Klas Strandberg wrote:
> I'm not complaining at all really, more trying to say that a
> naturesoundrecordist perhaps should focus on other parameters than possible
> ATRAC errors.
> Yannick worked with music (?) otherwise I wouldn't have brought it up.
I certainly agree here, ATRAC is on the very bottom of my sound quality
worries. Really does not exist as a worry. For nearly everyone
improvements in their input end will be far more important than the
recorder as far as equipment.
> By "crispy" I mean "broken, scratchy" but in a way which I cannot describe.
> First time I experienced this was with my first Sony TCD-D10, first
> generation portable D/A converters. I had recorded a choire, and when I
> listened to it I wanted some kind of non-existant equalizer or compressor to
> do something which I couldn't define. The recording just made me nervous,
> and no conventional filtering could help. Replayed through an external D/A
> converter it came out fine. After that I have become sort of allergic to a
> special kind of errors, or whatever it is.
I don't see that with the Portadisc, at least as far as I listen
critically to it's analog output, which leads me to believe it's
probably more a function of the quality of the D/A in other minidiscs. I
don't really even use the Portadisc's D/A that much since I transfer
digitally. The analog quality I hear is from the D/A in the Roland UA-30
most of the time. And that's a pretty good one.
And, at best all digital is broken up, that's what that word sampling is
all about. It's part of why some still like the analog methods. There is
a difference that's hard to eliminate. I noticed it more when digital
first arrived than I do now. It sounds more "normal" now.
> I still favour MD, though, because of all the practical advantages. And
> whatever we discuss on the topic, the sound quality coming out of it is
> better than the loudspeakers.
My number one sound quality problems are there before it gets to the
mic, the environment itself. And second is my technique. I'm now
reaching a level with my mics that they are not as much a problem as
they used to be, (once I develop the techniques to use them well). Note
how the entire recorder is not on that list. It just works well, I push
the record button and it records whatever I feed it extremely
accurately. Again, as long as my technique set it's settings right.
Every recording system is a compromise. This is particularily true in
field recording. I choose MD for the overall advantages. In that regard
it's real hard to beat. And the sound quality is well above the quality
of nearly everyone's speakers or headphones.
Walt
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
|