Re: [Harp-L] recording your own practices

[Garry Hodgson <garry@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

<ironmanmc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Pros: Sounds good.  Better than cassette, not quite up to CD.  IMHO the 
> sound is "warmer" than CD.  Fits in your pocket.  Goes anywhere. 

that's a good point.  one of the nice things about minidisc, and some other
devices, is how small they are.  my entire rig fits in a small black fanny
pack i wear around my waist.  this includes minidisc recorder, mics, cables, 
power supply, auxiliary battery pack and batteries, flashlight, tripod (originally
for digital cameras, i can sit it on a bar table).  once i'm set up, if i need to
go to the bathroom or something i can just hit pause and slip the MD recorder
in my pocket 'til i get back.  very handy.

> Stupid-simple - press a couple of buttons to record.  

one annoyance on my sony is that each time you stop recording, the next time
you start you have to reset things from the defaults it assumes.

> Better pocket size units can be set to manual 
> volume control, although I've never had need for this - the AGC (automatic 
> gain control - sets volume automagically) in mine works flawlessly.

AGC is fine for practices, but if you're gonna use it for shows, i'd consider
manual level setting a must.  you don't want it messing with levels, or 
homogenizing all the dynamics out.

> Cons: Generally not as powerful and flexible as HD and other pro recording 
> formats.  Last time I checked, MD blanks can be expensive.

i don't understand this.  Hi-MD disks cost $7, for a gigabyte of space.
that's still hard to beat.  though you can expect HD and flash to catch up
in a few years.

> If you have a laptop with HD space (yeah, sure ;-), you might want to look 
> into a simple recording program for it, such as Total Recorder (PC, around 
> $30, I think) or Audiocorder (Mac - shareware, but the unregistered version 
> works fine - there's just a commercial recorded when you begin recording). 
> Your laptop may come with an audio recorder program.

audacity is a must, for either recording or postproduction of recordings.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net

> Whatever your choice, if you have a garbage microphone, you'll get a garbage 
> recording.  

absolutely.  pretty much any device you buy will faithfully record whatever signal
the mics send it.  the most important part of your sound quality is at the mic end
of the chain.

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

Can't you hear my lambs a callin'?
Oh good shepherd won't you feed my sheep?