Topic: Need help to choose recorder & mic

[TimSmith]

Hi to all tapers here!

Please excuse my English - I'm from Russia.

I want to buy muself gear to record loud concerts (electric blues, etc.) I've read some buying advises on the forum, but the problem is that in my country I can't buy those cool mics and preamps, which are widespread only in US. And usually there is no shipping to Russia.
The second problem: the recorder prices in Moscow are higher than, for example, in Amazon.com ( ):

Zoom h2 - $310
Olympus LS-10 - $360
Marantz pmd620 - $350
Zoom h4 - $470
Marantz pmd660 - $515
Edirol r-09hr - $650
Sony pcm-d50 - $875
...

My finance now is about $600.

These recorders, microphones and preamps are like dark forest for me.
I think that maybe it's better to buy cheaper recorder and external mic, than to buy only Edirol R-09. Is that right? With good mic any of these recorders will sound good. Is that right too?
Of course I could buy Edirol, but is its mics enough for bootleg recording? Maybe some time later I would want to buy external mic for Edirol. What is better: to buy cheaper recorder and expensive mic, or use more money for recorder.
So I need an advise about the mic (the better ones, I think, is smaller ones, to hang on shoulders or hat). If I buy Marantz pmd620 or Olympus or Zoom H2 I will have about $250 for mic (or for mic and preamp). Or I can buy one of them now without a mic and later I will have $500 for mic.

Many thanks in advance! 

[sunjan]

...usually there is no shipping to Russia.
My finance now is about $600.
Of course I could buy Edirol, but is its mics enough for bootleg recording? Maybe some time later I would want to buy external mic for Edirol. What is better: to buy cheaper recorder and expensive mic, or use more money for recorder.

With your budget, you should have enough money for both mic, pre and recorder - provided you shop from the right places and have a Paypal account.
R-09HR for $315 incl S&H:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180399798319http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180399798319
That leaves $285 to strike a deal with Chris for one of his Church combos:
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,90474.0.html
I'm not sure if Chris ships to Russia on a regular basis, but hopefully you should be able to work out something.

[jbell]

^ what he said

[aaronji]

In addition to Church Audio, Microphone Madness and Sound Professionals might also be worth a look for mics.  All three will definitely ship to Western Europe, so I assume they will ship to Russia as well.  Of course, I have no idea how import fees/taxes work there, but you should check before ordering.  It can cost a pretty penny (don't even get me started about my $110 battery box!)...

[Church-Audio]

R09HR or Tascam dr1 both are great recorders. I have had both I would Take the HR if you want to use external mics for everything and the DR if you sometimes need to use the built in mics.

Chris

[TimSmith]

Thank you guys, but I've made a little research about ordering by mail from US & Europe and it's too many trouble. I don't think I'll do that.   Can you advise something concrete from AKG, AUDIO-TECHNICA, Sony, etc. mics which I can find at home?

[acidjack]

If you have to pay those Russia-based prices, I think the marantz 620 is supposed to be as good (some say better) than an R-09HR.

There are many Audio Technica models out there.  The model 943/933 or 853 are both good, if you can find them, and not terribly expensive (in the U.S.)

[cottle]

There are varying opinions on these mics, but I think the Oktava (sometimes spelled Octava) microphones are produced in Russia.  The price may be slightly higher than what you're interested in spending, but I'm wondering if they may be cheaper over there, since there are no overseas shipping costs added in.  One advantage to these mics would be the changeable capsules.  You could also get a set of Busman's, for a lower price, but I don't know about shipping to Russia.

Good luck in your quest.

[sunjan]

There are varying opinions on these mics, but I think the Oktava (sometimes spelled Octava) microphones are produced in Russia.  The price may be slightly higher than what you're interested in spending, but I'm wondering if they may be cheaper over there, since there are no overseas shipping costs added in.  One advantage to these mics would be the changeable capsules. 

Good idea about buying Oktava, but the OP is doing stealth, so Nevaton MCE400 would make more sense if he wants native brands:
http://www.nevaton.freeservers.com/MCE400.htm

Tim, I can understand your feelings about ordering from overseas, I guess the Russian customs can be just as vicious as the EU's...   

When I lived in St. Petersburg, the way to bypass with it was ordering gear from an EU country and having it shipped to Finland. There are PO Box companies in Helsinki that act like a forwarding service to Russia through some kind of courier system. YMMV.

Or wait for a friend to travel overseas...

[TimSmith]

Thanks everyone for their thoughts. I'll keep all advises in mind.

I think I will buy Marantz 620 or Edirol at home and later order mic and preamp by mail. I've listened some recordings done with CA equipment: sounds fantastic! Maybe I should really order it. If for $285 I can buy both mic & preamp, it's a great deal.

[goodcooker]

I use a Marantz 620 for my main recorder. I really like it. A Marantz 620 and a set of Church Audio mics should make a really nice rig.

[jerazis]

  Korg MR-1 is 250$  these days. The unit records in DSD format. Very high definition. Higher quality then 24 bit recording. But you also have the 24 bit option with this unit. All of the mics the guys listed above are a great way to go. But I own the Korg unit and for the price you cant beat the options.   

[sunjan]

  Korg MR-1 is 250$  these days.

the problem of the OP was that he lives in Russia and don't want to order from overseas because of customs.
So the $250 you quote is probably close to the double in Russia... Might be worth checking out if he can find it on the cheap though.

[TimSmith]

  Korg MR-1 is 250$  these days. The unit records in DSD format. Very high definition. Higher quality then 24 bit recording. But you also have the 24 bit option with this unit. All of the mics the guys listed above are a great way to go. But I own the Korg unit and for the price you cant beat the options.   

I know, Korg must be great for that price, but I've decided not to buy it anyway, because  "Unit must be returned to manufacturer when built-in battery no longer takes a charge". I'm not sure if I can change the battery in Moscow. And I think I will need to use internal mics sometimes (my guitar lessons, etc.) As I've already said, I will buy Marantz 620 (if $350 is not a fake) or Edirol.

Could you please tell, where you found Korg for $250? If the price is lower than $300, it must be OK with our customs. By the way, in our stores Korg costs from $900 to $1200    No cheap Korg.
 
Maybe you, guys, can recommend a recorder for line-in recording (external mic + preamp) under $300? Zoom h2, Tascam DR-07? Or Edirol is better anyway? (I've read the topics, but it's not quite clear for me.)

[sunjan]

Maybe you, guys, can recommend a recorder for line-in recording (external mic + preamp) under $300? Zoom h2, Tascam DR-07? Or Edirol is better anyway? (I've read the topics, but it's not quite clear for me.)

R-09HR has the cleanest line-in of the entire bunch, but as you pointed out it's above $300 if you include shipping to Russia.

Maybe you should get a cheap flight to somewhere else or hop on a train to Helsinki?! Might be worth it in the long run...