Well if you've read all the posts you should see that there are a TON
of beginner equipment threads. Believe me, there's info there, even
some very recently.
For $1000 I think the general consensus might be to get a Sony PCM D50
or a Fostex FR2LE recorder. Then a shotgun mic if you want to grab
specific animals [birds]. Or a stereo mic if you want to grab
ambiences. A good Telinga parabolic mic is probably a bit out of your
price range...though you can always make your own.
The tradeoff's for preamps are basically, the more money you spend the
quieter the noise produced by the device is. You'll hear a purer
audio signal with a quieter preamp.
Phantom power is generally for condenser mics. You will most
certainly be using on of these for bird recordings.
XLR-wise...the only drawback is that equipment with XLR connectors is
generally bigger and heavier, so if you want a tiny recorder and
preamp, you can forgo the more professional, robust XLR connectors.
Danny
--- In "Donald Berk"
<> wrote:
>
> Hello recordists,
> Recently retired and a newbie to nature recording and this group, I've
> read most of the posts all the way back to day 1, amazed at the wealth
> of expertise and experience therein. However, I was unable to find any
> discussion about recommended starter equipment. Can anyone offer some
> advice for acquiring a basic but good quality kit comprising parabolic
> mic and recorder, primarily for capturing bird calls in the Pacific
> Northwest? My budget is in the region of $1,000 but possibly more if
> that is too low for acceptable quality. I have a somewhat technical
> background and can understand most of the message threads I have
> followed but get a bit lost among the equipment choices available,
> particularly in trade-offs between preamp, phantom voltage and XLR
> considerations.
> Thanks in advance for your help. I'm really looking forward to this
> new adventure.
>
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