First off, thanks for the plethora of info from this site. You guys know your stuff! Anyway, I am looking for a decent stealth rig for recording medium size venues and clubs. Tired of walking away from amazing shows without being able to relive the experience. I already own a pair of neumann km140's that I have used primarily for recording steel string guitar and other similiar applications and also just bought a used sony pcm-m1. Unfortunately my a/d converter and preamp are studio editions so I need something portable.I have read that some of you have the apogee mini-me or lunatec v3 but that seems awfully big for stealthing not to mention not internal battery powered. Anyone have any other recommendations on a/d-preamp that is smaller but falls in the same league as the apogee/lunatec?
Get a Zefiro inbox! Quallity A/D that comes with a belt clip. Atleast mine did.....
With km140's you'll probably want something that compliments the sound better than an Inbox/AD-20. I'm not sure of a good preamp at that size, but probably something running into a modSBM-1 would probably be recommended.
Check out the Sound Devices MP2 or Sonosax SX-M2 for stealthy pres... I haven't heard the 140s with an PSP-2 or -3... what other nice-'n'-stealthy pres are there?
I have not heard the 140s with the sax, but have heard some nice MP-2 based tapes
140's sound great with the psp-2... 140->psp2->mod-sbm-1 would be a fantastic sounding rig!
I personally like the ADC in the M1/D100. And you've already had some preamp suggestions. If stealthing is secondary to open taping and you don't do it a whole lot, a great high quality, low cost, small footprint option is:
AK40 > LC3 > KM100 > PS-2 > line transformers * > M1
* search the archives, there are some part number for line transformers from AT and Hosa.
There's also the BeyerDynamic MV100. Which you can get for dirt cheap now and you really don't have to worry about bumping the controls while recording. Basically, Idiot proof. I've heard a couple KM184>MV100 tapes and they sounded pretty good.
And don't forget about the Sonosax SX-M2. I've heard some killer 140>SX-M2 tapes.
the sax is real nice but i think it's slightly bigger than the mp2 . slightly thicker.
Also 1 thing to take note of - which can be a big deal when talking about running internal batteries.
I own a sound devices mp2 - LOVE IT. Great for stealth jobs and for when taping's allowed. For stealth, i run my mbho 603a/ka2oon>mp2>d8
If using regular Double A batteries, and running at 15v, you can get 1.5-2hrs from regular alkaline batts. Lithium's will last much longer at 15v, probably 4-5hrs. I'm not sure what run-time would be if you ran the mp2 at 48v.
The mbho's do fine with 15v of phantom ; i donno about the 140's.
The sonosax takes 2 9v batteries, and i'm really not sure how long they last.
But i do know this - it's a helluva lot easier to get double A batteries than it is to get 9v batts... and also a helluva lot cheaper....
ian
Quote from: ianstone on September 02, 2003, 06:20:41 PM
the sax is real nice but i think it's slightly bigger than the mp2 . slightly thicker.
True, but I think its much lighter since its made with a hard plastic shell. I know the the MV100 was lighter then the MP2. I had both.
from http://www.sounddevices.com/products/mp2master.htm:
Dimensions: 43 mm x 94 mm x 140 mm (h x w x d), (1.7" x 3.7" x 5.5")
Weight (unit only): 0.8 kg, 2.0 lbs.
from http://www.sonosax.ch/SXM2/sxm2.html:
Dimensions : 5,75" x 3,4" x 1,6" (146 x 85 x 40mm), 0,95lbs (435g) with batteries
So the sax is a tad longer and about 1 lb lighter.
Me and another taper ran km140>mp2>sbm1>m1 vs km140>sx-m2>d100 at a U2 show once and it was very hard to differentiate the sources. You can't go wrong with either unit from a sound perspective, especially in small club/venues.
I've just found more piece of mind as a sax user knowing that I can crotch it past wands as you never know when you go to a new venue if they wand or not. You also never know when a venue decides to pull out wands for a big show or one with a seedy crowd.
From my experience, the sax will power km140s for about 5 hours on a $4 pair of Duracell Ultras or Energizer Alkalines.
surprisingly, the mp2 has made it past wands without setting it off on at least one occasion...i thought it'd make everything go crazy, but apparently not
I love my MP-2 and would highly recommend it if you can find one (SD stopped making these to start the SD 722 & 744). If you can wait until Jan. 2004 I would get the SD 722 (pre, phantom power, 24 bit AD & HD recorder). If not try to find an MP-2 or PSP-2 (also out of production). The SAX is pretty good but bigger than the MP-2 and the MP-2 is built like a tank! The Beyer MV100 does not have balance control (probably why they are dirt cheap), & there are some old Aerco's out there similiar to the Beyer but do have balance control. There are not a lot of stealth pre's out there so listen before you buy!
Peace,
Murf :headphones: :headphones:
Quote from: MBHOTAPER on September 15, 2003, 03:50:52 PM
I love my MP-2 and would highly recommend it if you can find one
There've been a lot of MP-2s floating around lately...keep your eyes open. Also, the Sound Devices MixPre is basically the same unit with a slightly different feature set. The MixPre is also re-branded as the Shure FP-24.
Quote from: MBHOTAPER on September 15, 2003, 03:50:52 PM
I love my MP-2 and would highly recommend it if you can find one (SD stopped making these to start the SD 722 & 744). If you can wait until Jan. 2004 I would get the SD 722 (pre, phantom power, 24 bit AD & HD recorder).
If you think the MP2 is built like a tank, I would imagine the SD722 is going to be built like a tank and half. I bet that thing is going to be heavy! With all the added components, Hard Drive and Battery Pack that thing might weigh a ton. I'm sure it will be sealthable, but maybe not the ideal stealth pre-amp if you need to crotch it
Rick
Agreed. Though it rarely comes down to crotching nowadays.... maybe Targus can develop some Rakgear boxers? :)
Quote from: dank on September 15, 2003, 04:37:21 PM
Agreed. Though it rarely comes down to crotching nowadays.... maybe Targus can develop some Rakgear boxers? :)
:rotflmao:
+T for the guffaws...I needed that after a long day of work.
Rakgear boxers...
:lol: ;D :lol:
Quote from: MBHOTAPER on September 15, 2003, 03:50:52 PM
The SAX is pretty good but bigger than the MP-2 and the MP-2 is built like a tank!
from http://www.sounddevices.com/products/mp2master.htm:
Dimensions: 43 mm x 94 mm x 140 mm (h x w x d), (1.7" x 3.7" x 5.5")
Weight (unit only): 0.8 kg, 2.0 lbs.
from http://www.sonosax.ch/SXM2/sxm2.html:
Dimensions : 5,75" x 3,4" x 1,6" (146 x 85 x 40mm), 0,95lbs (435g) with batteries
So the sax is a tad longer and about 1 lb lighter.