RE: [Harp-L] recording your own practices

["Nick Kirkes" <nick.kirkes@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks Richard (and everyone else who has responded).  The main reason I
took the cassette recorder back was the recordings included the sound of
tape wheels winding during the recording process.  Now, this was one of
those clunky black boxes that's about 5"x8" in size.  I have yet to try a
mini-cassette voice style recorder.

I'm not necessarily looking for studio quality, but I'd like something that
avoids excessive background noise, and at the least the noise that the
machine makes itself.  I agree the minidisc option is much more expensive.
There are some benefits to it such as being able to take the recordings
directly to the computer and larger storage capacity, but that's why I'm
writing.  

I'll reconsider the cassette option.  The one I had was a $20 Wal-Mart
version.  Perhaps the ratshacks is better...?

I'll look at the other companies you mentioned as well.  Tascam has one but
it's a bit bigger than I had wanted.  I suppose I'm looking for the best of
both worlds: good portability and good recording quality/management.

Nick

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Hunter [mailto:turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 1:33 PM
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Cc: Nick Kirkes
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] recording your own practices

"Nick Kirkes" wrote:

<I've been wanting to start recording my own practices (and lessons that I
<take) but I haven't been able to decide on the type of device to use.  I
<tried using a standard tape recorder, but the recording quality was so bad
<that I took it back. 

Absolutely true that recording practice sessions is very valuable.  Dunno
why a standard tape recorder shouldn't be good enough.  I use a Radio Shack
cassette recorder with a builtin mic.  It's portable and inexpensive, and
certainly good enough for recording practice sessions and fleeting ideas
that would otherwise be lost.  For the latter in particular, you want
something that starts up instantly and works reliably.

If you want high quality recordings from a practice sessions, a mini disk
will certainly work, at about 10 times the price of the cassette recorder.
You might also consider one of the portable recording studios offered by
Zoom (PS02 and PS04), Korg, and Tascam.  These provide bass and rhythm
accompaniment as well as recording with a builtin mic, and so can be more
fun for the player, at prices ranging from $200-400.

But again, a cassette recorder works really well for this stuff.  If you
want higher quality recording, maybe what you want is a real recording
system, as opposed to something that will be useful for recording practice
sessions.  That opens up an entirely different discussion.

Rgeards, Richard Hunter