From: "kjalcock" <>
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> I've been browsing the list looking at people's recommendations and
> although my question may seem slightly off topic I feel you are the
> people to ask!
>
> I have been using standard audio tapes and want a better quality
> recording solution for the species I am recording in the wild -
> namely, the rather tricky human infant.
>
> I study language development and work on two African languages so I
> record in hot, humid, and dusty villages. I need a small recording
> device (a walkman is just about OK, the larger hard disk recorders are
> probably not OK) that is not TOO expensive. I'm dithering between
> minidiscs and the newer Olympus-type recorders that work with memory
> cards. Reliability and quality are the prime considerations, but cost
> is also an issue, as is the fact that I need to have an external
> microphone - the child carries the recorder in a small backpack and
> the microphone needs to be clipped onto their clothing.
>
> I'd also like any recommendations you may have for tieclip style
> microphones - the setup needs to be as unobtrusive as possible, but we
> also need to hear the speech of adults in the room.
I highly respect anyone who manages to get children to wear the gear
without destroying it. I'd have a tendency to put the recorder in
something like a padded Pelican micro case to protect it. Easy enough to
drill a hole for mic wires, which could even be sealed if water is a chance=
.
The Olympus type recorders I think you mean are the ones for dictation,
recording lectures or business meetings and such like. If your needs in
voice quality are not great they will work, though I don't know about
mic inputs. They tend to use lower sampling rates, just good enough that
voices are still understandable.
MD would definitely be a step up from your current cassette setups. They
are often smaller than a tape cassette alone, little larger than a MD
disk. I've talked to a number of folks who do work like yours. The ones
that have gone with MD have been quite happy with the results. That's
how I usually meet them, they start asking about my portadisc or MD in
general. With the Hi-MD recorders that are coming out it would be
possible to mic a child for a whole day if that's desirable. They are,
of course, a bit of a unknown as they are not out to try yet.
In the field work I've done MD's have been very reliable. My only worry
is how much dust and things a active child might get into them. Enough
of that will cause disk errors. Thus the thought to put the recorder
into the pelican micro case. A MD recorder of the small variety inside a
small micro case would still probably be less bulk than a walkman cassette.
I've had pretty good results with Sony tie tac mics. Though I was using
them with a parabolic reflector, not bare. The ECM-T140 or ECM-T145 were
what I used. Probably a different model number now. They will self power
from a sony MD (or most any other consumer MD). So no separate batteries
to worry about. Pickup of the adults would have to be tested, doing that
without the child's voice being too strong and causing clipping could be
a problem. Digital recording you must avoid clipping, something cassette
would tolerate some. I'd also imbed the mic in some acoustic foam or
such like to protect it from dust and dirt. You probably cannot avoid a
lot of noise of the rubbing clothing or handling noise type.
Walt
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
|