are huge.

digifish

[stevetoney]

Put another way - would I be better off (purely from a sound quality POV) with a Lunatec V3 and a Fostex FR2le than with a Sound Devices 702 by itself? If so then I could start with the Fostex and then add a Lunatec later if I wanted to upgrade the sound.

I'm jumping in  a little late but found this thread interesting. 

As you know, the term 'sound quality' is subjective, so the best answer that anyone could provide is to suggest that you should decide for yourself based on what you like. 

I've recently owned the Oade WCM Mod FR2LE and currently have a SD702.  The 702 provides greater detail and crispy sound than the WCM.  Without any other pre-amps, if your decision were between these two alone, you'd be deciding between a warmer mellower sound (Oade WCM FR2LE) or a brigher crisper more detailed sound (SD702). 

Having said this, to more directly answer your question, I never ran any preamp in front of the Fostex since it was already an Oade modded box.  However, I've found that there are enough samples on Live Music Archive that, if you listen to enough different samples, you can get a reasonable feel for each product so that you can at least begin to form your own opinion about what the V3 does to the sound vs. a 702/722/744.

Good luck!

Steve

[sea-speak]

I'm at a bit of an impasse. I finally processed the fact that the FR2LE has no spdif digital in/out. So there's no upgrade path (ie, the V3) that turns the FR2LE into a bit bucket. And I looked at the dimensions of the HDP2 and decided that was a bit bulky for spur of the moment fun. (Not too bulky for packing when there's something I specifically want to record, on the other hand.)

That leaves me at...
FR2LE with Oade super mod and no upgrade path (right on budget) OR Sound Devices 702 (budget busting!) and the possibility of going to a V3 preamp/ AD without selling & buying a new recorder. If the V3 offers any improvement over the stock 702 mic pre and A/D, that is. I now feel the pain of all those people on the FR2LE threads who were upset at the lack of digital in/out.

As for mics, the Milab VM44 Links look good, as do the DPA 4020 series. I could swing the Milabs new, or the DPAs used. The Rode shockmount looks good. DPA sells the windscreens for compact mics. I can sort out tripods, grips, etc. now.

So I guess my remaining questions are: 1) any further words of wisdom on the above options? 2) are there any nice 'standard' stereo mounts/bars for compact mics that would work with the Rode shockmount? and 3) I see continued reference to the idea that 4020s can be had used for $2200 or so, but it's not clear where these used items are being sold. Any other sites I should check?

I need to buy this rig before xmas, as that's the only time during the year I see some of my relatives, and some are getting into their mid 80s, and I want to record them telling family stories before it's too late.

Thanks a bunch for all the advice so far, it has helped a lot!

Brandt

[Todd R]

The DPAs are definitely a nice choice, but if you want them used it probably will take a bit of looking around and waiting for them to come available.  From a price standpoint, with the constantly changing value of the dollar vs the euro, the price paid will depend a lot on when they were first purchased.  For that matter, the used market value also can change with the price of a current set.  I'd say depending on the particular deal and the accessories included, the DPAs used will be in the range of $2200-2700.

Not to sound like the Milab fluffer, but the Milabs new and presumably available immediately via retail will be about $1850.  If you can wait a bit and if brn2n run is still brokering Milab sales, you can get them for about $1450-1500, and it may take a couple months.  If you are willing to wait a 2-3 months, you can probably find the DPA 4022/4023s for $800-1000 more than the brokered Milabs.

I do think the Milabs are one of the best choices, esp for the $, esp if you want to buy new and not wait for a deal to come up on used DPAs/Neumanns/etc.  OTOH, the DPAs are the one mic I still lust after....

[grider]

So I guess my remaining questions are: 1) any further words of wisdom on the above options? 2) are there any nice 'standard' stereo mounts/bars for compact mics that would work with the Rode shockmount? and 3) I see continued reference to the idea that 4020s can be had used for $2200 or so, but it's not clear where these used items are being sold. Any other sites I should check?

with regard to the mics themselves, the Milabs are new to the market, while the DPA's have been in wide use for years, so it might be easier to resell the DPA's if you were unhappy with them, you can purchase demo DPA's at a discount from DPA USA in Colorado by contacting its president Bruce Myers, and they sell here in the yardsale regularly too

[stevetoney]

That leaves me at...
FR2LE with Oade super mod and no upgrade path (right on budget) OR Sound Devices 702 (budget busting!) and the possibility of going to a V3 preamp/ AD without selling & buying a new recorder. If the V3 offers any improvement over the stock 702 mic pre and A/D, that is. I now feel the pain of all those people on the FR2LE threads who were upset at the lack of digital in/out.

