From: "tm957904" <>
>
> Cheers Walter, I appreciate the detailed reply. It sounds like the
> Portadisc will be fine, if its a pro unit known for its quality. The
> MD recorder i used was a consumer model and left me with a some
> what 'bad taste' for the medium. I'll have to check that out though,
> it sounds cool.
One of the problems MD has is that almost all "comparisons" are made
between consumer MD and some pro whatever. The amazing thing should be
how well MD stacks up in such a unfair comparison.
The Portadisc is a pro field recorder. I make that point to distinguish
it from studio equipment. Field recording has a set of demands that
force some compromises. If I was setting up a studio, it would not be
Portadisc based, but if I'm headed out for nature recording the
Portadisc is excellent in that arena. It's not what limits the quality
of my recordings.
There are other choices, and lots of new stuff. I'll let someone else
test those.
The Korg D8 is not a field recorder as such, more of
> a location recorder for musicians. It records uncompressed 16bit/44.1
> to hard disk, so i thought it would make a good reference for
> comparison. Im still seriously considering the MR8 by Fostex. This
> unit is more for musicians, but im sure it would make a great field
> recorder for some one like myself. It records 16mins of uncompressed
> 16bit/44.1 (or 25mins at 22kHz) audio to flashcard, and costs just
> 275 GBP. It doesnt have phantom power, which is a problem, but Im
> sure i can get around that. Anyone here tried this device?
That sounds like a mighty short record time. People complain about a MD
being too short at 80 minutes.
Source of power is something to pay a lot of attention to. There are
quite a few things which are "portable", but eat batteries like crazy.
> The recordings Im making are all in mono. I use them to create sound
> effects for both film and music. By blending natural sounds with that
> from pitched instruments and synthesis, its possible to make some
> really interesting textures and sonorities. Im sure more ambient
> sounds would benefit greatly from stereo recording (24bit also) but i
> usually mash them up beyond recognition anyway. The animal sounds I
> plan to record will also be in mono. I hope to use them to create a
> library of creature effects for an upcoming project. Having read
> articles on the sound design for films such as Aliens and Jurassic
> Park, it seems a collection of well recorded animal sounds will be an
> essential.
Always seemed a little strange that folks will go to great lengths for
sound quality when the end use is going to mangle the sound.
Don't expect to get a collection of well recorded sounds quickly. It can
take considerable time to get just one particular sound. Takes so long
you essentially often just record on spec with no project in mind every
time something good comes along.
Walt
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