Portable minidisk recorder - advice?
Tom
recording live music, both with my own band and possibly at live gigs
(acoustic music but some rock). But I'd also like to be able to record
from an audio source (e.g. hifi, CD, tape etc.) so it would need a
suitable socket for that.
I've found it difficult to find reviews on the web, or find details of
particular recorders, even from the shops that sell them.
I'd like to be able to record in stereo or mono (I believe some MD
recorders can record in mono so you get 148 mins of sound on a disk),
the machine would ideally be compact in size and have a fibre
connection socket as well as the audio socket, and of course good
sound quality.
They all seem to be around the 200 - 250 quid price bracket so that's
what I'd have to spend - I'd be grateful for any advice / tips from
users who know about them, any features or accessories I haven't
mentioned which are worth having (or not). Advice on suitable
microphones for use with the MD recorder would also be welcome - I
don't know whether they come with mics or whether these have to be
bought separately?
TIA
Tom T
Nick Haynes
Tom wrote:
> I want to buy a portable minidisk recorder, partly for use in
> recording live music, both with my own band and possibly at live gigs
> (acoustic music but some rock). But I'd also like to be able to record
> from an audio source (e.g. hifi, CD, tape etc.) so it would need a
> suitable socket for that.
>
Usually they have both Line In and Optical Digital In (as well as mic, of
course)
>
> I've found it difficult to find reviews on the web, or find details of
> particular recorders, even from the shops that sell them.
>
There is a site called something like minidisk community (??) that has
lots of information
on each model and links to other sites.
>
> They all seem to be around the 200 - 250 quid price bracket so that's
> what I'd have to spend - I'd be grateful for any advice / tips from
> users who know about them, any features or accessories I haven't
> mentioned which are worth having (or not). Advice on suitable
> microphones for use with the MD recorder would also be welcome - I
> don't know whether they come with mics or whether these have to be
> bought separately?
>
Now 130 to 250 quid (I think the old Sharp 702 which I have can now be
had for 130!). I suspect Richer Sounds of being the cheapest source.
Microphones extra: there was a thread about this here a couple of months
ago.
Nick
Simon Gardner
>recording live music, both with my own band and possibly at live gigs
>(acoustic music but some rock). But I'd also like to be able to record
>from an audio source (e.g. hifi, CD, tape etc.) so it would need a
>suitable socket for that.
All of the ones I've seen have a 3.5mm line in socket and a 3.5mm mic
one as well.
>I've found it difficult to find reviews on the web, or find details of
>particular recorders, even from the shops that sell them.
http://www.minidisc.org is the place to start (it's a "c" not "k" in
Minidisc by the way). Most of the popular models in the equipment
browser have links to reviews.
It's also worth a read of alt.audio.minidisc or subscribing to the
md-l discussion list (details on minidisc.org). Archives are available
online and go back a couple of years.
>I'd like to be able to record in stereo or mono (I believe some MD
>recorders can record in mono so you get 148 mins of sound on a disk),
>the machine would ideally be compact in size and have a fibre
>connection socket as well as the audio socket, and of course good
>sound quality.
Again, a minijack optical input and mono recording facility are
standard features - many come with a TOSLink to minijack cable so you
can be recording digitally from CD right from the start.
>They all seem to be around the 200 - 250 quid price bracket so that's
>what I'd have to spend - I'd be grateful for any advice / tips from
>users who know about them, any features or accessories I haven't
>mentioned which are worth having (or not). Advice on suitable
>microphones for use with the MD recorder would also be welcome - I
>don't know whether they come with mics or whether these have to be
>bought separately?
Unlike the optical cable, microphones are very rarely included. I've
had great results with the Vivanco EM216 (the one that Richer Sounds
and Sony Centres stock) but as it's the only half-decent mike I own I
can't compare it to anything :-)
Core Sound (http://www.core-sound.com) always seem to be recommended
on the MD lists when microphones are discussed, well worth checking
out if you're looking further up the scale.
>Tom T
btw, you don't have to pay 200+ for a recorder if you shop around.
Check the hifi magazines for offers, eg. Sharp 722 is under 130 from
Richer Sounds in this month's What Hifi ad.
