To all interested:
I just returned from a 2 week recording trip to Ecuador where I used the HH=
B
MDP500 Portable Minidisc Recorder almost exclusively. This is the first tim=
e
I have used this machine for an extended period of time. I purchased the
machine several months ago, but for various reasons did not have a chance t=
o
use it extensively. On this last trip I came back with about 13 hours of
recordings. In general the machine is easy to use and delivers good clear
recordings. My general comments are as follows:
1. Even with the gain increased by sending the machine back to the factory,=
the machine is underpowered for my purposes. I use a Sennheiser K6 Power
Module and an ME-66 and 67 Microphone. I asked Saul Mineroff to modify the=
SME-BA3 Hi Gain Booster (Microphone Amplifier) to allow only a 10 dB gain
(the standard 25 dB gain by this unit was too much gain for the MDP 500 to=
use). This worked well and gave only slightly less gain than that achieved =
by
using the Sennheiser with a Sony TCM 5000 cassette recorder. This does
however, add another apparatus to work with and increases the possibility o=
f
problems.
2. Battery usage is horrific, but this is correctly warned in the Operating=
Instructions. Thanks to the warning, I purchased 3 battery packs which each=
hold 8 AA Batteries. I purchased 24 of the recommended NiMH rechargeable
batteries. I also purchased a MAHA MH-C777 Universal charger which allows f=
or
fast charging in the car or from a plug. Thus, except for one day when the=
electricity was out in Zumba, I was able to recharge all batteries each day=
.
It takes quite a while to charge the batteries using the HHB MDP 500, so
another fast charger is necessary. I also brought along 8 Lithium Batteries=
for an emergency, but didn't need them. The car adapter for the MAHA failed=
after the 3rd day, but the plug in worked fine in the hostel (hotel is too=
nice a word to use for the place we stayed in Zumba).
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0For my purposes, I must have the machine on almost contin=
uously while
in the field. Thus, each battery pack lasts about 3 hours. The "bootup" tim=
e
is not bad if one tries to turn off the unit between recordings, but
instantaneous recording is a necessity for me as quite often a fast draw
recording is a necessity. Typically, I would use up an entire battery pack=
during the early morning and usually the second pack would last almost the=
rest of the day. At times I would use up 2 packs, but never completely used=
up the third before recharging. So, if one has the ability to charge the
packs in the evening and has a charger in addition to the HHB, =A03 battery=
packs should be sufficient.
3. The playback speaker is not too bad and certainly better than the Sony
Stereo Cassette TC-D5PROII. It is underpowered, but the playback is very
clear. Because I was with a guide that had a TCM 5000 we used his machine
most of the time for playback. The speaker on the HHB is OK and except when=
blasting is required is somewhat adequate. It is easy to attach a small
speaker to the HHB like the Radio Shake one that I discussed sometime back.=
I
would do this if I was not with someone with the TCM 5000.
4. The Pre-recoreding function is GREAT! This enables you to record on PAUS=
E
until you hear the bird singing. When you release PAUSE the machine
automatically records the PREVIOUS 6 seconds of recording from the internal=
memory buffer. This is a wonderful feature for those of us that stand and
wait for the one song/call that is emitted intermittently. I spent many
minutes waiting for a particular vocalization to occur and did not have to=
worry about a cassette running and using up space. Caution: ...Be sure and=
make sure the microphone is not near the Pause button when you push the
latter because the mic will pick up the sound..which can be quite irritatin=
g
if you are in the middle a rare vocalization.
5. It is quite convenient and comforting to know that when you press the
RECORD button you cannot erase previous recordings even if you have just
played back something recorded several minutes ago. The minidisc is not
linear!
6. The various controls are easy to use and the Level Indicator (a dual Bar=
Meter) is reasonably easy to see. Volume control is as simple to use as tha=
t
of the Sony cassette machines.
7. The HHB is not overly forgiving if one "overrecords". If the Peak Meter=
indicates an overrecording, you may have a distorted cut. The HHB seems to =
be
less forgiving than my old Marantz DAT and is somewhat similar to the high=
end Sony cassette machines. If one is willing to record in Stereo, it is
possible to set the two tracs at different volume levels, so if one is
overrecorded the other may not be. If you do record in stereo with differen=
t
volume levels for each trac and you are =A0monitering with earphones, you c=
an
set the machine to deliver the same volume of signal to each ear so that yo=
u
are not getting different signals. This is important for me, as I always ha=
ve
a hard time finding exactly where the singer is. With unbalanced input comi=
ng
to each ear, the task becomes harder.
