[Spareribs]

Internet photo

Just got the Edirol R-09 (used but mint condition). Very nice product.
If you want a higher quality sound, use some good portable microphones. I use a pair of Audio Technica portable mics (943 model and terminated with 1/8 mini plug) and a portable microphone preamp 9 volt battery box to tweak the incomming sound even more. Great way to collect live music around you!

Then transfer the music to CD and listen on your headphones. If the acoustics are good and you are close to the stage, you may get an impressive recording.

I plan on recording some sounds of nature for meditation at home.

 

[chesebert]

I have had this for over half year. great stuff!!! the headphone out is pretty decent for low imp cans. I actually love to use R09 as a source with its digital out playing 24bit wav files.

Actually after the honeymoon period now I just keep it in my office for dictation purposes....yawn...damn..my dictation is in 24bit mp3...now my secretary will have no excuse for bad tape...

 

[Spareribs]

Groovy!

This is also great for recording the radio like rare live concert broadcasts, interviews of musicans in the studio, etc... Just use a cable with a mini plug and hook it up to the line in jack of the recorder.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Hmm, yeah, one would be pretty handy. It's limited to a few tracks, but the size versus a CD-, DAT-, or tape-based portable deck is an advantage. Can you recommend any portable mic preamps?

 

[Spareribs]

Right now, I use a 9 volt battery box that you can find at Soundprofessionals.com. It does a very good job for the mics I use. Here's the link:

Microphones, USB Microphones, Preamplifiers, Digital Recorders, Cables and more at Rock Bottom Prices from The Sound Professionals - Great deals on Microphone, Preamplifier, Digital Recorder, Cable and more!



However, I do plan on upgrading my battery box and will get the Church Audio 9100 preamp. Here's some info on it:
CHURCH AUDIO ST-9100 STEREO MICROPHONE PREAMP - eBay (item 250198674711 end time Jul-14-08 10:28:07 PDT)


It's available on ebay but it will be cheaper if you contact Chris Church over at Taperssection.com since he is a member and posts just about everyday in the retail space forum.

The forum will also give advise on taping and recording gear for taping live shows from the hobbiest perspective.

Taperssection.com - Index

 

[infinitesymphony]

Wow, $230... Maybe I'll look into DIY as an option, since it looks like that's what the Church Audio guy did. Thanks for the recommendations. Will these all require special microphones, as opposed to normal phantom-powered XLR?

 

[Spareribs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, $230... Maybe I'll look into DIY as an option, since it looks like that's what the Church Audio guy did. Thanks for the recommendations. Will these all require special microphones, as opposed to normal phantom-powered XLR?

My microphones are a pair that were specially terminated into a single stereo 1/8 mini plug. When you order the preamp, you have to tell Chris Church what kind of terminations you will be using and he will custom make the preamp that will match your termination.

I use the mini plug termination because it is small and so portable which is great for recording live shows without drawing any noticable attention like sitting at a table in a jazz club for example. (mics are hidden under a baseball cap or duct taped on my shoulders as I wear a thin shirt covering it)

Chris does sell these types of mini microphones and they are pretty powerful or you can buy them at soundprofessionals.com. So that's an option.

As far as the standard XLR goes, you may have to contact Chris and see if he can make a preamp that will match your XRL type. Just tell him what kind of mic you are using. Or you can ask the people over at soundprofessionals.com for advise of a matching preamp that will be compatible for your microphone.

The forum over at taperssection will help too if you have any other questions.
There are people there on that forum who DIY there own battery boxes for that extra mic power boost. I've never tried it though but it is possible.

 

[Edwood]

I've been lusting after the Sony PCM-D1 and PCM-D50. The PCM-D50 is much cheaper, a bit smaller, and has that neat pre-recording buffer. And the built in Mic Preamps have very very low noise floor.

I've been really interested in binaural recordings. But with field recorders (which is what this thread should be titled, these portable digital recorders are technically called "Field Recorders") all the small ones do not have Time Code, so it's a bit of a pain to sync with video footage.

-Ed

 

[nabwong]

Same here Ed, I'm lusting for the PCM-D50. I was originally going to get the Edirol R-09HR but after listening to a podcast review comparing the pre-amps of those 2 machines, PCM-D50 was hands down better in terms of noise level.

Check the podcasts for all the machines here.
Sony PCM D50 Recorder Review Podcast Episode

 

[lan]

I liked the quality of the PCM-D50 but I found the sound on the whole a bit unnatural after bringing home some test recordings with it. Also the handling and wind noise made it a bit unusable for me.

All in all, these are neat little devices.

 

[nabwong]

More sound samples. Need to be opened with IE, can't use firefox.

Portable Recorder Sound Samples

 

[nabwong]

Just an update. I ordered the PCM-D50 from buydig yesterday morning at 8am est, with free shipping (7-9 days) and I've received it today!!!! OMG!!! So fast. Well, they're in jersey and i'm in boston.

Anyway, good deal. Got the machine for $455 which includes the remote free. I've only tested it a bit and so far, i'm liking it. It feels really solid and I'm able to record straight out of the box without needing to read the manual. All the buttons are self-explanatory and useful. It picked up the sound of my girlfriend chewing her cereal very clearly. I'm gonna bring it to the practice room tomorrow to record some trumpet. Can't wait.

The only bad or good thing, depending on how you look at it is, it is very sensitive to ANY sound; air-conditioning, fan etc. Also, for a $500 machine, why the hell did sony not include a case?!?! This is ridiculous. I'm going to the mall now to try and find one.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Do most of these digital recorders have external microphone inputs? If so, do any of them also power the microphones, or is that always an external process (if using an external mic)?

 

[Spareribs]

Wow, congrats on the Sony! Yes those recorders can be senstive and pick up everything. If it's too sensitve, you may have to set it for a lower sensitivity setting which is ideal for loud music. When I got my Edirol, I too was really excited. I mainly use it to record my guitar practice and I think every musician must have a recorder to monitor themselves.

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do most of these digital recorders have external microphone inputs? If so, do any of them also power the microphones, or is that always an external process (if using an external mic)?

I believe so. I've owned 4 portable recorders and two of them had mic inputs and line in inputs (both for 1/8 mini plug termination). The other 2 recorders had an optical line in input only and I think you need an analog to digital preamp unit for phantom power but I don't know really because I used them mainly as MP3 players.

There are recorders that provide their own phantom power for mics but it's usually the larger and the more expensive ones but still transportable but not too portable.

I think it's best to own a recorder with both mic in and line in input because it's more versatile. For my currant recorder, I alternate between two types of mics. My Audio Technica 943 mini mics need external power so I use a battery box but am having a portable preamp as an upgrade.

My other mic is a large sized Audio Technica 822. This mic does not need any kind of phantom power because their is a AA battery inside. I think if phantom power is used, it would damage the mic so it is designed for a straight plug in. It's a nice mic. Here's some info on it:

Amazon.com: Stereo Mic: Electronics

I'm not an expert in this field so there's a lot that I don't know and I usually ask the people over at the taper's forum.

 

[Spareribs]

Here's an example of a recorder that provides it's own phantom power for XLR mics: The Marantz PMD 660. It goes for around $500.