Topic: Newbie seeking advice/info on field recording.

[CC#]

Hi all,
I'm considering laying down some $$$ on the Korg Mr-1 1 bit recorder using Rode Nt4 stereo mics to record.
I would be recording outdoors... birds, airplanes, trains etc.. and indoors.. everything including the kitchen sink. I will take these    sounds and edit/trim them on the laptop to use as samples in various sound design/audio montage projects. I wouldnt be taping/recording a live band but will be recording to build a sound library.
While I am aware that there are certain type of mics dedicated for specific usage, I was wondering if the set up listed above will give me the flexibility to record high-quality recordings near and far in the field? If anyone has a different recomendation as far as equiment goes for what  my needs are please do not hestiate in suggesting..
Also any user reviews on the MR-1 and NT4 would be really helpful too.

 Thanks!
 

[gratefulphish]

Welcome, and +T for finding this board.  As others have stated, the "search" function is your friend.  There is a long running thread on the MR-1 http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,80529.0.html that you may want to read.  Opinions on mics will be highly divergant.  If you are going to be recording near, then most mics will do a good to great job.  Recording far (and you need to specify what far means to you) may involve other (shotgun) type mics.  Read, read, read, and then feel free to ask a million questions.  Everyone here has already done the same.

[CC#]

Thanks for the link, I did do a search on the mr-1, but somehow must have overlooked this thread.
thanks again.

[Church-Audio]

Hi all,
I'm considering laying down some $$$ on the Korg Mr-1 1 bit recorder using Rode Nt4 stereo mics to record.
I would be recording outdoors... birds, airplanes, trains etc.. and indoors.. everything including the kitchen sink. I will take these    sounds and edit/trim them on the laptop to use as samples in various sound design/audio montage projects. I wouldnt be taping/recording a live band but will be recording to build a sound library.
While I am aware that there are certain type of mics dedicated for specific usage, I was wondering if the set up listed above will give me the flexibility to record high-quality recordings near and far in the field? If anyone has a different recomendation as far as equiment goes for what  my needs are please do not hestiate in suggesting..
Also any user reviews on the MR-1 and NT4 would be really helpful too.

 Thanks!
 

I like the Sonic studio DSM mic for recording nature and really quiet stuff.. Its a very natural sounding microphone. I also think DPA 4060 mics would be nice. I would mount the mics to your head so as you walk around you get the audio perspective from your point of view... The recorder your looking at is great.

[CC#]

Church-Audio:
Thanks for the link to Sonic Studio's. I found some valuable info.
What a great site, and very helpful that they include recordings too!
thanks a million! <- 

[Church-Audio]

Church-Audio:
Thanks for the link to Sonic Studio's. I found some valuable info.
What a great site, and very helpful that they include recordings too!
thanks a million! <- 

Not a problem. Also take a look at the DPA 4060 they are also great mics.

[dean]

Ditto to everything said above.  Also look at PZM style mics for your indoor recordings.  They'll pick up all the sound in a room.  Really amazing.

+T for the killer project you're undertaking.  I really enjoy recording non music things, and am interviewing all my family members, starting with the elders, naturally.

[CC#]

Will definitly check out the DPA 4060 / PZM mics...

I tried doing a search for contact mics on here but couldnt find info or user comments on these types of mics...
could I be looking in the wrong place? Anyone have experience using these types of mics?

Thanks!

[gratefulphish]

+T for the killer project you're undertaking.  I really enjoy recording non music things, and am interviewing all my family members, starting with the elders, naturally.

I have been doing this, but I have been videotaping the interviews.  Started with my grandmother who is no longer with us, and have done my parents, aunts, and a few others.  I need to tape myself as well.  Trying to do this for future generations, so that my kids, then their kids and so on will have a visual history of their ancestors.  While my kids knew their great-grandmother, my brother and sister both had their kids after she was gone, but now they will be able to see her, "in person" relating stories of her life growing up, family history and more.  Great project. Keep at it. +T

[dean]

+T for the killer project you're undertaking.  I really enjoy recording non music things, and am interviewing all my family members, starting with the elders, naturally.

I have been doing this, but I have been videotaping the interviews.  Started with my grandmother who is no longer with us, and have done my parents, aunts, and a few others.  I need to tape myself as well.  Trying to do this for future generations, so that my kids, then their kids and so on will have a visual history of their ancestors.  While my kids knew their great-grandmother, my brother and sister both had their kids after she was gone, but now they will be able to see her, "in person" relating stories of her life growing up, family history and more.  Great project. Keep at it. +T

Backatcha!  Not only am I learning a ton about my family, I'm learning a ton about myself.  I hope to help the others in the family, especially the youngsters, in this way.

