Topic: newbie advice

[goldenbreast]

Hi all

ive been thinking of getting into taping gigs...i have been collecting live recordings of various artists includinf zeppelin, the stones, dylan etc.

after posting on other sites and reading up, i feel i have moved from knowing nothing at all to knowing very little. slowly, im learning more about what is required to make recordings...

equipment:

i have a sony mzr55 minidisc player that has been sitting around unused for years. i figured that this will be good enough to get me started instead of lashing out on another one. my budget is fairly tight. im thinking of spending around £100-120 on a microphone and battery box. i have a few mics in mind that have been recommended on other sites (see links below):

http://www.geocities.com/greenmachine_audio/ - greenmachine mics, as recommended on forums.minidisc.org

church audio ebay store: stereo cardiod mics ($110) and batter box ($40)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STEREO-CARDIOID-MICROPHONE-4-MINIDISC-DAT-EDIROL-R09_W0QQitemZ260090538694QQihZ016QQcategoryZ3281QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STEREO-MICROPHONE-BATTERY-BOX-4-MINIDISC-MD-MP3-EDIROL_W0QQitemZ5861399837QQihZ008QQcategoryZ3281QQcmdZViewItem


discountdiscs.co.uk - carioid mics (£73) battery box (£57 - more than i want to spend)

http://www.discountdiscs.co.uk/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=MCSM-4&Category_Code=msc


i have a rough understanding between binaural/cardioid mics - from what i understand, cardioids are better (?)


i live in the UK so if anyone knows of any other good sites to purchase equipment, please post links.



many thanks

Alex

[J]

I'm new too, but you definately came to the right place...  AFAIK, the recorder you use doesn't matter too much anymore, but there are a few extra limitations that the older MD's have that you will not run into with newer setups. 

I ordered a pre and some cardioids from Church Audio.  I'm expecting them to arrive any day now, so although I cannot give firsthand experience on how well the gear works, I can say that I have had an extremely positive customer experience with Chris of Church Audio.  He was very helpful, and answered all of my questions quickly to help me choose the right gear for my situation, and how to set it up to work well.

Good luck, I'm sure some of the regulars in the group will pipe up any time to help ya out!

J

[taper420]

I second a recommendation for Chris. His mic's sound fantastic. Can't beat the customer service too.


I have a pair of $800 mics that compare to his.

[goldenbreast]

nice!...would appreciate some input once you've recieved them and if/when you eventually test them out!

i too have heard about the older MD players being more complicated when transfering to computer as compared to say the newer sony hi-md players. a member on another forum said the improvement in sound quality is tremendous with Hi-MD recorders, plus you can upload WAV directly to your computer as opposed to the old Atrac decks where you have to plug into your soundcard and transfer it in real time, which also makes your soundcard quality an issue.

im not going to think that far ahead, first i need to get the equipment to record gigs and then once i eventually get round to doing so, i can worry about transferring the MD to my computer and then cd!

[goldenbreast]

I second a recommendation for Chris. His mic's sound fantastic. Can't beat the customer service too.


I have a pair of $800 mics that compare to his.

nice!, shipping costs seem a bit high to the UK...all the same i could still get the mics/battery box for just over $200

[Church-Audio]

I second a recommendation for Chris. His mic's sound fantastic. Can't beat the customer service too.


I have a pair of $800 mics that compare to his.

nice!, shipping costs seem a bit high to the UK...all the same i could still get the mics/battery box for just over $200

I have two options for shipping to the UK $20 this has no tracking and insurance up $100 Canadian dollars and has no time guarantee. Or $48.00 for 3-7 day shipping with tracking and full insurance shipping overseas is expensive. I dont make money from shipping. Its priced at my cost.

Chris

[goldenbreast]

I second a recommendation for Chris. His mic's sound fantastic. Can't beat the customer service too.


I have a pair of $800 mics that compare to his.

nice!, shipping costs seem a bit high to the UK...all the same i could still get the mics/battery box for just over $200

I have two options for shipping to the UK $20 this has no tracking and insurance up $100 Canadian dollars and has no time guarantee. Or $48.00 for 3-7 day shipping with tracking and full insurance shipping overseas is expensive. I dont make money from shipping. Its priced at my cost.