I'll let the others cover mics...you mention the 702 being budget busting and it's definitely a costly piece of gear.  But way back at the beginning you stated yourself as an audiophile, so you know of course that you get what you pay for.  What I can offer is that there are a TON of Sound Devices 7XX series owners on this TS.com forum and I honestly can't remember reading anyone that said that they regretted their purchase.  Sure, there have been discussions about the sound of the 7xx vs. what you get from other sources, there's been discussions about some software bugs that have shown up here and there, but when it comes right down to it, the SD is made like a tank and the product support is second to none.  The product is also light years ahead of the competition in terms of features and flexibility.  One possible negative is that there isn't a 'right out of the box' ability to use it, but spend an hour or two with the manual and you've got most everyhting you need to know.  Another hour or two messing around with the box and paging through the software menu's and you're a pro.  The bottom line is that you probably would have absolutely no regrets if you decided to spend the extra $1000 and go straight for the SD product. 

Another thought is that many people on this list own lower priced gear because they're on their way stepping up towards eventual ownership of the 7xx series.  So many people sell their recorders on the YS and when asked what they're moving to, the answer is the SD7xx.

[Kevin Straker]

That leaves me at...
FR2LE with Oade super mod and no upgrade path (right on budget) OR Sound Devices 702 (budget busting!) and the possibility of going to a V3 preamp/ AD without selling & buying a new recorder. If the V3 offers any improvement over the stock 702 mic pre and A/D, that is. I now feel the pain of all those people on the FR2LE threads who were upset at the lack of digital in/out.

I'll let the others cover mics...you mention the 702 being budget busting and it's definitely a costly piece of gear.  But way back at the beginning you stated yourself as an audiophile, so you know of course that you get what you pay for.  What I can offer is that there are a TON of Sound Devices 7XX series owners on this TS.com forum and I honestly can't remember reading anyone that said that they regretted their purchase.  Sure, there have been discussions about the sound of the 7xx vs. what you get from other sources, there's been discussions about some software bugs that have shown up here and there, but when it comes right down to it, the SD is made like a tank and the product support is second to none.  The product is also light years ahead of the competition in terms of features and flexibility.  One possible negative is that there isn't a 'right out of the box' ability to use it, but spend an hour or two with the manual and you've got most everyhting you need to know.  Another hour or two messing around with the box and paging through the software menu's and you're a pro.  The bottom line is that you probably would have absolutely no regrets if you decided to spend the extra $1000 and go straight for the SD product. 

Another thought is that many people on this list own lower priced gear because they're on their way stepping up towards eventual ownership of the 7xx series.  So many people sell their recorders on the YS and when asked what they're moving to, the answer is the SD7xx.

I wouldn't let the slightly larger size of the P2 be much of a determining factor. The 702 has some nice lights and construction, other than that, save your money and buy a Mod HdP2. Use the change on a better set of mics. Why do so many people preamp the 7XX series if they are so nice as an all in one box? Now if it had the pres from a psp2 in it, I'd jump right on the band wagon.

[sea-speak]

I'm sure the 702 is a great piece of kit. I'm just gonna have to meditate on that while staring at my credit card.

Re mics, I talked to a guy at DPA USA yesterday. He suggested that I go with omnis rather than cardioids. He said that cardioids were at their best when quite close to the sound source (say 3-5 feet) and that they'd roll off in the bass much more than omnis. I'm not reproducing his arguments in full here (and I didn't catch all of them, only most of them) but he really thought omnis were the way to go.

Any thoughts? I suppose most of the folks here on the forum are taping live shows (duh) and that's the one thing I don't really plan to do. But in the aggregate people here probably have slightly different miking targets than I will. I can see the benefits of being able to reject some background sounds, just not sure based on the conversation I had that it's worth the tradeoffs.

waiting for your 2c,

Brandt

[sea-speak]

I guess I'm trying to figure out why people here would say to go with the cards while others would say go with the omnis. What do you see as the practical pros and cons of each type?

