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MP3 recorder for rehearsals and concerts

B

booch

Aug 12, 2004
91
0
#1
Hey guys,

I want to buy an MP3 recorder to record my ideas, rehearsals and gigs. The point is not to have a studio quality recording, but to be able to hear what was going on. I need much better quality than speech recorders provide.

This means the mike should be good enough as I'd like each instrument to be clearly audible, including bass. This is so I can refine songs and ideas and I can check what I should change in songs we play on the concerts.

I've had some poor quality recorders, but on practice all they record is basically terribly distorted drums. And with this band we don't even practice so loud.

Does somebody have experience with these units?

Thanks in advance,
Booch
 
#2
I've used portable Minidisc recorders to do this for years, but it's a hassle to get it out of the MD format. But, they're pretty cheap and sound good. You'll need a little condensor mic.

Edirol now has a recorder that records on flash cards in .wav or .mp3 formats. They also have a mic built in. They're selling for about $400.
 
#3
I was kinda thinking in a lower price range... But thanks for the feedback!
If no cheaper recorder of the required quality exists, I'm gonna have to cough up some cash...

Yes, MD recorders can be a pain in the butt, with the MD disk, the size and all. They can be excruciatingly slow to control at times, too! Anyway, it would be better to have a smaller, more compact unit.
 
#4
I think IRiver makes some mp3 players that also record from external sources(mic, line). I haven't met anybody who has one, but it seems like it would be cool. I have minidisc too, and it's good, but I can't get my recordings off of minidisc onto my computer. I assume the IRiver would make a WAV or mp3 file when it records, but I'm not sure....
 
#5
Actually, getting the stuff off the MD is not such a problem for me, I'd just connect the MD player to the computer and record a huge WAV file. Takes some time but I can still practice while the music is being recorded to the computer.

So far it seems that to get a decent quality the best is to buy a MD recorder...
 
#7
booch said:
Hey guys,

I want to buy an MP3 recorder to record my ideas, rehearsals and gigs. The point is not to have a studio quality recording, but to be able to hear what was going on. I need much better quality than speech recorders provide.

This means the mike should be good enough as I'd like each instrument to be clearly audible, including bass. This is so I can refine songs and ideas and I can check what I should change in songs we play on the concerts.

I've had some poor quality recorders, but on practice all they record is basically terribly distorted drums. And with this band we don't even practice so loud.

Does somebody have experience with these units?

Thanks in advance,
Booch
Click to expand...

M-Audio just came out with the Micro-Track recorder, does .wav and mp3 for about $400, it even has Phantom Power for condenser mic's.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#8
I've been using MD to record my gigs and rehearsals for about three years now. It's brilliant in capturing the event (Sony MD and external mic) but, as several others have mentioned, a pain getting the files onto the computer. Funnily enough, I was just corresponding with a friend in Australia this morning and saying how the copy-prevention crippling of the MD format is going to lead me to something that produces .wav, .ogg or .mp3 files straight off when the time come to replace it.

Wulf
 
#10
I decided to switch from MD to a digital recorder because of the somewhat tedious process of transferring from MD to mp3. I had ordered an Edirol R1 to use for recording solo DB and bluegrass jams and was disappointed in both the quality of the build and the recordings. It had much more noticeable hiss than even my consumer level minidisc recorder and much lower levels, even using a (cheapish) external self-powered conderser mic. I also didn't like the interface, and setting manual levels was very problematic.

I've returned the Edirol and just now got off the phone with Oade brothers and ordered a Marantz PMD-660 ( http://www.oade.com/digital_recorders/hard_disc_recorders/PMD-660.html ) with their advanced concert mod. Costs more than I was planning to spend, but I'm expecting the quality worth it. I also bought a very decent mike (Studio Projects LSD 2). I've only been playing for a few years, and I've found that my recordings at jams and festivals have been great learning tools, and I like listening to them for entertainment now too.
 
#13
tony-moore said:
I was just about to order an Edirol Robert! Glad you posted!

If you don't mind my asking, how much did the Marantz set you back? I used the cassette version for years until switching to MD. Very durable and the quality was great for a cassette.

Tony
Click to expand...

With their "Advanced Concert Mod" it was $750. Expensive, but still considerably less than the DAT stuff i was looking into a few years ago. Its a bit under $500 without mods. Info and pricing on these units with their mods is at http://www.oade.com/digital_recorders/hard_disc_recorders/PMD-660MODS.html . I found Oade Brothers through the old datheads listserv, they seem to have been recommended dating back to the early 90s there. The guy talked with me for about an hour before I ordered and I was very happy with with his help.