Good luck with it, frankly my Sony MZR55 is the nicest, most useful
bit of technology I've bought in a long time.. :-)
(that isn't too much of a recommendation - the battery life sucks and
it's a hassle to title tracks with)
--
Simon
Richard Matthews
"Nigel Orr" <news@river-view_dot_freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:wkg0q84nh0.fsf@river-view_dot_freeserve.co.uk...
> to...@networld.com (Tom) writes:
>
> > I've found it difficult to find reviews on the web, or find details of
> > particular recorders, even from the shops that sell them.
>
> http://www.minidisc.org
>
> Nigel
I've had a Sharp 702 for well over a year now and I really cannot fault it
at all. It's reliable
it sounds VERY VERY good, it makes recordings that sound excellent on much
more expensive full sized
playback machines, I have NEVER heard it skip, the battery lasts for 6 hours
in one charge which
can be extended by adding an extra battery compartment (but I've never had
the need, but that'll
give you something like 15 hours).
Now I know you can get this machine for around 120-150 pounds if you look
around, it was originally 250.
If it is long battery life your after then look at getting a newer model
because it's getting better all the time.
If I REALLY want to be picky then I could say that it would be nice to have
some form of external keyboard
connection that would make titling the discs less time consuming, I think
this is possible with the Sony machines
but I'm not sure which ones.
If it's good sound quality at a good price your after then I very highly
recommend the 702!
Rich..
Michael Jones
to...@networld.com (Tom) wrote:
> I want to buy a portable minidisk recorder, partly for use in
> recording live music, both with my own band and possibly at live gigs
> (acoustic music but some rock). But I'd also like to be able to record
> from an audio source (e.g. hifi, CD, tape etc.) so it would need a
> suitable socket for that.
They all have MIC IN (giving a suitable bias voltage to power the mics)
and LINE IN.
> I've found it difficult to find reviews on the web, or find details of
> particular recorders, even from the shops that sell them.
Take a look at the Equipment Browser on www.minidisc.org - that should
tell you all you need to know (and plenty that you don't). Particularly
useful are the summaries of battery life.
> I'd like to be able to record in stereo or mono (I believe some MD
> recorders can record in mono so you get 148 mins of sound on a disk)
I'm pretty sure mono is available across the board.
> the machine would ideally be compact in size and have a fibre
> connection socket as well as the audio socket
The LINE IN on all MD portables that I'm aware of accepts both analogue
and optical connection.
> and of course good
> sound quality.
Largely a question of taste, I'd say; they're extraordinarily good for
their size running into separates, while, as portables, it's largely a
matter of the quality of headphones you use, the degree of bass-boost
you feel is necessary, and how well this is applied by the particular
unit.
> Advice on suitable
> microphones for use with the MD recorder would also be welcome - I
> don't know whether they come with mics or whether these have to be
> bought separately?
Generally separately; I use SoundProfessionals binaurals - with
excellent results (particularly in small, close-up acoustic ensemble
recordings).
Sony and Sharp dominate the marketplace (though I've heard good things
of the Panasonic and Aiwa units), and, while they both offer the same
basic features, there are a few significant differences in the brands
which may concern you (listed in decreasing order of importance):
1. You cannot adjust recording level on-the-fly with Sony units - you
must pause the unit first. This is something I would find massively
disadvantageous in live scenarios (especially if it's not a band
practice and you can't simply ask the performers to give you a level
beforehand). With Sharp units, level adjustment is allowed during
recording.
2. Sony persist with the enormously unpopular 'End Search' feature.
This is a button you must press before recording to ensure that you
append to the end of any existing material on the disc - otherwise you
overwrite from the point where you last stopped playing (like a
cassette). Quite why Sony haven't made the 'append' function the
default (as they do in their decks, and as everyone else does in their
portables) - this *is* a random-access format after all - is something
of a puzzle (and the subject of a petition amongst the online MD
community!).
3. Sharp units do not have a separate LINE OUT, Sony's do. Some believe
running a Sharp unit through a hi-fi from its headphone socket (with
volume at maximum and any bass enhancement off) automatically
compromises sound quality; my own casual comparisons of a Sharp 702 and
a Sony R30 didn't reveal any obvious superiority either way.
4. Sony units allow you to title tracks on-the-fly (I'm not sure whether
this applies to recording as well as playback). With Sharp portables,
the unit must be paused in playback mode to allow labelling.
Hope all this helps.
Good luck,
Mike.
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