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1. Re: Beginner Equipment Question

Subject: 1. Re: Beginner Equipment Question
From: "James Shatto" wwwshadow7
Date: Wed Oct 13, 2010 3:57 am ((PDT))
> --- On Tue, 10/12/10, Dan Dugan <> wrote:
> From: Dan Dugan <>
>
> > Most devices (cheap) that I've seen with PIP have
> > terrible self noise.  Even if the device provides PIP,
> > using a battery box can really improve things noise wise.
>
> PIP is a consumer mic powering system, and of course you
> can find a lot of lousy mic preamps around. But don't blame
> PIP. There have always been recorders with excellent PIP
> preamps around, too.
>

Not really blaming the preamp.  And I did (cheap) disclaimer it.

For my laptop, without the battery box, there's a lot of waveform drift whe=
n recording in audacity.  DC Offset?  It sort of starts off high when you s=
tart recording, then drifts towards center, and then kind hovers around cen=
ter.  And since the laptop is generally doing other things it gets weird us=
ing a PIP mic as powered by the laptop.  But we are talking the cheapest of=
 the cheap laptops.  $300-ish circa 2006.

WITH the battery box, the DC Offset (as labeled in audacity's normalize eff=
ect) starts in the center and stays there.  Although still not quite center=
, slightly above it, but a whole lot prettier looking waveform wise in auda=
city with the battery box.  And for the laptop at least, a whole lot less h=
iss with the battery box.  Although still a relatively unacceptable amount =
of hiss.  And for other things like my Mobile Pre which doesn't provide PIP=
, my mini-mono won't work without the battery box.

- James










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