Topic: Newbie questions!

[powermonkey]

Hi there, folks.

First, might I say, kudos for a truly excellent site. Admittedly a good deal of it goes over my head, but I can tell that there is a hell of a lot of information to be found here.

Anyhoo. I'm looking to get into taping shows over here in the UK. I have a very limited idea of where to start, and I was hoping you folks could point me in the right direction.

First question! What portable recorder should I go for? The options thus far appear to be: the Edirol R-09, the Microtrack or the Zoom H4. I don't have more than £400 at the most, so any views on which of these is the best value for money would be appreciated.

I'm looking to be getting mostly audience recordings of rock'n'roll bands (eg Babyshambles), but having the option to record a SBD if I can would be handy too.

In terms of mics, I'm a bit confused. Again, my budget is small. I have heard good things about a pair of 'in-ear' binaural mics (Sound Professionals SP-TFB-2s) but would I simply be able to plug these in, set a level and go for it, or would I need any external kit - batteries, A/D converters, pre-amps, etc etc? The less external stuff I'd need the better, as I don't imagine every venue and every band would be cool with me taping (plus the less kit I have, the less kit gets covered with beer). Any other mic suggestions would be great, but again £100 would be round about my limit).

I've been advised in the past just to get a cheap MD recorder and whatever mic I can find, but I want to do this properly, with kit that I can get a good deal of use from before upgrading.

Any help much appreciated, thanks.

 

[Krispy D]

start here

http://taperssection.com/index.php/board,46.0.html

[powermonkey]

Dang, the PM system doesn't seem to be working for me...

Anyhoo, would I be able to get away with simply plugging a mic/pair of mics into the R-09 and getting on with it, or would I need a pre-amp?

Thanks, folks.

(I followed that link, btw, and I've narrowed it down to the microtrack, the r-09 or the H4, I was hoping to get a quick comparison from anyone who's used them).

Ta!

[Krispy D]

for mostyl stealth recordings in high spl situations you will need small mics and a battery box or pre amp of some sort.  check out curch audio (he's a very active member here, who seems very willing to help) or sound proffessionals or core sound and stuff like that.  I've neer really dabled in stealth stuff but I have run mics>recorder and mics>bb>recorder and mics>pre amp>recorder, so I've heard the differance they can make.  bottom line is gonna depend on what mics you choose, and the relative loudness you will be recording.  that is what  is going to decide what you need between the mics and the recorder.

good luck

[willndmb]

http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,79894.0.html
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,76284.0.html

$500 total
at853 > battery box > mt w/6gb drive
plus a battery box for the mt and a coax for upgrades down the road
you would be pretty much set, only need a few small things like aa battery and poss dual 1/4 plug and sbd cables if you did decide to get into that