Hi Graham,
I'm running a pair of NT-1As into my 670, and the hot signal
seems a good counterbalance for the 670 preamps. I record a lot
with the input gain set at 1, and the noise level is pretty
decent. Obviously, one can do better, but I've also found the
NT-1As to be very forgiving of weird recording situations, high
spls, excessive moisture, etc. Of course, for outdoor recording,
any big diaphragm will want lots of wind protection (fur, not
mere foam).
I kind of prefer the larger form factor, too, since I'm using
fairly big mics and XLRs and "serious" cables. The feature set
on the 670 is nearly perfect for my use, although of course it
has no sync. I'm not sure how vital sync really is nowadays...
<d,r>
My guess is that with either the 660 or the 670, a "better" mic
won't help. The NT4 is nice, but a matched pair of NT-1As might
be cheaper and better.
Also, I've found that the addon noise reduction tool in
SoundForge does a wonderful job of removing about 10dB of preamp
noise with virtually no detectable side effects. I just sample
the preamp hiss in a silent environment at the planned recording
level, and use that to prime the noise reduction tool. You can't
use outdoor "silence" as a noise sample, because it's not
silence -- it's room tone. You CAN sample noise with the mics
disconnected, but I think it works a tad better with them in
circuit.
There are several people in the group who are much more expert
in selecting mics than I -- but I wanted to offer some feedback
on actual use with the 670.
ac
Allen Cobb
http://timbreproductions.com
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