[mrselfdestruct]

Ohkay guys so my trusty MZ-R30 has decided to die on me and I need a new portable MD recorder. I am mainly going to use it for live sampling with a microphone as well as for occasionally taping shows. My main criteria are (in this order):

1. features for live recording
2. ease of operation during recording
3. battery life
4. size
5. weight

I have heard that the Sharps are considered the best for live recording, and I can have a DR-7 and an MZ-N1 for about the same price. Can you guys help out here? I really need to find a new recorder soon. Has anyone owned both the Sharp and either/both of the Sonys? OK thanks a lot.


-Ivan

 

[Helloween]

I wrote a nice, lengthy reply before and my pc rebooted, lets try this again

I use a DR7 and it is a fantastic recorder...of course it helps that i own a very good pair of mics and battery box (which is a must, IMHO).

Check www.t-station.net for info on the DR7, such as battery life and the sort. The DR7 is a very easy unit to record with, although i have had some issues with mine, mainly the buttons on the actual unit get mixed up, meaning sometimes i hit the + volume button and the volume lowers or the back button instead brings up the menu. Use the remote for live recording, since its backlit you will be able to see that the recorder is running...since that the Play button on my unit has become desensitized and i got screwed out of a taping of a showing (it stayed in record-pause mode).

It is a great unit though, its very small, sleek, very strong casing (magnesium body), good battery life (i always use the AA case anyway). I would definitely recommend the unit, try audiocubes as they have it for $239. I ordered from them and rec'd my unit in 3 days.

Best of luck!

 

[matheis]

Quote:

Originally posted by Helloween The DR7 is a very easy unit to record with, although i have had some issues with mine, mainly the buttons on the actual unit get mixed up, meaning sometimes i hit the + volume button and the volume lowers or the back button instead brings up the menu. Use the remote for live recording, since its backlit you will be able to see that the recorder is running...since that the Play button on my unit has become desensitized and i got screwed out of a taping of a showing (it stayed in record-pause mode).

Helloween: me (me, aka myself on head-fi) and me (matheis) have had this problem, too. the buttons started taking on a double-functionality, which was not a good thing. me, aka myself tried to fix it himself with limited success. i returned mine to hyperjack under warranty and had it fixed. after its safe return from its homeland, it has worked swimmingly

i would suggest that you contact audiocubes and arrange for warranty service.

mrselfdestruct: i like my dr7 for live recording and listening to, i general. its a nice, solidly-built md recorder! aside from the problems Helloween, me, and i have had - i haven't heard of others complaining of the button remapping problem, so i wouldn't fret that you're going to get a screwed-up mdr.

as far as choosing between the dr7 and n1/n10, it's a matter of choice. the sonys will allow for automatic gain recording, which is easier because you don't have to monitor recording levels, but the recording quality will be compromised as the recorder boosts low-level sounds and squashes loud sounds. i'd opt to adjust the recording levels myself. the sonys allow for this, as well. the dr7 on the other hand, forces you to adjust the recording levels manually all the time, which can be a pain if you want to record something where the quality doesn't matter so much - like voice recordings. i don't record voice recordings too much, so this doesn't matter to me. if i were going to record alot of voice, though, i might opt for the sony, so i didn't have to fuss with recording levels for that application.

the kicker for the dr7 for me was the traceback recording function, where you can set the dr7 to buffer up to 30sec in pause-record mode. so say i put the dr7 in pause-record mode but didn't activate recording when the band started to play on accident. well, i've got up to 30sec to push play and still record the beginning of the set! pretty good feature which pushed the dr7 over the top for me!!!

so, to sum up, if you're going to record a wide variety of subject matter (ie, concerts, environmental sounds, voice, etc) - you may want to opt for the sonys to have the agc option. if you're primarily interested in recoridng concerts at high-quality and don't want - go for the dr7.

that said, if you're going to order one, i'd say to check into teamdigital. i haven't ordered from them myself but have heard good things about them on the minidisc tboard. i did some product inquiries with regards to some md equipment and can say without hesitation that teamdigital gives outstanding customer service. they answered my questions very rapidly and honestly, wven though it meant that i wouldn't buy the product i was inquiring about. they've got the dr480 for $239, and it comes with both the sennhesier 4-pole earbuds, the sharp 4-pole clip-ons, and a usb-port (like the xitel products) to record from your computer (real-time, of course - no netmd here!). check here. francis at minidischk has pretty good pricing, too. people on the tboard like him, as well. i haven't ordered from him either but have communicated with him, and he answers questions quickly (but not as quickly as teamdigital!). he offers the dr7 and dr480 here (sorry but you have to navigate through his site to get it to it).

later
nikolaus

 

[Helloween]

Quote:

Originally posted by matheis Helloween: me (me, aka myself on head-fi) and me (matheis) have had this problem, too. the buttons started taking on a double-functionality, which was not a good thing. me, aka myself tried to fix it himself with limited success. i returned mine to hyperjack under warranty and had it fixed. after its safe return from its homeland, it has worked swimmingly i would suggest that you contact audiocubes and arrange for warranty service.

Thanks for the tip buddy! I think i'll go ahead and contact audiocubes

 

[matheis]

Helloween: not a problem! btw, your name is after the german band Helloween? i remember listenign to them in high school on mtv's headbanger's ball. oh the old days...
later
nikolaus

 

[Helloween]

Quote:

Originally posted by matheis Helloween: not a problem! btw, your name is after the german band Helloween? i remember listenign to them in high school on mtv's headbanger's ball. oh the old days... later nikolaus

Yeap, i caught the band on tour here in NYC, they played at BB King's by Times Square, they put on a great concert.