Topic: Can't Quite Get it Right - Micro 24/96 + Live Performances

[feb31st]

I have a Microtrack 24/96 - It works great when traveling to a client who does voice work for phone systems, etc.

I can't get it right for concerts - but I am noticing a trend and not sure which way to go now.  I am currently using the little mic that came with it for concerts (suggestions to replace that are welcomed).

Large Venues - everything clips, levels pushed down, no boost on... etc, no matter how far or close to the stage, it clips.  I can't get the input any lower.  What can I buy to put between the mic and the 24/96 to cut this down?

Small Venues/Indoor/Acoustic Setups - alot of bass but no clipping issues.  I have alot of play with the levels on the 24/96.  Too much bass.  What can I put in between to cut out the bass?

Any suggestions on mics?

I like the 24/96 in the black pouch - I see alot of acoustic shows in New York City/Philadelphia that are sit down things at dinner and I can discretely sit it on the table or on top of a empty glass of water... or at large events, wear it around my neck and enjoy the show. 

I'd love to be able to just listen to it on the ride home, basically.  Getting frustrated.  Any advice or product suggestions to point me in the right direction?

[run_run_run]

So your using an internal mic or something?

[feb31st]

I've been trying it (cringe) with the little one that came with it, as pictured : http://us.gizmodo.com/images/microtrack-with-accessories.jpg

(I have a  Neumann TLM49 for voice stuff but no mics for outdoor).

 

[JoeKiller]

I thought you would want to push the levels up to avoid clipping.

[kbergend]

Your first order of business is definitely to get some better mics, that T-mic which comes with the Microtrack is ONLY suitable for voice recordings.  See this recent thread http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,90152.0.html for some options.  That alone will drastically reduce your problems with excessive bass. 

The internal mic preamp that the 1/8" mic jack feeds into is just not very good and prone to overloading.  You can buy a little 1/8" -10dB pad (M-Audio sells one for this purpose) or a short attenuator cable to plug your mics into to minimize clipping, but this will diminish your mic signal (generally not a good thing).  A better but more expensive solution is to get an external analog preamp and feed the amplified mic signal into the 1/4" jacks with the side switch set to "L" (line-in).  You'll need an adapter cable for this, from your preamp's output jack or plug to two 1/4" mono phone plugs.  See some options for preamps at http://stores.ebay.ca/CHURCH-AUDIO (if you record a lot of really boomy shows you may want one with a bass rolloff option).  The preamp will also allow you to tape quiet concerts without a lot of hiss, and will also supply more voltage to your mics than the MT can to reduce distortion at loud shows.  If you decide against a preamp, you should at least consider a small battery box for your new mics -- they'll love you for it.

The BEST way to use the MT sound-wise is to bypass its pretty limited analog circuitry altogether and use a good external preamp + analog-to-digital converter (separate or combined like a modified Edirol UA-5) to feed it a 24-bit digital signal via the S/PDIF jack, but this will run some serious money and may not be as compact a rig as you're looking for.  At this point I'm only using mine as a digital "bit bucket" myself.

[run_run_run]

Church Audio cards and a Church Audio pre, would be a great low cost upgrade.