8. The POWER ON switch is very easy to accidentally press On. On more than=
one occasion, I accidentally hit this button while in the car which resulte=
d
in the machine using valuable battery power. Once it actually recorded for=
over an hour while we drove to a new location.
9. I am slightly concerned about the ATRAC sampling rate. I know that this=
has been discussed often, but I am uncomfortable with the Spectral view of=
many of the recordings. The first thing one notices on viewing the Spectral=
View of a MD recording (as opposed to Waveform View...I use CoolEdit Pro) i=
s
that the high Hz sounds are eliminated in many recordings. So the Spectral=
view looks somewhat like a bar graph with the bars at various lengths over=
the time axis. This usually effects only the stuff we can't hear (17000-200=
00
Hz). However, in the case of some recordings I made of Black-capped Sparrow=
(a very high pitched singer) the ATRAC seemed to throw out data down to 150=
00
Hz and this cut some of the birds harmonics out of the Spectrogram. I am no=
t
a scientist or sound engineer, but this was disturbing to me. I did check
some previous hi pitched recordings I had made with the HHB (Bushtit in my=
yard). Here the Spectrogram showed the background sounds eliminated above
15000 Hz during a particularly loud hi pitched segment, but the birds
vocalization was noticeable up through 20,000 Hz. No, I was not using a
limiter.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0So, I decided to test the HHB against a TCM5000. Yesterda=
y my wife and
I took a nice 6 mile hike where the birds are singing here in Northern
California. She carried a TCM 5000 and I took the HHB. We recorded the exac=
t
same birds at the same location using identical microphones (we even switch=
ed
microphones mid way through the hike). I then loaded the data into my
computer and made comparison spectrograms. At times the HHB recordings seem=
ed
to fail to pick up secondary harmonics that the TCM 5000 did. Other times
everything was fine. The HHB recordings also seemed to indicate more genera=
l
background noise than the TCM recordings.(the background in the spectrogram=
was darker and the difference in background sound was noticeable even with =
my
old ears ). I checked to make sure this was not caused by the SME-BA3 Hi Ga=
in
Booster (Microphone Amplifier). However, the background noise for the HHB w=
as
the same with and without the Booster. These two facts (ATRAC eliminating
some hi pitched harmonics and background noise) are worrisome to me and I
wonder if anyone else has noticed this.
10. Minidisc recording can give you up almost 2 1/2 hours MONO recording on=
a
single 74 minute disc as long as you do not use more than 240 index #s. Thi=
s
makes for very efficient use of discs!
11. The HHB has many other wonderful features that have been set forth in
other recordists communications. It is great to be able to index number an=
important cut so you can easily find it later. It is nice to be able to cau=
se
the light on the display panel to remain ON for early morning and evening
recording. A simple push of the LIGHT button will then turn it off.
So, what is the final conclusion? The HHB people have been very pleasant to=
work with. I have sent the machine in 3 times for free repairs (However, I=
did pay for postage and insurance To HHB) and all repairs seem to have
worked. I now have Version 1.5. Fixed problems are as follows:
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A01. "Tics" noticeable during Spectral analysis of recordin=
gs..about 4
per second noticeable up to 1000 Hz
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A02. Lockup problem explained by others in past corresponde=
nce. I had no
lockup problems at all since the machine was returned.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A03. Lack of =A0adequate recording gain. This was only part=
ially fixed as
they were able to give me about 5 or so more dB. However, as explained abov=
e,
this was not adequate for my purposes.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A04. Malfunction POWER switch. (locked in position and woul=
d not turn
on)..all fixed.
Final conclusion: This is a good machine. It is quite durable and easy to
use. I am somewhat concerned about the machine generated noise (when compar=
ed
to the TCM 5000) and the ATRAC sampling possibly throwing out hi-pitched
vocalizations (although the latter seems only a problem when using spectral=
analysis, it is not detectable by human ears). It was interesting to note
that the Sony TCM 5000 was delivering very comparable recordings when
compared in spectral analysis. So is the HHB worth the cost (almost 3 times=
as much as the durable old Sony TCM 5000 when all the required boosters,
battery packs, and chargers are included)? I am not sure. Since I own the
machine, I will continue to use it as long as I have overnight battery
charging facilities. The advantages of the 6 second buffer and easy indexin=
g
are really wonderful. I am hoping some of the experts can shed some light o=
n
the "noise" factor I am detecting when compared to the Sony TCM 5000.
My best to all,
John
John V. Moore Nature recordings
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
|