Chris

i fully understand...another issue is how much i may be charged for import tax?

chris:

i see that you have the cardioids mic paired with a preamp  - is a preamp the same as a battery box?. sorry for my ignorance...this is new to me. ultimately, im willing to spend a little extra to ensure i get something better...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STEREO-PREAMP-MICS-4-MINDISC-DAT-EDIROL-R09-MICRO-BR_W0QQitemZ260098327358QQihZ016QQcategoryZ3281QQcmdZViewItem

[Church-Audio]

I second a recommendation for Chris. His mic's sound fantastic. Can't beat the customer service too.


I have a pair of $800 mics that compare to his.

nice!, shipping costs seem a bit high to the UK...all the same i could still get the mics/battery box for just over $200

I have two options for shipping to the UK $20 this has no tracking and insurance up $100 Canadian dollars and has no time guarantee. Or $48.00 for 3-7 day shipping with tracking and full insurance shipping overseas is expensive. I dont make money from shipping. Its priced at my cost.

Chris

i fully understand...another issue is how much i may be charged for import tax?

chris:

i see that you have the cardioids mic paired with a preamp  - is a preamp the same as a battery box?. sorry for my ignorance...this is new to me. ultimately, im willing to spend a little extra to ensure i get something better...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STEREO-PREAMP-MICS-4-MINDISC-DAT-EDIROL-R09-MICRO-BR_W0QQitemZ260098327358QQihZ016QQcategoryZ3281QQcmdZViewItem

A battery box does one thing. It provides the power necessary for electret condenser microphones to function properly. My microphones like a lot of the microphones out there requires power in order to operate. A battery box will work in situations where you are recording loud shows and have a good quality recorder but will not work well when you are recording lower volume shows and need to boost the signal in order to get good meters. So a preamp does two major things A- provides power for your microphones. B- provides a low noise boost to the microphones signal in order to minimize the need to use your recording devices gain as much.

As far as tax is concerned I dont know that much about import tax. But I do know the more expensive shipping method seems to have a higher VAT on importing. Then the cheaper method.

Ps... I dont want to sound like I am trying to sell you something take your time check out other options and if you decide to purchase from me great. If you have any other questions for me let me know ok

Chris

[Liquid Drum]

I can't recommend the Church Cards enough. I've taped quite a few shows since getting them and I've had some really great results. Very pleased with them indeed.

[dominar]

I second a recommendation for Chris. His mic's sound fantastic. Can't beat the customer service too.


I have a pair of $800 mics that compare to his.

nice!, shipping costs seem a bit high to the UK...all the same i could still get the mics/battery box for just over $200

I have two options for shipping to the UK $20 this has no tracking and insurance up $100 Canadian dollars and has no time guarantee. Or $48.00 for 3-7 day shipping with tracking and full insurance shipping overseas is expensive. I dont make money from shipping. Its priced at my cost.

Chris

i fully understand...another issue is how much i may be charged for import tax?

chris:

i see that you have the cardioids mic paired with a preamp  - is a preamp the same as a battery box?. sorry for my ignorance...this is new to me. ultimately, im willing to spend a little extra to ensure i get something better...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STEREO-PREAMP-MICS-4-MINDISC-DAT-EDIROL-R09-MICRO-BR_W0QQitemZ260098327358QQihZ016QQcategoryZ3281QQcmdZViewItem

A battery box does one thing. It provides the power necessary for electret condenser microphones to function properly. My microphones like a lot of the microphones out there requires power in order to operate. A battery box will work in situations where you are recording loud shows and have a good quality recorder but will not work well when you are recording lower volume shows and need to boost the signal in order to get good meters. So a preamp does two major things A- provides power for your microphones. B- provides a low noise boost to the microphones signal in order to minimize the need to use your recording devices gain as much.

As far as tax is concerned I dont know that much about import tax. But I do know the more expensive shipping method seems to have a higher VAT on importing. Then the cheaper method.

Ps... I dont want to sound like I am trying to sell you something take your time check out other options and if you decide to purchase from me great. If you have any other questions for me let me know ok

Chris

Wait so, if you have a pre you don't need a battery box?  Am I understanding that correctly?

[Church-Audio]

I second a recommendation for Chris. His mic's sound fantastic. Can't beat the customer service too.


I have a pair of $800 mics that compare to his.

nice!, shipping costs seem a bit high to the UK...all the same i could still get the mics/battery box for just over $200

I have two options for shipping to the UK $20 this has no tracking and insurance up $100 Canadian dollars and has no time guarantee. Or $48.00 for 3-7 day shipping with tracking and full insurance shipping overseas is expensive. I dont make money from shipping. Its priced at my cost.

