At 8:35 PM +0000 3/24/08, rainbow_pictures wrote:
>Hello There,
>
>I am in need of high quality sound recording system to record nature
>in general, bird songs, underwater, people, etc and would like to know
>where to start.
>
>We are using a Sony MiniDisc, but I think would
>be better to start recording directly into a
>hard drive.... What is the best digital
>recording system (to save directly onto a hard
>drive while recording)
Hi Emil--
The "D's" in "MD" and "Hi-MD" stand for "Disc"--
the same basic technology as used in hard drives.
They're easily changed in the field, like CF and
flash drives. The digital medium a recorder uses
to preserve the data has little or no impact on
"quality."
If you have $1000USD or more to spend, taking
from Howard's list that Aaron just alerted us
to, http://www.corporatetalkradio.com/pdr.html,
there are quite a few options:
Fostex FR-2
Fostex FR-2LE
HHB MDP 500 Mini
ARES-PII+
Sound Devices 702
Sound Devices 722
Sound Devices 744
Tascam HDP2
For under $500USD, the only two well-documented
options I know of are the Fostex FR2-LE and a
Sony Hi-MD recorder such as a RH1. The former,
with built-in phantom powering for condenser
mics, easier file uploading and lower noise mic
preamp performance is probably well worth the
additional $150USD.
"Quality" starts with mics and your current MD
recorder might be fine as-is (especially if it
has manual gain). Most Sharp and Sony MD's can be
used with better condenser mics using a portable
phantom supply like a Rolls PB224 or Art Phantom
III.
http://www.uwm.edu/~type/audio-reports/HiMD/index.htm
>My general questions would be.
>
>1) What do you recommend as for a microphone to record distant animal
>calls and ambient outdoors sound from nature like water, rain, wind,
>forest, etc with one single mic?
I think you'd be much happier with stereo recordings. :-)
The selection of "single-point" stereo mics with
under 17dB(A) self-noise and over 10 mV/Pa is
slim:
Sennheiser MKH 418 S 14 dB(A)* 25 mV/Pa
R=F8de NT4 stereo 16 dB(A) 12 mV/Pa
Both of this mics perform around the threshold of
what many recordists would consider to be
"low-noise" performance-- not your best
investment if the "best digital recording system"
is your goal. (If you have a very tight budget,
you can try out a ~$250USD Rode VSM on your MD
recorder. Sweetwater and other dealers have good
return policies.)
If you can live with two separate mics, some in a
compact stereo arrays like M-S or X-Y and others
that are slightly larger, your options expand
considerably:
http://www.uwm.edu/~type/audio-reports/MicSpecCharts/Mics_16dBA.htm
(This list is not complete)
To determine some "systems," as you accurately
describe it, that seem to fit your needs will
take some additional research. After you have
narrowed the field to a handful of options,
you'll be much more confident if you can try out
at least one system before buying. If you
develop a relationship with a pro audio dealer
who also rents gear, they will sometimes set-up a
rig for you to take out for a trial run and then
apply the rental towards purchase price (assuming
you like it). If you do invest in expensive gear
and decide its not ideal for you, high-end gear
retains value quite well and a good dealer should
do everything they can to make you happy. The
workshops coming up this Spring are also a very
good opportunity to try out gear that other
recordists are using. Feel free to post
additional questions as you conduct your
research. Rob D.
>
>
>Thank you!
>Emil
>
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