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Re: Noise reduction, portable phantom power and minidisc recording

Subject: Re: Noise reduction, portable phantom power and minidisc recording
From: Walter Knapp <>
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2004 12:08:16 -0500
From: "artistico7"

> I will definitely look it up again. I glanced a bit on a demo 
> version a while back, but didn't notice any sampled noise reduction. 
> Perhaps it's only in newer versions of the software package? If it 
> works well, that feature alone might be worth the entire $300, 
> although the microphones one might get for $300 may make me want to 
> reconsider...
> 
> In any case, I will be getting a lower-noise microphone. Noise 
> reduction will probably work better on the flute tracks than on 
> ambient sound recordings, so for the latter, I will definitely need 
> lower noise to start with.
> 

The noise reduction software can be used for fairly minor noise 
reduction. It will not come at all close to a good recording made with a 
good low noise mic. Noise reduction software introduces it's own noise 
too. It can only be applied very lightly.

Go for as good a mic as you can afford, get close enough that you don't 
have to use a lot of gain, and work on technique. You make the recording 
by the time it's fed to the recorder. The rest is minor changes.

Even recording with Sennheiser MKH mics there are times I wish I had 
even better mics.

My estimate is the highest quality minidisc recordings will be made with 
the HHb Portadisc, even better than HiMD as currently offered. The 
critical issue in minidisc sound quality is not the compression, it's 
the input electronics. And, if working with a walkman style, the output. 
A professional piece of equipment like the Portadisc is so much better 
in many ways.

Hard disc has it's own issues. Not all positive. The various mp3 players 
evolved into recorders even more so. Especially for field recording.

Walt




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