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Re: Is my equipment outdated?

Subject: Re: Is my equipment outdated?
From: "Max Catterwell" oatcruncher
Date: Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:17 am ((PST))
I just want to say, that a friend of mine is still using his minidisc recor=
der (HHB MDP500) and winning prizes regularly.
He bought a Tascam DR-40 but still much prefers his 500 due to it's onboard=
 editing facilities.
Cheers
Max


Sent from my iPod

On 18 Feb 2013, at 17:30, "John Crockett" <> wrote:

> Hi Ryan,
>
> I'm afraid I'm a little late to the conversation but I wanted to add and =
reinforce a couple of things that others have contributed.
>
> I have been recording with minidisc and the NT4 for the past 4 or 5 years=
 (10 years with minidisc). I just switched from the minidisc to the Olympus=
 LS-11 recorder a few months ago, and I'm very happy with the Olympus. The =
main benefit for me is getting rid of the minidisc's mechanical noise. Acti=
vating recording is simpler as well, and the battery life is phenomenal. Al=
so, the Olympus and the PCM-M10 require no software to work with the Mac. J=
ust plug in and they show up as an external drive. Easy. Much better than t=
he horrible Sony Hi-MD Transfer software for Mac.
>
> One thing to note about the minidisc recorders is that they had very low-=
noise preamps for a small portable recorder. There is nothing quite like th=
em currently on the market. The NT4 is not a very sensitive microphone, so =
it has a fairly low output noise (-114 dBu). That means you need quiet prea=
mps to go with it. The minidisc preamps work very well with the NT4. The cl=
osest you can get with current small recorders is the Olympus LS-5/10/11 (o=
nly the LS-10 is available in the U.S.) or the Sony PCM-M10. These are a co=
uple of dB noisier than the minidisc, but not enough to make an audible dif=
ference. But if you get a recorder that is any noisier than one of these, I=
 think you may start hearing more noise in your recordings with the NT4 tha=
n what you are used to.
>
> I find the stereo image with the NT4 to be a little dull. It works well f=
or me when I have a focal sound that I want to emphasize along with a gener=
al sense of the stereo sound field, and when I can get the mic close to the=
 source. It also sounds good played over loudspeakers. But for a detailed a=
nd accurate soundscape image on headphones, do consider building a SASS typ=
e microphone array. They are very easy and inexpensive to build, and the st=
ereo image is much more detailed than what the NT4, or any crossed pair of =
cardioids or shotguns, delivers. I've compared the NT4 with the SASS and a =
crossed pair of ME66 shotguns. Each has its benefits, but I tend toward the=
 NT4 for convenience and portability, and the SASS for shear joy of listeni=
ng (I haven't tried Curt Olson's winged array, but I will at some point).
>
> For wind protection, the Rode Blimp works very well with the NT4. The Bli=
mp comes with large clips that fit the rather large body of the NT4. In my =
experience, the NT4 needs a blimp. Nothing else adequately protects the bac=
k side of the capsules, although maybe someone out there has a DIY solution=
 to this.
>
> For me, the LS-11, NT4 (with blimp) and SASS-type mic array make a very g=
ood, basic recording kit for relatively little money. With any luck this te=
chnology will still be relevant 20 years from now. It's hard to see how it =
could improve much at this point, except maybe for quieter preamps to becom=
e more affordable.
>
> What worries me is that the quality of natural soundscapes will continue =
to deteriorate.
>
> best wishes,
>
> John
>
> John Crockett
> Westminster, Vermont
>
> --- In  Ryan Logtenberg <ryanlogtenberg@=
...> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Group!
>>
>> My last post was in 2005 under another username and now I'm getting
>> ready to take up my hobby of nature recording again.  I was hoping I
>> could get some advice on my gear and upgrading it.
>>
>> Here's what I have:
>>
>> 1. Rhode NT-4 Mic (10 years old)
>> 2. Sony Minidisc (10 years old).
>>
>> software:  Adobe audition
>>
>> I use a Mac computer now, so I'd like to replace my minidisc recorder
>> to something that is compatible with a mac for importing the files.
>> I'd also would prefer built in storage with the option to expand (ie:
>> SD card slot) but this is not a deal breaker if the built in storage
>> is enough.
>>
>> I also need to get some sort of wind sock (I always meant to have one,
>> but didn't get the chance.).  Need some advice on which one to get.
>>
>> The types of sounds I'd like to record include: ambient nightime
>> sounds (crickets, frogs, owls), ocean surf, rain, babbling brooks.  So
>> a stereo mic is obviously important.  That is why I originally bought
>> the Rhode NT-4.
>>
>> Is my mic still relevant for recording CD quality sounds?
>>
>> My budget is  $500.  I was hoping for a recording device under $250.
>>
>> Thanks!
>> Ryan
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
> sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause.
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>






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