I've read the Oade mic faq and the DPA mic university stuff, btw. Trying to do my homework. But it's always the practical experience of people who use the mics that is most helpful.

cheers,

Brandt

[sea-speak]

Are omnis harder to use well?

[stevetoney]

I can't really add anything to what Moke said, but as an audiophile yourself, I'm sure you can understand how those of us that are into this subject can talk your ear off all day about the differences between cards, omni's, subcards, etc.  What you probably should keep in mind though is that you're gonna without a doubt get a great transparent sound out of the DPA 40xx line of mics and what is being discussed is how best to utilize the different directional patterns that the mic options give to maximize your success for the types of taping you'll be doing. 

Most people on TS.cm record live music, so the default for most of us tends to be cardioids for the sake of being able to reproduce that stereo sound mix that might be coming out of the PA speakers (or of course just to reporduce the live feel of the guitar left, drums center, bass right if there's no PA.)

Anyway, my point is that I'd think that ANY of the DPA 40xx patterns would sound great in most situations you can throw at them (relative to say a lesser quality microphone/capsule combination)...it's just like Moke said that having a greater arsenal would allow you to maximize the results in any given taping scenario.

For example, there's no shame in recording live music in a crowded venue with omni's (that might not be able to shed crowd chatter as well as cardiods) if that's all you have...and there's no shame in using a baffle with your omni's in order to supplement having to spend another $3k on a pair of cards that you might not use very often.  The reason there's no shame is that if you're using the rig you're contemplating, you're gonna still be pulling awesome sounding recordings, IMHO.

[sea-speak]

>I can't really add anything to what Moke said, but as an audiophile yourself, I'm sure you can understand how those of us that are into >this subject can talk your ear off all day about the differences between cards, omni's, subcards, etc.

Heh. Yep. With playback systems I've had 20 years or so of following the market and listening to different stereos as well as evolving my own rig. (Leading to my current rig involving rebuilt Apogees, custom corner-loaded subs, eight channels of amps, and a fiddly digital room correction system.) I know the problem with being on a forum when you don't have direct experience with the stuff people are talking about - it becomes impossible to know the importance of what person A says vs person B.

Put another way, I know from experience that I like dipoles, and especially magnetically driven dipoles (haven't liked the 'stats I've heard yet, but that day may come!). Box speakers - except some minimonitors - leave me cold. If I hadn't heard various dipoles and boxes, I wouldn't be able to choose based on arguments on forums. I imagine it's the same with omnis, cards, condensers vs ribbons, etc.

Probably in this case I just have to buy some of these mics and try 'em. Much as I would like to get all the answers from you guys -- and you're doing a pretty good job of providing them!

best,

Brandt

[sea-speak]

fully understood.

[Todd R]

Part of the problem is that you want to record things that aren't the most typical for recordists on this board, so we might not know what works best in those applications.  And part of the problem is you want to record different types of things, which might not lend themselves to the same types of mics.

For recording environmental sounds, I'd think that you want to use omnis based on their characteristics (though I haven't done this type of recording).  For recording amatuer musicians in your living room, I think either omni or cards would work.  Personally, I find cards to be a more all-round mic to use and I'd tend towards them for this application, using a nice stereo pattern (ortf, din, etc).  I wouldn't worry about the loss of bass at a distance, this won't be that significant and you won't be that far away. 

For doing interviews, I have no idea since I don't know exactly how or where you are recording these.  Off hand, I'd guess that the directionality of cards could be very useful in conducting interviews, and might help keep down the extraneous ambient sounds you're not interested in, which you'd pick up more of if you use omnis.  Also, again, I don't think the larger distance rolloff of low frequencies DPA spoke of would be an issue here.  Probably the opposite, to the extent cards roll off low frequencies, it would work to your advantage.  Spoken voice isn't going to be using these frequencies, so if you roll off low frequencies with cards compared to omnis for interviews, you'll probably be losing unwanted HVAC noise, trucks rumbling in the background, etc -- all sounds you don't want to capture anyway.

