Topic: recording sounds from North Africa with JB3

[nicksowers]

Hey Tapers,

I'm planning on buying a JB3 for my trip to North Africa to record the sounds of markets and calls to prayer etc--My question is what mic should I get?  I guess I need an internally powered, omni-directional mic.  But I will be recording in lots of different environments, and I want to stealth it, as you guys say.

I will be doing some long sequences where I move from very quiet streets to booming crazy markets.  Can the JB3 adjust the levels on the fly?  Can I get a mic that records both soft, subtle noises and relatively loud noises?

Finally, what I can expect for battery life while recording?

Thanks guys.
-Nick

[nicksowers]

PS: My budget SUCKS.  I have $250, so basically less than 70 for the mic(s).

[mgleason007]

I can't answer the mic question, but I will suggest that you look at www.soundprofessionals.com .  A specific model I cannot suggest, but someone else may be able to.  $70 is going to be a tough price point.

AFAIK, the JB3 can adjust on the fly.  You can expect around 3 hours per battery for recording I do believe.

[sexymexi]

don't just go and get the omni Radio shack mics. they work well in low DB situations, but anything above a loud talking voice, and they sound like ass...  good luck man.  check soundpro.  

[1st set only]

http://www.minidisco.com/dt-1k.html
there ya go

make sure you burn me a disc

[InfiniteOhms]

these are GREAT for this type of thing (so i hear ... sample links at the bottom) http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?category=110&item=SP-TFB-2&type=store (you definately want the High Sensitivity version) ... if you can dig up some extra $$ a battery box would be nice, but they will work fine w/o it. I too would love to hear some of your recordings, perhaps you would be so kind as to upload them to archive.org?

-Aaron

Sample links (they goto pages, not mp3s ... so you can choose which suject you want to sample)

http://www.archive.org/audio/audio-details-db.php?collectionid=jhammons2003-09-03_NatureLetterA.mp3f&collection=opensource_audio

http://www.archive.org/audio/audio-details-db.php?collectionid=jhammons2004-02-05-Suburban_Vacation_3.mp3f&collection=opensource_audio

http://www.archive.org/audio/audio-details-db.php?collectionid=jhammons2003-04-10.toadstest.mp3f&collection=opensource_audio

http://www.archive.org/audio/audio-details-db.php?collectionid=jhammons2003-10-11_I_Walk_Around_The_Bay_FE.mp3f&collection=opensource_audio

[nicksowers]

The dt-1k omni-stereo looks like it would be difficult to conceal.  I would probably need to pin that thing in an obvious place in order to get good sound.  SoundPro's SB-TFP-2 binaural mic looks more like what I need.  I don't know if I'd wear them in the ear, but maybe hooked into my hair might work better.

BUT... these mics don't seem to be internally powered.  Won't I have a really weak signal when I plug it into the Line-in on the jb3?  I really don't have the sixty bucks for the battery box... that's like a week's worth of hostels in Morocco.

Thanks for your help so far, and I DEFINITELY plan to post my recordings online.

[Scuba Jeremy]

A microphone will not work if you plug it into the line in of a JB3, it will need a battery box to bring it up to line level.

These will work on the cheap, but if you can swing the SoundPro binaurals and a battery box, those would be even better.

[nicksowers]

I've heard something about the mic-in on the JB3 sounding noisy because of the hard-drive.  Is this really true, or is it just picky ears that must have perfect audio?  I mean if I'm trying to record an nearly-silent moment and you can hear a droning sound or something that's not cool.  

Will this be the case, going directly to mic-in?  Basically I'm trying to avoid buying a powered mic or a battery module.

[zhianosatch]

Why not get a pair of Giant Squids for $90?

[InfiniteOhms]

its a fine line between the giant squids and th SPs:
SPs : Much better mic, but alos more expensive, So you'll end up using the shitty mic pre / mic power in the jb3

Giant Squids : lower quality mics ... but they come with power.

[nicksowers]

Aaron, I've listened to some of those SP-recorded samples from archive.org and I'm sold on getting SP mics.  I guess I'm going to double my mic budget so I can buy the batt. box, and make up for the cost later.  I have a feeling I won't regret it.

So the NEW QUESTION: which SoundPro mics?  I like the wearable gooseneck design ($89), but how are the standard high sensitivity AT omni's that come with it? It seems that I could get the same quality mic in the SP-BMC-2's (with no attachment options) for $49.  forty extra bucks just for the gooseneck mount?

But if I'm going to spend $89, I may as well step up and get the BMC-12's (AT350) with clips for $99, right?  Hmmmm.... this stuff is damn addictive.  I can see why you guys are so intense.

[nicksowers]

I just talked to the Soundpro guys, and they've informed me that I now need a PRE-AMP to boost my low-dynamics into the line-in.  Is this true?  Will the battery box not suffice for those quiet sounds?

Suddenly my little budget affair is exploding out of control.

[Sean Gallemore]

GSB

[nicksowers]

sorry, GSB means what?