Chris

i fully understand...another issue is how much i may be charged for import tax?

chris:

i see that you have the cardioids mic paired with a preamp  - is a preamp the same as a battery box?. sorry for my ignorance...this is new to me. ultimately, im willing to spend a little extra to ensure i get something better...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STEREO-PREAMP-MICS-4-MINDISC-DAT-EDIROL-R09-MICRO-BR_W0QQitemZ260098327358QQihZ016QQcategoryZ3281QQcmdZViewItem

A battery box does one thing. It provides the power necessary for electret condenser microphones to function properly. My microphones like a lot of the microphones out there requires power in order to operate. A battery box will work in situations where you are recording loud shows and have a good quality recorder but will not work well when you are recording lower volume shows and need to boost the signal in order to get good meters. So a preamp does two major things A- provides power for your microphones. B- provides a low noise boost to the microphones signal in order to minimize the need to use your recording devices gain as much.

As far as tax is concerned I dont know that much about import tax. But I do know the more expensive shipping method seems to have a higher VAT on importing. Then the cheaper method.

Ps... I dont want to sound like I am trying to sell you something take your time check out other options and if you decide to purchase from me great. If you have any other questions for me let me know ok

Chris

Wait so, if you have a pre you don't need a battery box?  Am I understanding that correctly?

Thats correct if you have a preamp that provides plug in power for your mics you do not need a battery box.

[h4nk3f4n]

I would have to recommend Church Audio as well.  I recorded Gov't Mule the other night and I like to think it turned out well for my first time out.  I think you will be pleased if you decide to go with Chris' option.

h4nk3f4n

[goldenbreast]

I second a recommendation for Chris. His mic's sound fantastic. Can't beat the customer service too.


I have a pair of $800 mics that compare to his.

nice!, shipping costs seem a bit high to the UK...all the same i could still get the mics/battery box for just over $200

I have two options for shipping to the UK $20 this has no tracking and insurance up $100 Canadian dollars and has no time guarantee. Or $48.00 for 3-7 day shipping with tracking and full insurance shipping overseas is expensive. I dont make money from shipping. Its priced at my cost.

Chris

i fully understand...another issue is how much i may be charged for import tax?

chris:

i see that you have the cardioids mic paired with a preamp  - is a preamp the same as a battery box?. sorry for my ignorance...this is new to me. ultimately, im willing to spend a little extra to ensure i get something better...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STEREO-PREAMP-MICS-4-MINDISC-DAT-EDIROL-R09-MICRO-BR_W0QQitemZ260098327358QQihZ016QQcategoryZ3281QQcmdZViewItem

A battery box does one thing. It provides the power necessary for electret condenser microphones to function properly. My microphones like a lot of the microphones out there requires power in order to operate. A battery box will work in situations where you are recording loud shows and have a good quality recorder but will not work well when you are recording lower volume shows and need to boost the signal in order to get good meters. So a preamp does two major things A- provides power for your microphones. B- provides a low noise boost to the microphones signal in order to minimize the need to use your recording devices gain as much.

As far as tax is concerned I dont know that much about import tax. But I do know the more expensive shipping method seems to have a higher VAT on importing. Then the cheaper method.

Ps... I dont want to sound like I am trying to sell you something take your time check out other options and if you decide to purchase from me great. If you have any other questions for me let me know ok

Chris

thanks for the info...

so basically, the price difference between getting the cardioid mic and batter box seperate isn't much less than getting the pre amp and cardiod bundle right? - for someone who would like to record in various size venues, of various types of music (acoustic, rock, metal etc...) what would you recommend?. would i be better off with the preamp or battery box?. also, is the bass roll off option worth having?. are the cardiods in the bundle with the pre amp the same as the ones that you sell individually?. i would prefer to go for the best i can afford first time than cutting corners...

i would appreciate your feedback. chances are i will make a purchase from you sometime this month, most likely at the end of the month when i get paid

many thanks for your patience and advice

Alex

p.s. do the cardioids with the croakie mount slot onto a pair of glasses? - i wear glasses

[powermonkey]

In my understanding, you'd be better off with the preamp and mics rather than the battery box and mics - the preamp will allow you to record loud shows and quiet shows, so it's more versatile.

I could be wrong, though, so don't take that as gospel.

[goldenbreast]

In my understanding, you'd be better off with the preamp and mics rather than the battery box and mics - the preamp will allow you to record loud shows and quiet shows, so it's more versatile.

I could be wrong, though, so don't take that as gospel.

thats the impression i get