Re: Portable Sound Recording Devices

From: redmond entwistle (email suppressed)
Date: Fri Oct 19 2007 - 10:38:11 PDT


Colorlab in NY were saying that they were having major sync problems
with the increasing number of films that had been shot using solid state
recorders. The gist of it seemed to be: no crystal sync, computers are
variable in their operating speeds, even higher end recorders not
delivering stable speeds. This seems like a major concern - if you want
sync that is! Does anyone else have thoughts on this?

Redmond Entwistle
 
On Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:17:54 +0100, "Nicholas Hamlyn"
<email suppressed> said:
> For people of the Nagra generation, the Edirol is a truly extraordinary
> cigarette packet-size tool, with an amazingly good stereo mike built
> in. It will record up to two hours of very high quality sound (48hz?).
> They cost about $500 US here in the UK.
>
> Nicky Hamlyn.
>
>
> On 16 Oct 2007, at 20:35, Marcy Saude wrote:
>
> > I have been saving my pennies for the Edirol R-09 (records 24 bit WAV
> > or MP3, real small, (well-reviewed, USB 2 and all that- but with
> > stereo mini mic inputs) but I may have to consider this Zoom H-4 dealy
> > now!
> >
> > If you want tape and don't care about sync, why not pick up a used
> > Sony TCD-5 or early Marantz PMD cassete recorder? They're dirt cheap
> > at this point, and were the standard for high-quality music bootlegs
> > for quite awhile. Don't call it tape hiss, call it "analog warmth."
> >
> > I'd be leery of trusting the archival dependibility of a format just
> > because it's "tape" (learned my lesson the hard way with mini dv
> > tapes- luckily the original footage was on film). Whether digital
> > files or tapes, make multiple copies placed in more than one location,
> > and resign yourself to semi-regular file/ format migration for as long
> > as you'd like your stuff to last.
> >
> > Good
> > luck!
> >
> > -Marcy
> >
> >
> > ************************************************************
> >
> > I use a Sony Hi-MD Walkman MZ-RH1. It is small, lightweight and
> > inexpensive. It can record 16-bit uncompressed audio for an hour (per
> > disc) and hooks directly up to my computer via USB. I use a Mac, so
> > the files appear on my desktop in WAV format, making them easy to use
> > with Final Cut Pro or Protools. If you use a PC, I believe they are
> > imported in a different format.
> >
> > If you are concerned about having your media in more than just a file
> > format, you can use the disks once and store them, although I do not
> > know their shelf life; however, I doubt it is much worse than magnetic
> > tape. If money is an issue, you can simply treat the disk as though it
> > were a flash card, downloading to your computer and then deleting the
> > files off the disk. This is what I do. To the best of my knowledge,
> > minidisc is not like mini-DV and multiple uses are
> > acceptable, though
> > I do not know the lifespan on a hi-md disc used in this fashion.
> >
> > Problems: the MZ-RH1 doesn't supply phantom power. It's recording
> > options, such as recording level, are accessed through a menu (this
> > will probably be the case for anything small and cheap). 16-bit
> > uncompressed is great, but it ain't 24-bit uncompressed, which some
> > flash/hard-drive recorders are capable of. On-site file management
> > (naming, categorizing, etc.) isn't really an option.
> >
> > 4-tracks are great, but the ones I'm familiar with don't really meet
> > your qualifications of "light weight and easy to transport." Mine
> > needs to be plugged into the wall, rendering it pretty useless as a
> > field recorder.
> >
> > Madison
> > Los Angeles
> >
> > On 10/15/07, Ryan Marino <email suppressed> wrote:
> > > Thanks for all of
> > the links and suggestions, I really appreciate the
> > help.
> > >
> > > What I am ideally looking for is something that I can bring with me
> > while I
> > > am out shooting with my bolex. Ultimately everything will end up on
> > my
> > > computer so I am looking for something that is somewhat easy to hook
> > up to a
> > > computer and import. I mentioned having a preference to tape because
> > the
> > > thought of only having material on a disc or hard drive makes me
> > nervous.
> > >
> > > Some one mentioned using primitive 4 tracks which I have used in the
> > past
> > > and have gotten good results from. The lofi aesthetic is something
> > that does
> > > interest me, but I just don't want to feel limited when I feel like
> > having
> > > crisp sound and only being able to have sound with tape hiss in the
> > > background. I was considering buying a reporters tape recorder, a
> > sort of
> > > high end cassette deck that is easy to carry
> > around.
> > >
> > > A Nagra is pretty much out of the question.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > thanks
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -Ryan Marino
> > >
> > > Michael Wechsler <email suppressed> wrote:
> > > I know it's not tape based, but you may want to check out the Zoom
> > H4
> > > recorder. Haven't used it personally, but from what I hear it's a
> > > pretty cool little gadget. Records lossless as WAV or compressed in
> > > MP3 to removable SD card up to 2GB (WAV records at up to 96kHz/24 bit
> > > and everything in between). Though it doesn't have AIFF recording
> > > support, that shouldn't really matter because both WAV and AIFF are
> > > lossless formats and a Mac can read both. The sound should be
> > > exactly the same aside from a few bits of data in the file header.
> > > Other cool
> > features of the H4 are its two built in microphones in an
> > > X/Y crossed pattern to give you stereo recording, a USB interface and
> > > its ability to phantom power mics and serve as a USB audio interface
> > > on your computer. It's got two hybrid XLR-1/4" jacks and runs off
> > > two AA batteries. The product page http://www.samsontech.com/
> > > products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1901 might give you some
> > > more info.
> > > Like I said, I haven't personally used this one, but an in-the-know
> > > acquaintance has tested it out and raved about the sound quality.
> > >
> > > On Oct 14, 2007, at 7:39 PM, Kristine Diekman wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hello:
> > > > I use the Marantz recorders with the flash drive. They work well,
> > > > but you can only set them to wav or mp3, no aiff. The other draw
> > > > back is that they only have xlr inputs, so if you are using a
> > >
> > > stereo mic with dual phone jacks or a stereo mini, you need to
> > > > adapt. I also use a marantz which records to a CD. This is really
> > > > my favorite tool, but it is not portable even when it is a field
> > > > recorder. Takes both xlr and phone jacks. I take it into the field,
> > > > but I would not travel with it. Finally, I also have the smallest
> > > > and best tape based sony DAT recorder which I have had forever. It
> > > > sounds great, is very easy to use.
> > > > kd
> > > >
> > > > Kristine Diekman
> > > > Professor, Video
> > > > Art and Technology
> > > > CSUSM
> > > > http://www.csusm.edu/vpa
> > > > http://www.csusm.edu/diekman
> > > > 760-750-4188
> > > >
> >
> > Looking for a deal? Find great prices on flights and hotels with
> > Yahoo! FareChase.
> >
> > __________________________________________________________________ For
> > info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
> >
>
>
> __________________________________________________________________
> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
>

__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.