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Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: T140V on September 24, 2006, 01:38:54 AM
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Hi All, I just picked up a used PCM-M1 to record the acoustic trio I play with. I've got a pair of AKG CS 1000's to plug into it. Would a preamp/ad converter such as the Denecke unit make a noticeable difference in the quality of our recodings? I may also record some club shows and the occaisional ampitheatre show. Also just curious if this rig is going to be superior to the Sony d5/Nak 300 I used in the early 80's.....thanks.
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Hi All, I just picked up a used PCM-M1 to record the acoustic trio I play with. I've got a pair of AKG CS 1000's to plug into it. Would a preamp/ad converter such as the Denecke unit make a noticeable difference in the quality of our recodings? I may also record some club shows and the occaisional ampitheatre show. Also just curious if this rig is going to be superior to the Sony d5/Nak 300 I used in the early 80's.....thanks.
I'm sure you are going to like the PCM-M1 better than the old d5. The only downside is that dats are getting harder/more expensive to maintain. If the M1 fails you may want to think about upgrading to a hard drive or compact flash solution. I had a friend recently try to have a D8 fixed/cleaned and he was almost able to buy an R-9 or MT for the cost of the work that needed to be done. Could have bought a JB3 or iRiver for at least $100 less than repair costs.
As for the mics you are going to have to listen for yourself. Quite a few people love the specific Nak sound. I ran Nak 100, 300s for several years before I upgraded and pulled some sweet tapes. I've also borrowed C1000s from a friend a few times to check out and the results were good. I would put the mics on the same level unless as a listener you are one that really likes the Nak sound. They do have a different frequencey spec for sure.
I've not used the Denecke unit but my general feeling (up until recently getting my R-4) is that throwing a decent quality pre in the mix can make a very noticable difference in the sound. Almost always posititve. Until recently getting my R-4 I had never run a rig without having a seperate pre/ad in between the deck and the mics. You could probably find a UA-5 for a $200-$500 depending on the mods done in yard sale. Sometimes I will still run my UA-5 in front of the R-4 but 90% of the time I run the mics straight in now.
Not sure if that helps much....
Stay Kind,
Dana
Edit: Spelling
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Hi All, I just picked up a used PCM-M1 to record the acoustic trio I play with. I've got a pair of AKG CS 1000's to plug into it. Would a preamp/ad converter such as the Denecke unit make a noticeable difference in the quality of our recodings? I may also record some club shows and the occaisional ampitheatre show. Also just curious if this rig is going to be superior to the Sony d5/Nak 300 I used in the early 80's.....thanks.
If its for your own group - dont limit yourself to portable gear...
Lots of nice rack mount mic pres out there with built in A/D converters...Like the dbx386 tube pre/A>D combo - they have been bringing around 200 on ebay recently...The rack mount gear has better metering and more features than alot of the comperably priced portable stuff...
For the occasional times you might not have AC power - just use the M1s interal pre or line in...