On Jul 18, 2009, at 16:39, Rob Danielson wrote:
> At 3:25 PM -0400 7/18/09, Matt Blaze wrote:
>>
>> Thanks. all, for the kind words.
>>
>> I'll try to do more of these comparisons under different conditions,
>> but it depends on my ability to wrangle both the recorders and the
>> time to use them simultaneously (my students are using some of them
>> in
>> my day job, too).
>>
>> Thanks Rob for your analysis -- very helpful. I find the performance
>> of all these devices to be remarkable Although the self-noise is
>> audible in the worst of the recordings, it's still not *bad*. And
>> although the Sonys are the (clear) winners in terms of noise
>> performance, they are also the largest and heaviest of their class,
>> just a bit too big to live unobtrusively in a jacket pocket or
>> backpack. Essentially, these tests convince me that that my practice
>> of always carrying around the LS-10 or the ARES (the two smallest and
>> lightest of the bunch) -- just in case an interesting sound comes up
>> -- is likely not to make me regret my failure to have with me
>> something bigger and better.
>
> Hi Matt--
> I took a Zoom H2 out with me to 4th of July weekend happenings to
> test the built-in mics on robust sound sources-- a parade, street and
> bandstand musicians, a baseball game crowd and a dunk tank and
> fireworks. All of the subjects came out better than I thought they
> would considering how easy it was to use the H2.
>
> From my perspective, the drawback with simple, "pocket recording" is
> I can't stop to make a good stereo recording if I want to. The stereo
> imaging of the built-in mics is quite flat and unexciting. I tried a
> bunch of micing positions with subjects that had potential. When the
> subject to micing distance got under 3 feet, the image started to
> come alive.
>
> I'm not suggesting that one needs to carry heavy, ultra low-noise mic
> rigs around, there are plenty of ways to generate exciting stereo
> imagery using small, easy to mount and DIY stereo mic arrays.
> "Stereo" done well seems to be a fairly important quality factor when
> I'm enjoying field recordings. DIY stereo arrays based on space omnis
> are a very economical way to improve the results of these "pocket
> recorders" and many recordists and students also enjoy increasing
> their participation in the recording process.
Yes, I agree completely -- the poorer stereo image is the real
difference here, and ultimately the reason that I'm still willing to
break back and budget on equipment when setting out to make
recordings, as opposed to opportunistically coming upon an interesting
soundscape when doing something else. But for recordings in the
latter category, the performance of these gadgets seems very good
indeed, especially given the alternative of no recording at all.
The other essential limitation with these things, of course, is
handling noise. I eliminated that variable in my experiments by
mounting them on a stand, but in their intended use, it tends to go
from bad to worse.
>
>> The best recorder, like the best camera,
>> is the one you have with you, after all.
>>
>> The dog bark is definitely revealing, and a very different image from
>> the rest the recordings. When I started setting up, the dog in the
>> yard two houses to the right was having a heated exchange with the
>> dog
>> in the yard of the house to the left, but by the time I was rolling
>> it
>> was just ending, apparently with the left dog getting the last word
>> in
>> and then shutting up. Oh well.
>
> The dog is portrayed on the left with the M-S array and slightly to
> the left with the H4n's and your mystery rig. He's in the center on
> the others. Rob D.
Really? That's not quite my perception. I agree the dog is in the
middle (tho a bit on the left) on the Nagra and LS10, but it seems mid-
left on the Sonys and the H4n and harder left on the MS and mystery
mic, to my ears. I believe the dog was at about 45 degrees left in
reality, but I'm not totally sure. There was also considerable
reverberation off the house directly to the front.
Best,
-matt
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