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1. Re: Looking for a sound recorder on a tight budget

Subject: 1. Re: Looking for a sound recorder on a tight budget
From: "Patrick Cooper" dragonblade7120=
03
Date: Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:50 am ((PDT))

=A0
Thanks again for the valuable info, Rob.
=A0
I have been considering the Zoom recorders such as the H2. I was reading qu=
ite a thorough review of the H2 recently. The reviewer made several recordi=
ngs of various subjects with the H2 (mainly musicians.) However, at one sta=
ge, he mentioned that he recorded a chorus of crickets. Due to the soft sou=
nds produced by the crickets, he had to turn up the gain a fair bit and as =
a result, got quite a poor / noisy recording. I guess this is the norm with=
 audio equipment when using a moderate amount of gain to try and record sof=
t or distant sounds?
=A0
Though I'm curious how a Hi-MD Mini Disc recorder would fare in a similar s=
ituation to the H2 with the gain pushed up. Imagine=A0a scenario where the =
Zoom H2 and a Hi-MD recorder were=A0both recording the sounds of birds call=
ing from a bit of a distance away. The Zoom H2 was making use of it's own i=
nternal microphones and the Hi-MD recorder was equipped with a good quality=
, low noise omni-directional microphone. Because of the distance of the bir=
ds, the gain in both recorders has to be increased a reasonable amount. Whi=
ch would be the noisiest recorder as the result of the increase in gain? Wo=
uld it be a close match or would there likely be one clear winner and loser=
? What I am interested in overall is obtaining clean audio. A lot of the ti=
me, when i have recorded audio in the past, either with tape recorders (or =
with my current Mini Dv camcorder) I tend to get a continous, undesirable s=
ound that accompanies the sounds that I want to record.
=A0
Incidentally, it would also be interesting to read a comparison test betwee=
n the H2 and a Hi-MD recorder both=A0fitted with=A0an external mic (the sam=
e brand and model low noise microphone) - =A0recording=A0soft / distant sou=
nds with the gain pushed up. Then see which is the noisiest out of that par=
ticular comparison. However, I did read that the mic inputs on the H2 are a=
 bit poor and prone to unwanted noise. As a response to this finding, the Z=
oom corporation admitted that this recorder was optimised for using the int=
ernal microphones. Have any other H2 owners experienced this?
=A0
Because of the number of microphones on the H2 and their placement, do they=
 behave like one omni-directional microphone? Ive been quite curious about =
that one.
=A0
Regarding external microphones, I note that you give an approximate price o=
f $300 for a pair of good quality, low noise omni-directional microphones (=
roughly $150 for each individual microphone.) At that price range, what wou=
ld be a good choice (brand and model) for a mic that is quite sensitive and=
 has a wide frequency range (and all the usual requirements for recording b=
irds) that could run on=A0a Hi-MD or other=A0recorder's own internal batter=
ies?
=A0
Rob: "You can get better quality for the money by buying bare mic
capsules if you or a friend is handy with a soldering gun."

Is this the same as that 'how to make your own microphone' as revealed on t=
he Wildlife Sound Reording Society's website or something similar? Quite am=
azing really that you can make your own mic...just hope I or the soldering =
expert would have enough patience!
=A0
=A0

--- On Sat, 26/6/10, Rob Danielson <> wrote:


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