Topic: recorder and mic recommendations for radio-quality interviews

[nathan fairbairn]

Wow. Great information. You folks sure know your stuff. So it sounds like we have a couple options:

1) Keep the system we have now and just use an audio editing program to double up the mono track into dual mono.

2) Keep the H4 and trade in her AKG C1000s. Buy the AT822, which will output to two 1/4" plugs and allow my wife to record in stereo.

3) Buy the AT825 -- not sure if the dual XLR connections are worth the increase in price, though...

4) Trade in the lot and buy a recorder with mini-connectors, such as the microtrack. I'm a bit confused by this, though. Brian wrote that "Recorders with mini-connectors (like the mic-in on the MicroTrack, the R09, iRiver Hx00, JB3, etc.) record a stereo signal - both left and right channels - via the single connector." Am I right in presuming that I still need a stereo mic for this, just not necessarily one that outputs to two XLRs or two 1/4" plugs? Aside from the 1 input vs. 2 inputs to record stereo, is there an advantage to this option? Compare, for example, the microtrack to the H4.

I'm leaning towards option 2, as it's the simplest and cheapest option and makes sense to my limited understanding. What do you guys think?

Thanks again, you guys rule!

[Brian Skalinder]

Going back to your original post, I see she's using this for radio-quality interviews.  I'd stick with the built-in mics on the H4 for a while, see how well they work for her.  They seem ideal for hand-held interview recordings.  If she identifies something lacking with the internal mics for her interviews after using them for a while, then I'd think about getting an additional mic depending on what she finds lacking in the H4's built-in mic performance.

[Wiggle]

Interesting. She's not sure what kind of microphone she used with the minidisc -- it was just the mic provided by the CBC.

It was probably an SM57 or a Senn shotgun. The reason she was able to record in stereo on the minidisc player was because the Audio Systems dept at the Ceeb doctors up all of the minidisc recorders to make them foolproof. They rig them up with an XLR > stereo mini cable that cannot be removed (unplugged, yes but not removed). It's simplistic but it comes in handy with all of the casuals that go in and out of there without ever receiving the training they need.

[nathan fairbairn]

It was probably an SM57 or a Senn shotgun. The reason she was able to record in stereo on the minidisc player was because the Audio Systems dept at the Ceeb doctors up all of the minidisc recorders to make them foolproof. They rig them up with an XLR > stereo mini cable that cannot be removed (unplugged, yes but not removed). It's simplistic but it comes in handy with all of the casuals that go in and out of there without ever receiving the training they need.

Ha! That sure sounds like my wife. Training = zero. Oh wait, I think someone once told her to get a good grip on the mic and not change it during taping and to try to find a quiet room. In truth, most of her producers I e-mailed on the sly while researching her gift didn't really seem to have received appropriate training either (one described himself as  "freelancer with a desk").

Anyway, regarding the technical aspects of your post, am I right in understanding that what the CBC uses (and what my wife has been recording for two years) has not been true stereo, but rather dual mono? While researching, I looked at both of the mics you mentioned, and I'm pretty sure neither is a single point stereo mic, right? And you can't truly record in stereo without a stereo mic, right? Does that mean that dual mono is sufficient for the CBC's purposes and she doesn't need to worry about recording in true stereo? I feel I'm getting really close to the answers we need. Thanks so much for answering!

[BayTaynt3d]

I would think the kind of condensers we use around these parts for recording music would be the LAST MIC IN THE WORLD you'd want to use for interviews. I say this because I'm assuming you'll be hand-holding the mic a lot, which will produce ridiculous amounts of handling noise on the mics we typically use. You need a good hand-held ENG interview mic IMHO, not an uber-sensative small condenser. That said, two small diaphram condensers using a hypercardioid pattern mounted STANDS pointing directly towards each person could sound fabulous, but def not if hand held. It could also work on the end of a boompole (even a short one), but you need a SERIOUSLY GOOD shockmount, and you need to know how to use a boompole (probably with gloves on). The alternative is a good, field-proven, dynamic mic that is well isolated with almost no handling noise -- there are many to choose from in the under-$200 range.

