[Harp-L] Microtrack Update

[<fsstov@xxxxxxx>]

I wrote last week about being disappointed in the MicroTrack digital
recorder I bought for acoustic recording, mainly that soft playing close to
the recorder had a bad hum or roar in the recording.  Several people wrote
with encouragement that it was either a defective unit or operator error.
To thanks those folks and to set the record straight, I need to report on
the resolution of the matter.

Yesterday I received the replacement unit.  I quickly realized I was
experiencing the same issue, so it was likely not a hardware problem.  After
using it to record an open mic last night (with excellent results) and doing
some more experimentation this afternoon, I realized the following.   My
initial problem was recording acoustic harp or voice from 2 or 3 feet and
expecting huge signal to noise (S/N).  So to get the signal I thought I
should be getting, I was turning the monitor output up so high that the
typical mic/recorder noise was very evident.  So by simply turning down the
volume of the monitor outputs, I realized that the recording was plenty loud
with minimal noise.  A test of playing harp from 10 and 20 feet away gave
quite acceptable results.  Basically, it sounded like what I would typically
hear, and not like something from a recording studio.  Well that's fine.  I
don't know what made me think a portable digital recorder could get a
chickadee cheep up in a tree with no background.  Obviously, folks use
parabolic mics and the like to do top-level ambient recording, not a little
electret plugged into a portable recorder.  I guess I was so used to playing
right on top of a mic or cupping a mic into a soundcard or mixer that I
forgot that recording from 2, 5, 10 or 20 feet away with an electret will
not sound the same, no matter which recorder you buy.  Mea culpa.

Since I sort of impugned the MicroTrack quality or M-Audio quality control
in my original post, I feel obliged to let you know that it was cockpit
error (or cockpit expectations) in this case.  The recording of the (very
loud) gig was really good for ambient, as was the (very quiet) solo living
room session, and I am happy with the unit.

I remain somewhat curious as to whether there is really any difference in
the performance of units, particularly the Microtrack vs. Zoom H4 for very
quiet recording at a distance using the built in or provided electret mics.
I am guessing they are similar (as reflected in the O'Reilly reviews Tim
Moyer referenced a while back).   There appears to be advantages and
disadvantages to both units, but it seems that both do the job as far as
recording quality and it comes down to other factors as far as which unit
you might prefer.

Thanks to harp-l for the advice and perspectives.  I did want to put in the
public record that the Microtrack works fine and I am keeping mine.  Perhaps
this is a cautionary tale for other neophyte recorders.  Now it's time for
me to record a practice session!

Fred S