Bottom line, I'd still recommend using cardioid mics as a good all-round choice.  You might want to see if there are any ENG discussion boards though to ask around in, as I don't think interviews and ENG is a very big topic on this board.

Good luck!

[deadheaded]

this thread has been a great read!!
figured i'd throw my 2 cents worth into the mix.
of course i'm going to vote for the schoeps mk-41 for your microphone choice.  but any of the suggestions here for mics would be great for you.
for your recorder, as the newest member of the 1 bit club, i say you should give the korg mr-1000 a try.
$1050 shipped from sweetwater then have busman do his magic on analog stage for $175.

schoeps ccm 41 > mod korg mr-1000 would be a great all in one box stealthy rig.

and todd:  great use of the word fluffer.

keep up the good work boys & girls, making great recordings.

thanks
ed

 

[bluntforcetrauma]

I happen to own and use both the DPA 4022 and DPA 4061, which I like both for various situations.  The omni's seem a little brighter, sounding a little crisper but again being omni's they pick up everything.  The cards - 4022 are great with a genuine sound that i believe represents what is being recorded.  In my experience the cards- 4022 give a broader range of use without to much worry about picking up sounds around you( ones youdont want).  But again if you are doing environmental sounds you would want the DPA 4061, but again if the " outside SPL" are not loud enough it could be a little harder to pick up certain sounds that might be farther from your recording radius.  Both are great, I could be tempted to give mine up, but i see you need them before xmas, hmm could be tough I would have to think about it. You can ask Doug about them, jsut tell him Scott in florida said hi.

[AlexG]

go with DPA 4020 series mics, high quality and little coloration and a true representation of the sound you are recording; as for the Tascam HDP2, do people actually run mics directly into that unit?  I can't think of a single taper or recording with that rig

I ran a pair of C4s into a stock P2 and had very good results.  Here is a sample of one of those recordings 

http://www.archive.org/details/can2006-06-25.c4.flac16

I've since upgaded my mics and my pre and to be honest the difference was mostly in the mics.

[sea-speak]

I'm still thrashing around a little, but I think I'm making some progress. I talked to Jerry Bruck at Posthorn Recordings and he suggested I go with wide cardioids / subcardioids / hypocardioids -- whatever you wanna call 'em. He thinks that the wide cards provide a better sense of soundstage depth than straight cards. He seems to know what he's talking about.

I have also ordered Mike Williams' book "Microphone Arrays for Stereo & Multichannel Sound Recording, Vol 1". I should have it by tonight. The message I got from both Jerry and Mike (talked to the former; emailed the latter) was that for imaging purposes it was crucial to be able to control the spacing and angle of one's mics. So that rules out single-piece stereo mics such as the Rode NT4, Pelusos, and Royers (heh). As far as good compact wide cards go... that market appears to be more or less limited to DPA and Schoeps. Ouch.

I'm also realizing that if I don't get a deck with digital out, I'll have to upgrade my stereo's front end to receive 24/96 signal. So I probably need digital out. (So long, Fostex FR2LE!)

As for mounts...the options appear to be limited. If anyone knows of a bar that functions like a Schoeps UMS20 but costs about a third as much, please post or PM me ASAP!!

Short of the story: budget increasing; purchase targets narrowing. I will post with full update when I figure out what I'm buying. You guys have been really helpful so far. The most knowledgeable people off-forum I've communicated with have been Jerry and Mike.

more in a bit,

Brandt

ps somewhere here on TS I found a link to Mike Williams' article on his 'stereophonic zoom' technique. I thought it was really interesting. If I had enough posts to +T the person who provided the reference to the zoom, I would. Here's (one) link again:
www.rycote.com/products/pdf/The%20Stereophonic%20Zoom.pdf

[georgeh]

Are you saying as well that no one uses the Tascam or that they only use it with external mic pres?

many people use the HD-P2.  most people who run mics directly into the unit have the pre-amps modified by Oade.  although there are a few people who run mics directly into the stock unit.  It is true that many people who run the HD-P2 (myself included) choose to use either and external pre and/or an external A/D.

imo. with the oade acm mod to the tascam you can get away with running mics straight in. I run the oade M148 in front, but have run straight mics in and didn't mind the sound. If yor looking to save $'s start without the pre and add later.