[Wiggle]

It was probably an SM57 or a Senn shotgun. The reason she was able to record in stereo on the minidisc player was because the Audio Systems dept at the Ceeb doctors up all of the minidisc recorders to make them foolproof. They rig them up with an XLR > stereo mini cable that cannot be removed (unplugged, yes but not removed). It's simplistic but it comes in handy with all of the casuals that go in and out of there without ever receiving the training they need.

Anyway, regarding the technical aspects of your post, am I right in understanding that what the CBC uses (and what my wife has been recording for two years) has not been true stereo, but rather dual mono? While researching, I looked at both of the mics you mentioned, and I'm pretty sure neither is a single point stereo mic, right? And you can't truly record in stereo without a stereo mic, right? Does that mean that dual mono is sufficient for the CBC's purposes and she doesn't need to worry about recording in true stereo? I feel I'm getting really close to the answers we need. Thanks so much for answering!

Anything on Radio One goes out in mono. Even if she were to record in stereo and do a perfect mix of a gripping pak on Belinda Stronach (on the left channel) and Tie Domi (on the right channel).... the gizmos and doo-dads in Master Control would collapse it down to mono anyway. So she has no use for stereo recording unless she's doing work for Radio Two (which goes out in stereo).

You do, however, need the audio on both channels (for the folks in the sticks using radios built in the 1930s) hence the dual mono minidisc recorders at the Ceeb. Incidentally, they're in the process of being replaced by the Marantz 671 so tell your wife not to get too comfy with those beat up old Sonys.

[nathan fairbairn]

I would think the kind of condensers we use around these parts for recording music would be the LAST MIC IN THE WORLD you'd want to use for interviews. I say this because I'm assuming you'll be hand-holding the mic a lot, which will produce ridiculous amounts of handling noise on the mics we typically use. You need a good hand-held ENG interview mic IMHO, not an uber-sensative small condenser. That said, two small diaphram condensers using a hypercardioid pattern mounted STANDS pointing directly towards each person could sound fabulous, but def not if hand held. It could also work on the end of a boompole (even a short one), but you need a SERIOUSLY GOOD shockmount, and you need to know how to use a boompole (probably with gloves on). The alternative is a good, field-proven, dynamic mic that is well isolated with almost no handling noise -- there are many to choose from in the under-$200 range.

AH. I listened to a lot of comparative tests with the H4 and several mics, and everything I heard and read made me think the sound was clearly better with a condenser mic, but didn't consider that all of those tests were probably done with a stationary mic (probably in a closed room or studio). I never considered the practicality of a handheld mic for interviews and the sounds you get from jostling. (Then again, I haven't noticed much noise from the C1000s I've got now). I'll definitely go home and run it through some jostling and see how much noise it generates. The dynamic mics I considered were the Electovoice (can't remember the model number, I'm afraid) and the SM57. Maybe that's all I need! Thanks!

Anything on Radio One goes out in mono. Even if she were to record in stereo and do a perfect mix of a gripping pak on Belinda Stronach (on the left channel) and Tie Domi (on the right channel).... the gizmos and doo-dads in Master Control would collapse it down to mono anyway. So she has no use for stereo recording unless she's doing work for Radio Two (which goes out in stereo).

You do, however, need the audio on both channels (for the folks in the sticks using radios built in the 1930s) hence the dual mono minidisc recorders at the Ceeb. Incidentally, they're in the process of being replaced by the Marantz 671 so tell your wife not to get too comfy with those beat up old Sonys.

Thanks so much! So, stereo recording is not necessary for CBC Radio 1 -- that's the answer I've been waiting for all day! Great! And I looked at the PMD660 and 671, but for the price difference, I couldn't see enough advantage to them over the H4 to justify the expense. Do you disagree?

Again, thanks a ton for helping a guy out. I'm really out of my depth here and I'm just trying to make sure I got my girl the right Christmas gift. I swear next year she's getting books!

[f1reverb]

You need an Electro-Voice RE-50B (black) mic.  It's noise (handling) isolated and is the main mic you'll see used handheld by radio and TV journalists in the field.  I've used them forever for broadcast interviewing.

http://www.electrovoice.com/products/105.html

http://www.bswusa.com/proditem.asp?item=RE50B

http://www.bigdmc.com/re50b.html