First off, thank you so much for the lengthy and prompt reply. It's nice to know that people are eager to help. I seem to be a little bit stuck though. From what you say, external mics are definitely the way to go. That said I want something very portable that is not a hassle to bring with me to music festivals that I could say, fit in a backpack without too much excess weight. I don't really know what kind of equipment is available that fits this size restriction. I'd say much budget is between $1000-2000 but am open to suggestions. Thanks so much!
Good news...there's alot of gear that fits into the window that you've decribed for price and size.
You have to realize that this is TS.com, so our opinion is gonna be a little more...ummm...anal I suppose is the best word...in the direction of sound quality and the external mic thing is just a general answer you'll get from almost everybody here. It's the key component to getting good sound, so that's where most of the focus is.
OK, first two suggestions. There are two things that you can do for yourself that will definitely help your cause. First is to of course just start spending time on this website and you'll key in on threads that offer significant amounts of information that will teach you alot. Second, is that when thinking about new gear purchases, your very best friend is Live Music Archive...or
www.archive.org...most every piece of gear has some samples that you can listen to on the archive. You should listen and make notes about what you like the sound of and what you don't like the sound of. While others can give you general suggestions about what the general opinions are, the ultimate judge is your two ears and they will give you far better information than anything anyone can tell you in print about the quality of sound you can get out of a certain setup.
These days, alot of people are finding the all-in-one recorders to be so very convenient. I have to agree. An all-in-one recorder combines the recorder and the A/D into a single package. This eliminates the need for a separate external preamp. There are a couple of GREAT all-in-one boxes available on the market which record onto CF media...
Marantz PMD-660
Fostex FR2LE
Both of these are about the size of a cigar box...the 660 is a little smaller, the Fostex a little bigger. One issue is that these boxes really don't sound all that great stock for recording music, so there are professionals out there that perform modifications that make these really nice sounding for music recording.
Either of these boxes are available with modifications for around $600 and they will serve you VERY well.
If you prefer something smaller than a cigar box sized package, then there are a number of very good flash media recorders out there that lots of people use. These however don't include any microphone preamps, so some kinda of outboard preamp is necessary. These include...
Edirol R-09 (fits in a pocket...records onto SD cards...$300)
Microtrack 24/96 (fits in pocket...internal memory...also around $300)
Nomad JB3 (only available used...convenient hard drive recorder...looks like a portable CD player...available used for $120)
Each of the above recorders comes with its own set of challenges in terms of outfitting yourself to be able to run sound into them. You just need to figure out what you need in terms of cables, connectors, preamps, remote power, etc. by reading TS.com and slogging through the details.
Once you get the boxes, you're ready for microphones. This is where the real listening on archive comes in handy.
If you want really small and stealthy microphones, some potential starter models would include:
Audio Technica AT-853
Church Audio Models
Sonic Studios Models
DPA-4066
These are very small and stealthy...ranging in price from maybe $100 or so up to $600 or so. Surprisingly nice sound quality. You would need a battery box preamp for any of these ranging in price from $80 or so up to $200 or so.
If you want a slightly larger microphone, in the small condenser microphone class, these would generally provide a nicer quality sound, but again you need to listen on archive and be your own judge. It's not a rule, but a guideline. Some of the stealthy mics sound fantastic. But here are some sets in your price range you might consider...
AKG480 series $900 to $1000 a pair (probably the most popular mics out there)
Neumann KM-184 $900 to $1100 a pair
Peluso CMC6 $600 a pair
Avantone CK-1 $300 a pair
SP-C4 $200 - $300 a pair
There are certainly others out there, but research is the key.
With an all-in-one box and a pair of mics, most people can fit all of their gear in a bag that's not much bigger than the typical ladies purse.
So, that's a start for you...I'm sure others will have plenty of input to supplement my post.
Steve
Topic: Musician looking for portable recorder (Read 5129 times)