Re: [Harp-L] MicroTrack Digital Recorder $299

[Garry Hodgson <garry@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Ross Macdonald" <ross@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Anyone have feedback on the T-mic that comes with the MT
> and best mics to use when recording live?

the problem with the T-mics is that they're omnidirectional, and
thus pick up a lot of crowd noise.  most of the minidisc and
microtrack recordings i've heard have this problem.  what you 
want is a stereo mic with a cardioid pickup pattern.  i've been
real happy with the MM-FGNC-1 i got from microphone madness:

# Frequency response: 20- 20Khz.
# Signal to Noise Ratio: Greater than 60 dB
# Open Circuit Sensitivity: -50 dB
# Maximum Input Sound Level: 120 dB SPL, 1Khz at 1% T.H.D.
# (130 dB when powered by one of our battery modules)

it costs $129, and is a dual "flexible gooseneck" arrangement,
which makes it easy to aim the elements exactly where you 
want them to go.  the sound is phenomenol for such an inexpensive
mic (serious tapers use matched cartridge mics worth hundreds
or thousands of dollars).

http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmflexgoosca.htm

any recorder, whether minidisc, dat, or microtrack, will pretty
faithfully capture whatever you feed into it.  the biggest effect on
the sound you get is the mics.  since you got such a deal on the
microtrack, you might want to invest the money you saved on
getting the best mics you can afford.

if you want to hear a sample of my rig in action, download the
"snowflakes and horses" from jason's 9/15/05 terra show. 
http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=29364
the first 45 seconds of this are from my rig, as dave was doing a
tape flip at that time.  at exactly 45 seconds you'll hear a slight
glitch as it cuts over to his (much better) rig.

----
Garry Hodgson, Technical Consultant, AT&T Labs

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