At 8:14 AM -0500 5/13/07, Curt Olson wrote:
>Yup, oryoki covered it. Can't think of what I would add.
Thanks Oryoki. The FR-2LE does look like a "best buy" at its price
point. Hi-MD might still be the better option for recordists not
ready to drop more than $1000 on a complete recording package.
The list archive is packed with posts from folks who rushed to buy a
recorder without thinking through all of the needed components: mics,
mic support, wind protection, extra powering, extra media costs and
the recorder. Of these factors, mic performance, is the most common
limiting quality factor for demanding recording situations like
recording location ambience in quiet locations. If you record mostly
loud calls and sound effects, the difference in noise performance
between MD, Hi-MD and a FR-2LE is much less of an issue.
Unless one is ready to minimally invest hundreds of dollars on mics,
one will get the same performance from a used MD recorder as one
would get with a FR-2LE. The self-noise produced by the mics needs
to be at 16dBA or lower to take advantage of Hi-MD's performance and
10dBA or lower to take advantage of the lower noise performance of
the FR-2LE. (I'm basing this on Richard's observation which I
confirmed that the noise from the Hi-MD's mic pre is barely
detectable when used with an MKH-40 with 12dBA self-noise.)
To make this graphic, here's a partial list of popular mics that
would NOT be able to take full advantage of the low noise performance
of either Hi-MD or the FR-2LE:
AudoiTechnica 822 and 825
Rode NT-4
Shure WL183
Sony MS 957
DPA 4060
Rode NT-3
All AudioTechnica "shotgun" mics.
All elecret lavaliere mic capsules
Mics on the cusp of taking advantage of Hi-MD low noise might include
the EMKS-23 and the Sennheiser ME series of mics.
If you have some workshop skills, you can save the ~ $400 by making
your own shock-mounts and wind protection. If not, one would need
spend about $1350USD ($600 FR-2LE, $400 shock/wind and $350 for
2-AT3032's) for the least expensive system I know of that would
benefit from the FR-2LE. If one has less than this to spend towards a
recording package to use for several years without upgrading,
investing the $250 saved on the Hi-MD recorder towards mics still
makes very good sense.
When shopping for mics, do not rely solely on manufacturers' mic
specifications. Search the model number in the list archive for field
reports. Rob D.
>
>Curt Olson
>
>Chris Hails wrote:
>
>> Great summary, many thanks indeed. C
>>
>> --- In "oryoki2000" <>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Here's my quick comparison of the new Fostex FR-2LE and the Sony
>>> Hi-MD recorders.
> >> --oryoki
>
--
Rob Danielson
Peck School of the Arts
Department of Film
University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee
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