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Re: Anyone use the Sony PCM D50?

Subject: Re: Anyone use the Sony PCM D50?
From: "peter" quies_still
Date: Mon Jan 7, 2013 12:32 pm ((PST))
yes, fully agree with this.
and the gain remark is very important.
I always use the low gain (-20db) setting and then won't push the gain over=
 6, possibly 6.5. over that it will introduce pretty horrible noise.
and the white noise, I'm sorry to say it again, but listening to quiet reco=
rdings on a cinema system or theater pa, it loses so much detail it's almos=
t white noise.

nevertheless, buy the d50. you won't regret it.
:)

On 07 Jan 2013, at 21:08, Daan Hendriks wrote:

> In my humble opinion, the D50 is an amazing piece of kit, for a handheld
> recorder. I only use it with its internal mics, as I have a higher qualit=
y
> setup using MKH mics and a separate recorder as well. I use the D50 both =
as
> a backup recorder and for when it is unwieldy to take out the larger kit,
> for instance when on a long hike, or when I suddenly hear something I wan=
t
> to record. Of course the saying is, the best recorder/mic is the one you
> have with you, and the D50 you can always bring along.
>
> Like others said, if you want to record really delicate ambiences/sounds,
> then the D50 will introduce some noise when using the internal mics. I
> disagree with the white noise comment though: I don't think it's that bad=
.
> One thing I have found that you should never set the gain higher than the
> number 6 on the rotary wheel, anything above that seems to introduce even
> more noise somehow.
>
> It would be a perfect recorder if it had preamps with phantom power, but =
so
> be it. Down the line, you could get a Sound Devices Mix-Pre D or USBPre2
> with a usb battery, so you can record with high quality mics. But I'm sur=
e
> you won't regret buying the D50 to use only its internal mics for the
> foreseeable future.
>
> Other things I love about it are its battery life (12hrs on 96khz/24bit)
> and the metering display. The only annoying thing is that it only uses So=
ny
> memory cards, what are they called again.... anyway they're more expensiv=
e
> than SD cards.
>
> I have a few recordings made with the D50 online, have a listen:
>
> https://soundcloud.com/daan-hendriks/howler-monkeys-bolivia
> https://soundcloud.com/daan-hendriks/bolivia-amazon-pampas-unknown
> https://soundcloud.com/daan-hendriks/flamingos-mountain-lakes-near
> https://soundcloud.com/daan-hendriks/oropendolas-madidi-bolivian
> https://soundcloud.com/daan-hendriks/lawrence-thrush-madidi
> https://soundcloud.com/daan-hendriks/macau-cliff-01-bolivia-madidi
> https://soundcloud.com/daan-hendriks/dawn-macaucliff-02
>
> Again: for really quiet ambiences and sounds you will notice the noise
> floor, but generally this little machine is capable of making some really
> good sounding recordings IMHO.
>
> On Mon, Jan 7, 2013 at 7:04 PM, peter > wrote:
>
> > one more thought about the microphone quietness question. It all depend=
s
> > on what you're after and on what kind of speakers you're planning to pl=
ay
> > your recordings on.
> > If headphones and home speakers are enough, then no worries. Anything m=
ore
> > professional and most built-in mics of quiet environments will simply s=
ound
> > like white noise.
> >
> >
> >
> > On 07 Jan 2013, at 19:15, peter wrote:
> >
> > > the Mixy is very portable:
> > > Dimensions: 171 x 49 x 131 mm (6.7=89 x 1.9=89 x 5=89)
> > > Weight: 1.23 kg (2.7 lbs)
> > >
> > > I'm afraid I can't answer your question about the self-noise of the
> > inbuilt mics.
> > > I've seen comparison website links pop up on this mailing list here f=
rom
> > time to time but I can't find that now.
> > > Anyone else?
> > >
> > > On 06 Jan 2013, at 23:04, ambient_jungle wrote:
> > >
> > >> How portable is the pre-amp/mixer you are using? Many times when I g=
o
> > in the mountains, I carry my gear in a backpack which also includes sev=
eral
> > tripods at least 2 portable audio recorders, and some times a dslr came=
ra
> > and or video gear. I couldn't imagine a pre-amp/mixer being very small =
- at
> > least none of the studio stuff I've used years ago.
> > >>
> > >> You also mentioned that the d50's mic weren't as quite.. would you s=
ay
> > they are quieter than most other all in one devices in it's price range=
..
> > maybe like the ls-100?
> > >>
> > >> --- In  peter <> wrote:
> > >>>
> > >>> I'm very happy with my d50.
> > >>> Used the internal mics at first. They sound pretty good for interna=
l
> > mics. Don't forget to buy the wind cover though, yon't be able to use i=
t
> > outside much without it.
> > >>> In more quiet environments, the internal are too noisy, as you'd
> > expect. So I switched almost immediately to binaural mics.
> > >>> And when the opportunity arose, I invested in a pre-amp/mixer that
> > connects digitally to the d50.
> > >>> Now I can use all my microphones and it's still very portable. And =
I
> > have quality comparable to the bigger recorders (Sound devices, etc) th=
anks
> > to the Mixy preamp.
> > >>>
> > >>> (As an aside: I was ready to buy a Sound Devices recorder but when =
my
> > local pro audio shop heard I already owned the d50, they suggested buyi=
ng
> > the Mixy instead. I'd have the same, if not better (their words) sound
> > quality, and less noisy to boot! The fact that the Mixy costs almost tw=
ice
> > as much as the SD 702 might have influenced them saying that though....=
)
> > >>>
> > >>> I haven't done any testing with other smaller recorders, but
> > nevertheless I'd say it's the best recorder you can buy for under 500.
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> On 05 Jan 2013, at 22:26, ambient_jungle wrote:
> > >>>
> > >>>> So I am looking at maybe buying a Sony PCM D50. I know it's an old=
er
> > model, but from different reviews I have read, I hear it is still one o=
f
> > the cleanest sounding recorders on the market with in the $400 to $500
> > price range.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> I primarily like to record natural ambient sounds, whether that is=
 in
> > a city or far away from people, like in mountains and or forests. At th=
is
> > stage of my "hobby" I prefer to use an all in one system. Less gear to
> > carry. I would consider getting an Olympus LS-100 and have the XLRs the=
re
> > when the time comes that I want to use external MICs, but I believe tha=
t is
> > still someways down the road, and I've read the D50 records better with
> > less low noise than the LS-100. Since many times, my recordings are ver=
y
> > low noise of the world around me, it is my hope to eliminate as much sy=
stem
> > noise as I can, from the device itself.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> I was wondering if anyone else has used the D50 with the internal
> > mics and what your experience have been with that? If you have used it =
with
> > external mics, how did you have it set up and how was your recordings?
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------
> > >
> > > "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
> > > sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Kra=
use.
> > >
> > > Yahoo! Groups Links
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
> > sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Kraus=
e.
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>










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