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Re: Recorder recommendations

Subject: Re: Recorder recommendations
From: Walter Knapp <>
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2004 15:19:14 -0500
From: "kjalcock" <>
>
>
>>> 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 t=
o
>>> drill a hole for mic wires, which could even be sealed if water is a ch=
ance.
>
>
> that's a good idea! fortunately we work with quite small children who hav=
en't got the dexterity to take a backpack off once you put one on - and you=
 can get some quite small backpacks for children these days

I was more thinking in terms of dust and dirt protection than in
problems of them removing the backpack. The Pelican case would even
protect the recorder if they fell on it, or took the backpack off and
stomped on it. Which, as you say is unlikely.

>>>
>>> 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 tha=
t
>>> voices are still understandable.
>
> That is VERY helpful to know - and good ammunition for my computer tech a=
t work who thinks they are the answer to everything!

Computer techs in general have a very low expectation of sound. If the
computer can go beep most of them seem happy. The ones I've had dealings
with lately seem to think sound, windows, icons, mice are all silly
fluff and the only "true computer" runs in text command lines. And that
whatever is cheapest is best when it comes to things like sound.
Needless to say they don't get to choose my equipment.

> We're going to try out a couple of those mikes and see what we get.  One =
suggestion was to put the mike on the backpack (on the top) or on a hair cl=
ip on the child's head, so that it was slightly closer to equidistant from =
the child's and the adult's mouths.

These locations might work, only way to really know is to experiment. I
expect it's going to end up being some compromise between the mic
surviving and best sound. Remember, you are using a wired mic, and those
wires are not all that robust when a child is involved.

Walt




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