I also enjoy the historical documentation aspect of it very much.  Are you familiar with Studs Terkel?  I'm trying, in some respects, to model myself after a hybrid of Studs and Alan Lomax.  Cheesy, I know...

[CC#]

Hi,

 Regarding DPA 4060/DSM Mics: will I need a pre-amp between the mics and the recording deck (Korg Mr-1)?
 

 


 

[Church-Audio]

Hi,

 Regarding DPA 4060/DSM Mics: will I need a pre-amp between the mics and the recording deck (Korg Mr-1)?
 

 


 

When your recording low spl sources. IMO you need a good preamp with at least 40+ db of gain.. I am not familiar enough with the Korg to answer that question but at the very least your going to need a way to power the DSM mics because I believe they are not using your typical plug in power scheme The DPA mics will need a power supply as well.

Chris

[CC#]

Thank you for the response.

 Now the dilema would be what pre-amp? From the bit of knowledge I have on mics and pre-amps (that i'm learning now!) I am aware they (pre-amps) may introduce some "hiss", "coloration" or "noise" in the recording.... What  should I look for when reading the spec sheet of pre-amps to have the least amount of "hiss", "noise", ? Are there certain pre-amps made specifically for recording loud and soft spl's? Sorry, this is a new language for me! I appreciate your help (greatly). Any suggestions/recommendations on pre-amps for recording low spl sources are welcomed! :-)

Thanks again.

[stevetoney]

Thank you for the response.

 Now the dilema would be what pre-amp? From the bit of knowledge I have on mics and pre-amps (that i'm learning now!) I am aware they (pre-amps) may introduce some "hiss", "coloration" or "noise" in the recording.... What  should I look for when reading the spec sheet of pre-amps to have the least amount of "hiss", "noise", ? Are there certain pre-amps made specifically for recording loud and soft spl's? Sorry, this is a new language for me! I appreciate your help (greatly). Any suggestions/recommendations on pre-amps for recording low spl sources are welcomed! :-)

Thanks again.

I'm no expert, but from a pre-amp perspective, your point about coloration and noise is part of what causes the cost of the pre-amp to jump from just a little money to something that will be more of an investment.  For example, the Edirol UA-5 has been a workhorse and versatile pre-amp on this list that can be bought for $200.  It has phantom power to power mics.  It's no longer available new, but they are always coming available on the Yard Sale on this site.  Oade and others have made standard modifications available to this pre-amp where they install components to minimize the noise and maximize certain characteristics of the sound.  For example, Oade has three versions of the UA-5 mods out there...the T+ is a transparent mod (which sounds like what you're most looking for) which adds little coloration to the sound, the W+ mod which is the warm mod and third version.  You can read about these by doing a search on the UA-5 on this site.  These mods change the UA-5 TOTALLY so that it's a completely new product and the modifications signficantly improve the sonics of these boxes.  The prices with the mods go up to around the $500 - $550 range.  Busman (a TS.com member) also does a transparent mod to the UA-5 that isn't as expensive as the Oade mod.  His boxes go for around $300 - $350 range and people also swear by the quality of this box.

There are many many other pre-amps out there that would fill your needs...prices generally go up from those mentioned above.  The reason I mentioned the above is to give you an idea of the amount you will need to invest to get a higher quality pre-amp that doesn't mess with the sound at all. 

Once again (and I know this is beginning to sound like a broken record) you can find just about everything you need by doing historical searches in the archives of this list for discussions on subjects that are similar to those that you're seeking answers to now.  That's not to say that people won't answer your questions, but only to point out that most newbie questions have already been asked before.

Take care,

Steve

[dean]

As you can see by my sig line, I run a UA5 with the Busman2 p+ mod (BM2p+).  I do swear by it, and the the Oade mods are fabulous as well.  For a number of reasons the Oade modded boxes are harder to come by and more expensive.  The BM2p+ holds up VERY well against the Oade mods in all comparisons, so it boils down to a matter of both personal choice and budget.

In regards to powering your mics, you may not need a preamp, per se.  You can also look into power supplies.  I know that the 4060 series comes with a power supply.  Again you'll see in my sig that I use a Denecke PS2 to power my low profile mics (AT831s).

Bottom line is you have a number of options to explore.  That's 1/2 the fun!!!