Topic: first timer....

[Vally1978]

Hi everyone,

I need something cheap but decent to record shows with.  Nothing fancy as I am not looking for top notch quality.  I was thinking mini-disc...any suggestions?

[Chanher]

please tell us your budget, type of music (super-loud/soft etc.) or the bands you plan to tape, type of venue, and your recording destination (computer/cd or whatever).

[Vally1978]

My budget is no more then $200 (less if possible- I know this is cheap) and the type of music ranges....Sarah McLachlan for the Spring leg of her tour though.....nothing will ever be too loud, no hard rock, rap, etc.  I will be transfering to computer and then to CD.


Oh and yeah the venues range from club-like to arenas.

Help!


 

[Chanher]

you have more than one option, but I would say your best bet is to go at831's (sp-cmc-2) from www.soundprofessionals.com  these are my first mics and I still have them. get a batt box from the sound pro's too, you will probably only need the bass roll-off option.
As for your recording device, you can either go MD, Hi-MD, or jb3:

MD:
-probably the cheapest option
-definitely get a Sharp model, try ebay
-only 80 min. compressed audio, average listener can't tell a difference while the experienced listener can. You can use their lp2 etc. modes which allows much more recording time but they sound like absolute garbage.
-unfortunately you'll need to buy an additional home deck as well as a digital soundcard for digital transfers to your computer. If you can't afford those you will have to do an analog transfer.  Analog transfers aren't the end of the world, but the average listener WILL be able to tell a difference.

Hi-MD: (the new Hi-mini disc format)
-more expensive then MD, although I don't know current prices
-allows 94 min. of CD-quality PCM .wav audio. good stuff
-if you record from an analog device, which it sounds like you will be doing, you can digitally transfer the audio directly to your computer via usb without buying additional units/soundcards. good stuff.

Creative Nomad Jukebox 3:
-~$190 for a refurb on ebay, although Creative has stopped making these and I don't know the availability
-20 gigs of cd-quality audio. that's A LOT of minutes, way more than you need.
-digital transfers to your computer via firewire or usb. genius.

As you can see in my signature I still have a at831 > batt box > nomad jukebox 3 (jb3) setup. good stuff. 

[Sanjay]

If you wanna stick under $200 and don't have a minidisc or nomad already it will be hard.  I highly recommend the at831's as mentioned above.  All else failing Giant Squid mics are also very good, and under $100 for them and a battery box, I used them for awhile and I had just put them up for sale.  I might have a buyer, but its not solid yet, so if you are interested in them let me know in case he flakes out (which seems like is happening).

If you are going to go the minidisc route be sure to get a sharp, because you change the levels on the fly, this may not mean much but it means that you can adjust the volume that it records without stopping the recording, which must be done on sony's ect.  But the nomad jukebox is still the best option and if your lucky you can find them on ebay for less than $150.

[Vally1978]

ok I am going to sound really stupid here, but....

This is what I need to get myself set.   

-mini-disc/nomad player
-mic
-battery box?

What is the battery box?  Is this going to be complicated for a first timer to use? LoL  I know that sounds lame, but I am not really technically inclinced, but I do catch on fast.. 

What is going to be the best, but easiest option for me to get?  When I say easy, I mean easy to learn to use, recording and uploading, etc.

And how much if this sale falls through for these items?

[Sean Gallemore]

the SP-CMC-2s may be a little expensive, so go with the SP-CMC-1s

[Sanjay]

ok I am going to sound really stupid here, but....

This is what I need to get myself set.   

-mini-disc/nomad player
-mic
-battery box?

What is the battery box?  Is this going to be complicated for a first timer to use? LoL  I know that sounds lame, but I am not really technically inclinced, but I do catch on fast.. 

What is going to be the best, but easiest option for me to get?  When I say easy, I mean easy to learn to use, recording and uploading, etc.

And how much if this sale falls through for these items?

Battery box is what powers the mics, without it using mic in you will get an ugly distorted mess most of the time, the battery box allows for clearer sound, and some, including the one I have bass rolloff so if your recording a concert that is boomy or loud you can turn it on and it will filter off some bass.  Check you pm's about the mics.

-sanjay

[Chanher]

the SP-CMC-2s may be a little expensive, so go with the SP-CMC-1s

those will work too, take a look at all their mics as well as the faq's at soundpro's, at least the ones explaining the need for a batt box etc.