I just picked up a Boss Micro-BR 4-track unit. It's intended as a mini-studio and demo machine, but I was impressed by the sound quality. I'm going to see how it sounds with outboard mikes.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Double Bass Small Affordable Recorder
- Thread starter Ben Rolston
- Start date
Just for the hell of it, I ran a R-09 file from right before Christmas through a mastering plugin called "Ozone" in Peak 5. Invalid Link Removed the result. You can't hear what the file sounded like before, but it was a lot tinnier as far as the piano went, and not as well balanced. I think that between a well placed R-09 and a a halfway decent sound editor, you could just about make a live CD. It never ceases to amaze.
That does really sound fabulous. It's amazing how far this technology has come in the past several years. Every day it gets harder for recording engineers to make a living. I know a lot of us will go to our graves saying that nothing can replace an engineer, but the cost of hiring someone to record a group is steadily becoming less justifiable. Anyway, sorry to stray off topic there. I realize that's an entire discussion on its own. Again, nice fidelity (and playing) on the recording, Chris.
An Aiwa AM-F70 recently sold on ebay for about $20.00 including shipping. The usual price seems to be in the $60-$80 region. That's really a fantastic buy if you are on a limited budget. I use mine with a Sony ECM-DS70P stereo electret mike. Works like a charm-- although I'd prefer the Zoom H-4 or the Edirol for sure.
I'd love that as well if it's possible. A lot of my poor students are drooling over the R-09, but can't afford it. I'd love to hear how the Boss and Zoom units compare so I could recommend some alternatives.
Chris, those recordings just sound utterly amazing...! I just persuaded my sister into buying herself one - look forward to trying it myself
What bugs me, though, is that i´ve already got a really good (and expensive - costs about as much as the R-09) Sony minidisc-mic. But to my ears the built in R-09-mics sound just as good - if not even better.
Oh, and great playing as always...!
What bugs me, though, is that i´ve already got a really good (and expensive - costs about as much as the R-09) Sony minidisc-mic. But to my ears the built in R-09-mics sound just as good - if not even better.
Oh, and great playing as always...!
Thanks for the nice review. The nice thing about the R-09's input section is that if your Sony mic is stereo and feeds into an 1/8" stereo jack, you could use that if you like the sound better. Roland makes a "shotgun stereo mic" that's supposed to be an upgrade that plugs right in...haven't tried it, though. The person who really finally persuaded me to buy the R-09 was Jean Michel Pilc, who i was fortunate enough to play with a few months back. He recorded the gig on it and sent me a CD of it which blew my mind with the sound quality. He told me that he had originally bought a $500 RØde stereo mic to use with it, but he eventually stopped taking it because he didn't think it sounded that much better, and was a pain to lug around. That, and airport security always looked at the big metal external mic like they suspected it was a bomb...
The nice thing about the R-09's input section is that if your Sony mic is stereo and feeds into an 1/8" stereo jack, you could use that if you like the sound better. Roland makes a "shotgun stereo mic" that's supposed to be an upgrade that plugs right in...haven't tried it, though. The person who really finally persuaded me to buy the R-09 was Jean Michel Pilc, who i was fortunate enough to play with a few months back. He recorded the gig on it and sent me a CD of it which blew my mind with the sound quality. He told me that he had originally bought a $500 RØde stereo mic to use with it, but he eventually stopped taking it because he didn't think it sounded that much better, and was a pain to lug around. That, and airport security always looked at the big metal external mic like they suspected it was a bomb...
Hopefully this weekend I can do some bass recordings. I did do some recordings of acoustic guitar using a pair of homemade electret microphones, and it sounded really good recording direct to 192 bit MP3. It'll record direct to WAV, too, but that does burn up a 1GB card pretty fast. Overall I'm pretty pleased with everything about it except battery life- it really eats up the AAs when you use all the functions.
After tape then came MD then HI-MD(1GB) the FLASH
After tape deck broke (sony pro) i got a HI-MD recorder
good sound but pain in the butt to use and upload (1GB) would take 90 MIN(real time).
