Topic: SP-TFB-2 Binaural + (?) recorder

[svebee]

Hi everyone,

I listened some binaural recordings and they amazed me how good they are so I would also like to record something. I found SP-TFB-2 as a good choice for me as a beginner, but I don't know do I need and what recorder to buy for them?
I really don't know much about it, all I know is that I will be recording very silent noises (like walking, whispering...) - so, what's your suggestion?

p.s. I found some recorders but they are all over 200$, and I don't have that much =/ something cheaper? The only use will be to record sounds with this mic(s).

Thanks. 

[gkatz]

check out the Tascam DR-07. you can get it new for around 125 USD

[svebee]

What about MicroTrack II? I mean, is there any difference between this devices for my "usage"? I also found Olympus WS-311M 

EDIT: If I can choose between MicroTrack II, Olympus WS-311M and Tascam DR-07 - which one and why?

[gkatz]

the olympus recorder you mention has the bare features you need, but the internal storage space on it would probably not be enough to record 2+ hours in an acceptable quality. the tascam DR-07 has an SD card slot so you can have much more space to record on. I think that is also true with the MTII, not sure though.

Most people on this board would recommend using a battery box to power the mics, rather than just going directly into the "mic in" jack on the recorder. THe battery box runs on a 9 volt battery and it allows the mics to realize their full dynamic range with less distortion at higher sound levels. You can get a battery box from sound pros for about 50 dollars, or you can go onto the yardsale and post an "ISO: 9 VOlt Battery Box." that last method worked fine for me.

[svebee]

Internal storage doesn't need to be large at all, I will be recording "clips" max ~5-10min. or so. Not any longer. So I should go with Tascam and battery box?

[fmaderjr]

Don't get a Microtrack-the mic in is poor quality and you need a special cable to go line in with unbalanced mics unless you want to add terrible noise to your recordings.

The Tascam DR-07 is the best choice for a relatively low priced recorder although the Sony M10 is more than worth the extra money if you are willing to spend it. May not make an audible improvement to your recordings over the DR-07, but I love the feature set.

[SmokinJoe]

You are recording stuff which is MUCH quieter than most of us, so you will need a LOT of gain. 
1) Be sure to order the "High sensitivity option" for an extra $10 on the SP-TFB-2.
2) You don't need a battery box.  The small plug-in-power voltage provided by the recorder should be adequate, at least for starters.
3) If you crank the gain all the way up on the recorder, you will probably get some hiss in the recording.  You won't know how much until you try it.
4) If the hiss is excessive, you should think about adding a separate pre-amplifier which will probably add cleaner gain than the recorder.   A used Church Audio or SP preamp might not break the budget too badly.

[Gutbucket]

What Joe said .
You sould do well with the high sensitivity option TFBs pluged straight into a flash recorder with a decently quiet mic input.

Given the choice of the three recorders you mention I'd go for the Tascam DR-07 because it has a better input stage compared to the M-Audio, records to standard WAV format at higher quality than the Olympus (which is more of a voice recorder), can accept inexpenive SDHC cards (it comes with one) and is a very good deal for less than $150 if you look around. I'd also consider the superior Sony M10, but it is least $200 (and uses more costly Mini-SDHC cards).

I would only like to add that you shouldn't feel you need to record quiet things with so much gain that the resulting recording levels are high on the meters- you certainly don't need to be anywhere near peaking.  You can always turn the volume up when you play it back, either on the computer by editing the file, or with the good old volume knob.  Doing that can help you make less noisy recordings of quiet material.  It's a good approach to run lower-end gear (which often has inexpensive analog front end circuitry that gets noisy at high gains) somewhere around the middle of it's gain range. 

If you find you need more recording gain, turn it up, but listen for the point were the noise begins to increase significantly more in loudness than the sound of what you are trying to record.  It's somewhat confusing that the noise you'll hear might be the amplified noise of the environment itself, the self-noise of the microphones at verly low levels, or the noise made by the recorder's gain circuitry. Figuring out which is the primary contributor can be somewhat more of a challenge.  Using a quieter preamp, possibly with more available gain will only help reduce the noise if that noise is being contributed by the recorder's analog input gain circuitry being turned up too much.  It won't help if more of the noise is coming from the environment or the mics themselves.  If I had to guess I'd say the mics will probably be the quietest part of the chain.

[rastasean]

I don't want to discourage from buying the binaural mics but take a look/listen at these:
http://pipmics.com/store/PIPMICS_Store.html
http://soundcloud.com/urlme/contact-genoa

here are some more demos of the pip mics: http://soundcloud.com/urlme/sets/pipmic-demos

the recorder would work (I haven't ever used it) but I would go mic in and if the source is REALLY quiet, a pre-amp would be necessary.

[rjp]

One other word of advice with SP-TFB-2s: be sure to get (and use) windscreens. If you are recording anything quiet, they will at least drastically reduce, if not completely eliminate, the clicks that your eardrums generate when you swallow. I know this from experience...

[the_artist]

they also stop the mics from falling out of your ears.

[svebee]

Alright, at the end I ended with WS-210S (Olympus)  and SP-TFB-2 with high sensitivity. I have a one "little" problem, background noise is very loud, can it be removed with Adobe Audition 3 (without losing quality of whole track) or something...or do I need to buy some other stuff? 

Recording - http://www.svebee.com/loud_noise.mp3

[rastasean]

they are high sensitivity so they will pick up noises and sounds much more easily. what you could do is turn the gain on the recorder down and that may reduce some of the background noise.  I wouldn't try removing the sound in software but just try re-recording it making sure the levels are not peaking on the recorder.

[svebee]

they are high sensitivity so they will pick up noises and sounds much more easily

I understood that, but I didn't know it is so sensitive  i solved it (partially) with option Conference to Dictation, now it's less sensitive so there is no so much noise.. 

[svebee]

http://www.svebee.com/bad_noise.WMA

This is the best I can get, would a result be any better with normal (non-sensitive) mics (same binaural) or I should invest in recorder? Normal mics or better recorder? Tnx.