--bob
 
#14
My band uses a cheap archos mp3 player that we're borrowing from my drummer's lesson teacher. He also let us use a sweet microphone:

Link Removed

it may look small, but it sounds great. You can listen to the quality here:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#15
I just bought the ZOOM MRS-8 ( Invalid Link Removed ). It's an 8 track digital recorder using SD memory cards. A 1 GB card has over 6 hours of recording time. :)

Anyway, it also has a built-in condensor mic. I just used it last night to record an entire rehersal live just using the built-in condensor mic. The quality was excellent! I was shocked how well the internal mic worked. I also used it to record my lesson I had the other day. Very handy and extremely portable. It costs about $350 USD new, but also has a plethora of effects and a built-in Rhythm machine. Well worth the price considering the versatility. :cool:

It doesn't export MP3's, but it does export WAV files to your PC, which you could than easily convert to MP3's using one of the hundreds of programs available that does that. The program that exports the WAV files is available as a free download on the ZOOM website.

They also make a much smaller 4 track version for about $200 that has nearly all teh same features. The downside with that one is the largest memory card you can get for it is only 128mb, which only gives you around 50 minutes of record time. That was one of the main reasons I opted for the 8 track version. It uses a different type of memory card that is available in much larger memory capacity. ;)

Good luck! :bassist:
 
#16
booch said:
Hey guys,

I want to buy an MP3 recorder to record my ideas, rehearsals and gigs. The point is not to have a studio quality recording, but to be able to hear what was going on. I need much better quality than speech recorders provide.

This means the mike should be good enough as I'd like each instrument to be clearly audible, including bass. This is so I can refine songs and ideas and I can check what I should change in songs we play on the concerts.

I've had some poor quality recorders, but on practice all they record is basically terribly distorted drums. And with this band we don't even practice so loud.

Does somebody have experience with these units?

Thanks in advance,
Booch
Click to expand...

Check this link out.

Link Removed

If any of the info is useful to you send Todd an e-mail and thank him. He's a great guy.

Joe.
 
#19
I bought it Invalid Link Removed

And here are the specs:


Download, listen, share and store all different kinds of media with Sony's new Hi-MD™ Walkman® digital music player. The high-powered, totally versatile MZ-RH910 meets all your music and data file storage needs. Store up to 1GB of music or approximately 675 songs on one re-recordable Hi-MD™ MiniDisc. The player is compatible with both Hi-MD™ and Standard MiniDisc media. The MZ-RH910 will play back music in MP3, ATRAC®, and ATRAC3plus™ audio formats, and it supports WMA and WAV audio formats with conversion to the ATRAC3® format. It’s also great for storing and transferring data files at up to 100X transfer speed. This is the ultimate companion... a great quality digital music player that easily stores your valuable music and data.

*Blue text indicates step-up features from the Sony MZ-DH710

Large 5-Line LCD Display on main unit - view album, artist and song titles
Mic input and Line input - Ability to Record From Multiple Sources (Mic/Line-in)
Self Recording Upload Feature - with option to save in .WAV format
Digital Amplifier - More efficient - uses less energy then traditional analog amplifiers
Ni-MH Rechargeable Battery included
New Sleek Design - thinner and lighter
Store 45 hours (approximately 675 songs) on one Hi-MD™ MiniDisc
Compatible with both Hi-MD™ and Standard MiniDisc media - store 13 hours of music on a standard 80 minute MD
High-Speed PC to MD recording at up to 100X Transfer Speed
Record and Playback Uncompressed Linear PCM Audio using the the line input for recording
1GB Data File Storage - Store and Transfer Presentations, Documents, Spreadsheets and Photos
Archive Data with Low Cost, 1GB Removable Hi-MD™ Media
Music and Data Transfer Powered by USB
Plays Back MP3/ATRAC3®/ATRAC3plus™ Audio Formats
Supports WMA and WAV Audio formats - with conversion to ATRAC3®
Skip-Free G-Protection™ Technology - for virtually uninterrupted playback of your music
Expanded 5 Way Control Jog Dial® Navigation
Compatible with The Connect™ Music Store - Offers one of the most extensive music collections online
SonicStage® Music Management Software Supplied
Up to 34.5 Hours continuous playback with Rechargeable Battery and one "AA" battery
Inputs: USB, Mic In, Line In (analog and optical digital), DC in 3V
Outputs: Headphone/Remote (1/8" stereo mini plug)
Supplied Accessories:

Ni-MH Rechargeable Battery (NH-10WM)
External "AA" Dry Battery Case
AC Power Adaptor (AC-ES3010K2)
Earbud headphones (MDR-E808LP)
Digital Cable
USB Cable
1GB Hi-MD™ Disc
SonicStage® Software CD-ROM
1 Connect Card
Dimensions:

3 1/4" x 3 3/8" x 27/32" (80.2 x 84.3 x 20.7mm)
4 oz (112g) without battery
System Requirements:

IBM PC/AT or Compatible (The Software will not run on an Apple Mac)
Windows XP Media Centre Edition 2004 / Windows XP Media Centre Edition/
Windows XP Pro / Home Edition/Windows 2000 / Windows ME / Windows 98SE
CPU: Pentium III 450Mhz or higher
RAM: 128MB or more
Hard Disk Space: 200MB or more
USB port
Display: 800x600 display or better (1024x768 is recommended)
CD-ROM Drive
Soundcard

** They have a unit that's more expensive that has software that will run on Mac...
 

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