The zoom ,microtrack,and R-09 all can record on sd or cf cards direct usb2.0 upload 12 times as fast as HI-MD.
600 MB only 5 MIN (3GB only 25 MIN) thats FAST 3GB is f***king huge!!!!!!!!! data.
I regret not buying any of the flash recorders for $150 more(u can buy a md for $150) but the flash start around 300 and it has direct mic built in( high quality ones )esp the x-y conf. on the zoom.
Well it's a no brainer but u see i just got tech savy last year so..........
After tape deck broke (sony pro) i got a HI-MD recorder
good sound but pain in the butt to use and upload (1GB) would take 90 MIN(real time).
The zoom ,microtrack,and R-09 all can record on sd or cf cards direct usb2.0 upload 12 times as fast as HI-MD.
600 MB only 5 MIN (3GB only 25 MIN) thats FAST 3GB is f***king huge!!!!!!!!! data.
I regret not buying any of the flash recorders for $150 more(u can buy a md for $150) but the flash start around 300 and it has direct mic built in( high quality ones )esp the x-y conf. on the zoom.
Well it's a no brainer but u see i just got tech savy last year so..........
Does the R-09 have independent tracking of the two channels? It looks like the Zoom allows independent recording of 4 channels.
Here's a clip of some sloppy fingerpicking recorded with the BR-50 and a pair of homemade microphones that cost me about $2.50 ;-)
I'll do some bass recording later with some inexpensive condensors I have.
I'll do some bass recording later with some inexpensive condensors I have.
Here's a piece of a rookie recording of a live gig with the Zoom H4. Had it for 3 days, read the book, set it down on my side of the stage. What you hear is totally unprocessed other than converting the WAV to 160kps mp3 with Goldwave. Guitar player is on the other side of the stage(!). Again, I got this to catch LIVE stuff(we do callouts) and things one plays but "forgets".
Bass is an Epi Blue Bird for songs like Blue Christmas....this was a late December gig. It's played thru a Line 6 PODXTLive set to my "Beatles" sound via QSC2402 > ACME B2's. I'm to the drummers right by the ride/crash cymbal(of course). Guitar player is on the other side of the stage.
WARNING! File is recorded VERY HOT. You may want to turn your speakers down a bit BEFORE clicking the link!
Link Removed
Bass is an Epi Blue Bird for songs like Blue Christmas....this was a late December gig. It's played thru a Line 6 PODXTLive set to my "Beatles" sound via QSC2402 > ACME B2's. I'm to the drummers right by the ride/crash cymbal(of course). Guitar player is on the other side of the stage.
WARNING! File is recorded VERY HOT. You may want to turn your speakers down a bit BEFORE clicking the link!
Link Removed
The Zoom clip sounds pretty clean as well, although it's hard to tell without being able to hear any of the original signal. Do you have any acoustic cuts recorded with the Zoom unit?
A stereo mini-jack, and a 1/4" jack designed for instrument input. You can select input from the 1/4" jack, the on-board mike, or the stereo mini-jack, which in turn can be adjusted for line level input, microphone input, or microphone input with 2.5 volts for powering electrets.
I used the 2.5 volt setting; the mikes were a pair of inexpensive Panasonic electret capsules mounted in brass tubes with alligator clips for mounting. It's similar to what Len Moskowitz of Core Sound makes. I made a set for my sister, too, who uses them for recording voice lessons. She just plugs them into her laptop and uses Audacity- a freeware program.
Speaking of which: If you have already a laptop, download a copy of Audacity and plug an inexpensive stereo mike, like the Audio Technica Pro 24, into the microphone input. You'll have a nice portable music recording and editing package for under $70.
Next step is to try the Micro BR using an outboard mike preamp and a pair of Samson C02 mikes I have.
No, that's with outboard homemade mikes. I'll post a picture and description of them later.
Most laptops and soundcards do put 2.5v phantom power on the generic "mic" input. I'd have to know a bit more to diagnose it fom a distance, like what kind of mike and so forth. What I'd do if I had the computer would be to stick a mini-plug in the mic input and use a voltmeter to see if the +2.5vdc was there.
