naturerecordists
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: New member looking for advice

Subject: Re: New member looking for advice
From: "Rory" rory_ca2
Date: Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:29 am ((PDT))
Hi Clint,

Clint,
 
My budget priorities, in order, would be:
 
The best quality microphone that you can afford for the kind of 
recording that you intend to do. Maybe there is a particular reason 
why you want a shotgun mic, but if not you are better off getting an 
omnidirectional or cardiod mic, depending on what you want to record.
 
If you intend to record outdoors in anything except the lightest of 
breezes, you are going to need a hand grip, mount, zeppelin and fur 
covering. Don't underestimate the importance or cost of these units. 
I use Rycote, but the K-Tek units that I have seen also look good. 
And if you do not want to record hand-held, you are going to need a 
tripod or other stand.
 
Good headphones to monitor your recordings. I think that getting used 
to the headphones that you choose, in terms of how what you hear 
through them is rendered in the recording, is more important than the 
brand. I happen to use Sony MDR-7506 headphones, but there are 
others. The key point is, the cost of monitoring headphones is not 
negligible.

 
Recording medium. Calculate how much memory you need, and how much it 
will cost. Also, cables, batteries, a bag for your gear. All of this 
"little stuff" adds up.
 
The recorder. Except for pre-amps, digital is digital. The recorder 
can be a computer with sound recording/editing software, which you 
have to have anyway, plus an interface, or a dedicated recorder. In 
my view, the choice depends on how much your budget is and how much 
mobility you need. Do you already have, or intend to buy, a laptop 
computer? If so, do you need a field recorder?
 
One other comment about recorders. I use a Sound Devices 702T, and 
I'm not familiar with these other machines. However, as I understand 
it, some of them will record two tracks, but not one. If that is 
true, it is something to consider when you are calculating how much 
memory you need, because it will double your memory requirements.
 
Sound recording/editing software. I put this second-last only 
because, if one is on a budget, the obvious choice is Audacity, which 
is free.
 
Unless your objective is to record birds or frogs or whatever quite a 
distance away, I would put a parabolic setup dead last. Unless you 
are going to build one yourself, they are expensive, and there is a 
lot of other stuff to pay for first.

Regarding dealers...

Someone suggested B&H Photo-Video. I buy from them occasionally and I 
am in their store several times a year. The only reason to use B&H as 
a dealer is that their prices are sometimes cheaper. In my 
experience, their staff are much stronger, in terms of knowledge, on 
photo gear than audio gear. Their pricing on audio gear is often no 
better than elsewhere.
 
Unless B&H offers a significantly more attractive price, I would use 
one of these specialized retailers, all of which I have dealt with:
 
www.trewaudio.com (Nashville, Toronto, Vancouver)
www.coffeysound.com (Los Angeles)
www.gothamsound.com (New York)
 
To be clear, I have nothing against B&H. They are completely 
reputable. It's just that I would rather give my money to a dedicated 
sound shop with knowledgeable staff. And from a straight financial 
point of view, my experience is that smaller outfits will save one 
money, due to good advice, in the long term. Because you are in New 
Zealand, any may not have an on-going relationship with the dealer 
from whom you buy, this may be less of an issue for you.

I was in New Zealand a few years ago. There are amazing recording 
opportunities there.

Cheers






<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the naturerecordists mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU