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Re: New To Field Recording - Need Microphone Recommendation

Subject: Re: New To Field Recording - Need Microphone Recommendation
From: "William Ruscher Jr." immonacan99
Date: Sun Mar 30, 2008 12:32 pm ((PDT))
Hi Mark,

         I have been reading about the Marantz PMD 620 with great
interest, myself. It looks like it is built solid, and has less
preamp noise than any of the small pocket sized recorders out there
at the moment. I would certainly be interested in hearing your
recording and opinions on the PMD 620, in the future. I checked the
dimensions, and it measures the same as my Edirol R-09 , and would
probably fit into the carry case that I am using in the field. I am
hoping for some reviews on the internet that compare the 2 recorders.
On the shotgun mics, I purchased a used Sennheiser ME66/K6 combo for
$325.00 on Ebay. It is more than you mentioned in your budget, but
may be better for your long term needs. It is a highly recommended
mic for mono bird recording. This system should be mounted on some
form of a shock mount and be used with a windscreen, that would
probably add $150-$200 more to the setup.
If you need to stick to a usable setup for under $200(as I did)to
start out, than I can recommend the Sennheiser MKE300 mic, which is
designed for use on a camcorder, but can be mounted on a standard
tripod. I heard about this mic on various birding forums. I used it
also on an ultrapod mini tripod, that I wrapped with pipe insulation
(legs folded), to hand hold the mic. You can also remove the foam and
strap the minipod on a tree branch, if you don't want to carry a
tripod. It worked very well for me in the field, and gave me decent
results. I will still use it as a backup. The built in lead is a bit
short on the mic, and you would need to get a mini jack 3.5
extension.  Also, I got a fake fur windscreen on Ebay that slipped
over the foam one (that is almost worthless) that comes with the mic.
Still at or close to the $200 budget. If you are interested to see
how this mic sounds with the Edirol R-O9, you can use this link to
listen to my recordings at:

http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/packsViewSingle.php?id=3D3095

Note: I had the Edirol on the highest recording level on all of these
recordings. Alot of the background noise you hear on the mono bird
recordings is the ocean tide that was less than a kilometer away.

Your Marantz PMD 620 should do better, with less preamp noise.

Regards,

        Bill


--- In  "Mark Forry" <>
wrote:
>
> After much internet reviewing, I chose the Marantz PMD 620
recorder.  I am looking to make
> bird song recordings to help identify birds in the field that I
cannot see, but hear only.  I have
> Thrayer's birding software that provides excellent song recordings
for comparison.
>
> I made my field recorder selection based on 2 sources:  oryoki's
recent naturerecordist review
> and the transom.org review.  Considering what I was looking for it
seemed to be the best
> compromise.
>
> I am now looking for an external shotgun microphone in the $50-200
range.  This area is
> more troublesome for me to sort out.  I have read I should get the
best microphone I can
> afford.  However, I want to start out with little in it until I
understand how I am using the field
> recorder better and know more about what is needed.
>
> Your recommendations are welcome.  My understanding is that this
recorder does not have
> phantom power so keep this in mind when making your
recommendations.  My 2 primary
> uses for the field recorder will be for birding in the field and
doing podcasts.  I am new to
> the audio field so bear with me as I get acquainted with what is
required.  Plus, I am new to
> naturerecordists.
>
> Thanks in advance....
>





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