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Re: H2 4 Ch Mod & Mic Input Noise (was Tascam DR-2d offers 4

Subject: Re: H2 4 Ch Mod & Mic Input Noise (was Tascam DR-2d offers 4
From: "Mike Rooke" picnet2
Date: Mon Feb 22, 2010 9:40 am ((PST))
Hi Rob,

> Hope your mic development projects are going well today.

Array a day :)

> 
> re:
> >The internal mic feed is quieter than the (real) external socket.
> 
> Weren't you exploring the use of a 1 or 2 portable phantom units with 
> the 4 mic input jacks you created on your H2? 

Yes, heres a blog entry that includes both NT1A and my ears a blimp
rig (which are more sensitive than the NT1As in this configuration / h2 input)

http://www.urlme.net/blog/?p=1254
 
Rather than carry lots of cables, adapters I opted for the brass wonder mic
which is shown also in the blog entry. Lots of possibilities for 
experimentation.
For the real work, the D50 or FR2LE steps in, neither of which offer as many
channels.

> I don't think anyone 
> has given recordists an accurate sense of how much noise there is in 
> the H2's mic inputs and the potentials of this mod.

I'd say how little, the recordings give some idea, they have +24 dB applied in 
post. Originally recorded with the H2's gain on "mid". 

> 
> If it interests you, you could try hooking-up your NT1-A's through 
> one phantom unit, record a quiet room and then run the NT1-A's 
> through your Quad Pre (external mic pre) and into the H2's line 
> input. You could also record with your electret mic rig to hear how 
> much noise they add to the H2's mic inputs, if any.

I think it was similar to the line input path, very little noise. 
The mic noise would be above it, I could try a dynamic mic on the 
modified input vs original external output. 

> 
> As for slaving one recorder to another, its unconstitutional. Its 
> fairly simple to use head and tail slates and adjust the file header 
> sample rate of one recording to produce temporal equality with the 
> other file.  Most sound editing apps will accept the odd rate file in 
> the same timeline without a blink and you can visually confirm sync 
> before proceeding. Works great for spaced arrays, might not be 
> accurate enough for timing demands of coincident arrays.  Rob D.

I tested the LS10 vs R09HR or Sony D50 a while ago, they drifted
apart quite badly hence the H2 mod. 

BR
Mike.

> 
>   = = = =
> 
> 
> At 10:21 AM +0000 2/22/10, Mike Rooke wrote:
> >
> >Hi Rob,
> >
> >With some skill and a lot of dexterity the internal capsules can be 
> >removed from the H2, theres enough space to mount two 3.5mm sockets 
> >feeding the original capsule wires. Or depending on hardware leaving 
> >the original in place and switching them to a multipin socket. For 
> >my modification I opted to bring the original internal mic wires to 
> >the socket. Net result is my plug in power rigs work directly with 
> >the modified H2, rolling four tracks at once synchronized. Line 
> >level would need additional dc blocking and attenuation. Ive seen 
> >one modification showing four RCA connectors on the back of an H2, I 
> >opted to keep the original elecret power. The internal mic feed is 
> >quieter than the (real) external socket.
> >
> >>As for the H2, I assume that down the recording chain from the two
> >>mic inputs are "clean," line-level input stages, but those circuits
> >>are probably inaccessible within chips don't ya bet?
> >
> >I would find small recorders with a word clock / AES synchronization 
> >input & output very useful. The ability to buy another recorder from 
> >the same manufacture and use it slaved via a synchronization cable 
> >would be a very nice feature. - more inputs becomes a case of adding 
> >another recorder. - But the thought of that executed poorly gives me 
> >the jitters.
> >
> >BR
> >Mike.
> >
> >--- In 
> ><naturerecordists%40yahoogroups.com> 
> >Rob Danielson <type@> wrote:
> >>
> >>  At 11:16 PM -0500 2/21/10, Richard L. Hess wrote:
> >>  >
> >>  >At 05:44 PM 2010-02-19, Rob Danielson wrote:
> >>  >>At 6:53 AM +0000 2/18/10, oryoki2000 wrote:
> >>  >>
> >>  >> > ... Dual record also can be set to capture stereo mic inputs and
> >>  >> >line input at the same time, effectively making the DR-2d a four
> >>  >> >channel recorder.
> >>  >> >
> >>  >>...
> >>  >>I wasn't able to find mention of the mic and line inputs being
> >>  >>accessible at the same time and two stereo tracks being created. I
> >>  >>see the over-dubbing and mixing of mic and line inputs into one
> >>  >>stereo track,
> >>  
> >> >><<http://www.tascam.com/i-3890-232-128-0-09E8C168.pdf>http://www.tascam.com/i-3890-232-128-0-09E8C168.pdf><http://www.tascam.com/i-3890-232-128-0-09E8C168.pdf>http://www.tascam.com/i-3890-232-128-0-09E8C168.pdf
> >  > >>There must be a trick I'm missing.
> 
> pre 10:21 AM +0000 2/22/10, Richard replied:
> 
> >  > >Hi, Rob,
> >>  >
> >>  >Please look on page 44 under Dual Recording--there are multiple
> >>  >modes. Presumably the external mic jack will work, but they are 
> >>not specific.
> >>  >
> >>  >I, too, am looking for a good 4-channel recorder that won't break the
> >>  >bank. The Zoom H2 is presumably modifiable, but something like this
> >>  >could be better out of the box for not much more money.
> >>  >
> >>  >Cheers,
> >  > >
> >  > >Richard
> >
> 
> Rob replied:
> 
> >  >
> >  > Thanks John, Richard and Oryoki--
> >...
> >  >
> >>  As for the H2, I assume that down the recording chain from the two
> >>  mic inputs are "clean," line-level input stages, but those circuits
> >>  are probably inaccessible within chips don't ya bet? Once we're into
> >>  using line-inputs, the reliability of the recorder's data handling
> >>  rates way up there after manual gain and auto new file starting. I'm
> >>  currently not rating my H2 as high in the data reliability department
> >  as I once did. Rob D.
> -- 
> 
>











"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a 
sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause


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