Topic: Single Point Mic for Travel to Europe?

[ihworthi]

Howdy Folks,

So, I've been serving up tunes via etree and my FTP server for many years. But, I've been away from the scene for a while (job, got married, etc) and wanted to get back into a lil recording. I'm not a pro by any means. If you care to laugh at my questions or setup, then I'm pleased to offer the humor.

I have an old Sony MZ-R37 Portable MD recorder that a friend gave me years ago. And for what I enjoy and the recordings I've done, this lil thing has worked great over the years. Again, nothing professional here. I had a decent mic years ago. But, gave it to a new taper and haven't had a mic since. And having been out of the recording scene for a number of years and everything’s gotten really expensive and much more technical. I'll be heading to Europe on April 19 on a 2 week vacation. I recently found my ole MZ-R37 and thought, 'hey, maybe I could pull together a lil rig and take it with me and record any tunes I find?'

So, onto my question: Is it possible to pick up a mic, similar in design (but better quality) to like a Sony ECM-719 (see pic below)? I've got to take into consideration packing this in a carry on, not getting hassled by airport security, then having the mic and recorder in a messenger bag really to whip out, plug up, power on, and hit record pretty much on a moments notice. I'm not worried so much about being stealth as I am a quick setup with good sound. So, I'm looking for something small, with a standard stereo mini jack, and hopefully not costing as much as my plane ticket! 


I know that's a tall order on short notice, hopefully not. I've been searching the Microphones & Setup forum for about 2 hours doing all kinds of different key words. But, I haven't found anything. If you can help me out, I'd be happy to sing your praises! 

Thanks for any advice and wisdoms you can offer up,

Ian

[powermonkey]

I don't know whether it would be the sort of thing you're after, but I've heard good things about the Sony ECM-MS907 - look em up on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ECMMS907-Digital-Recording-Microphone/dp/B00001W0DT/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-4587144-3403920?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1176059985&sr=8-1

Looks pretty straightforward - the only thing I'm not sure of is what connection it has to a MD recorder - Amazon says XLR, which wouldn't make a great deal of sense for an amateur piece of kit. Looks good for the money, though (around $70).

[ambo]

I would suggest something like Church Audio cards or omnis. Similar price and can be used as stealth mics or you can make a hand-held version or simple jecklin disc easily and cheaply. Or you can have my sony 907 in excellent condition for $50 plus shipping. It's not xlr. it runs on one aa battery and terminates in a minijack. the cable is about 5'.
 

[goodcooker]

I would also suggest the Sony ms907-it is cheap,point and shoot stereo,and runs off one AA for your whole vacation...a little bigger but probably a lot better than the mic pictured in your post...terminated in gold stereo mini plug tip on a 5 ft cable for your md....will not withstand high SPLs....comes with a little windscreen and a clip for mounting to a stand or using as a mini stand on a tabletop.