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Topic: Today's minidisc recorders |
Joe Babb
From:
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 27 Jun 2003 5:20 am |
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| We are looking for a solution to recording audio at the upcoming show and our old cassette recorder isn't working well anymore. We are considering a MiniDisc recorder. There were some posts a couple of years ago that said they were great. Does anyone have recent experience with the models available today? We saw one at Walmart for $147. by Sony but I found out it does not have microphone inputs. |
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Joey Ace
From:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 27 Jun 2003 6:12 am
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The low end Sony's do not have mike inputs.
You have to sepnd another $100 or so for the models that do.
I like mine. It's not a pro solution, due to it's built in compression, but way batter than a casette recorder. |
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Bill Llewellyn
From:
San Jose, CA
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Posted 27 Jun 2003 6:27 am
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MiniDisc is very good. It far outstrips cassette. True, it uses compression, but not all compression is created equal. MiniDisc uses ATRAC compression which has been revised and upgraded over the years (it's at least at version 4.5 now) and is startlingly good. Far better than the usual 128kbps bit rate MP3 compression many music files are recorded with, so don't let that fool you (MP3 can sound pretty good, too, if you set the recording bit rate high; people don't uauslly do that because it makes for bigger files).
More on MiniDisc at http://www.minidisc.org/index.html
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Bill, steelin' since '99 | Steel page | My music | Steelers' birthdays | Over 50?
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 27 Jun 2003 7:44 am
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We record all our rehearsals and performance on MiniDisc recorders. I have had one for a couple of years and I love it!
The web site Minidisco has a good selection and is very helpful.
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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars
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Joe Babb
From:
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 27 Jun 2003 8:45 am
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| Any particular brands to steer clear of? Most folks seem to like Sony. |
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John Steele
From:
Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 27 Jun 2003 8:57 am
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One word of warning about Sony Mini Disc machines. I have one, and I like it, but one disappointment was learning that you cannot dump a home-made sound file onto your computer in quick time. It has to be done in real time - a bit of a hassle.
Nonetheless, for the minimal expense and ease of operation, they're a great tool.
-John
p.s. Another thing, if you buy one, do NOT buy the stereo mic which has no cord (just the input jack on the side of the mic). The sound quality isn't great, and it picks up the noise of the machine because it's attached right to the side of it. Go for the sony ECM -MS907, which has a few feet of cable and great stereo seperation. -J |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 27 Jun 2003 9:52 am
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For the hot tips on MD recoding live, I'd contact Brad Sarno (he is on this forum).
He has been making some great live recodings on MD using a nice stereo mic.
I use a Sony MD (MZ-R70) that has an option to turn off the dreaded "Automatic Record Volume" setting, and set it to "Manual Record Volume" (which means if it's messed up, it's your fault!).
I use a Sony Mic (Sony ECM-MS907 Digital Stereo Microphone).
This setup makes a pretty good recording.
I have a 20' extension cable from Radio Shack that I use sometimes, too (I've used 2 to get about 43').
Sometimes I just put the unit and mic on the sound board table, but I like to be able to pause between songs because this unit only records 74 min (now they record double/triple that).
David Wrights CD was recorded from the soundboard to minidisk, and it sounds really great!
Soundboard to MD might be what'll work best for your band, but for general rehearsal/gig recording where you are mainly interested in reviewing the tape for steel parts (I often place the mic in a "Steel Intensive" location), the mic works fine.
FWIW, There are a bunch on Ebay.
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 27 Jun 2003 11:14 am
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| Moved to 'Electronics" section. |
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