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Field recording, pre-amps, and Twitter
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#3
satan 
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Posted 01 April 2009 - 11:22 AM
No batteries solution:
You can use a Firewire bus-powered interface, such as the M-Audio FW410. 2 built-in mic pres, phantom power, gain adjustment, etc. If your mic is stereo, you would need to route it through both pres, not just one. There are also any number of USB-powered interfaces, such as the M-Audio MobilePre. All these are less expensive than the option Chris mentioned above.
These options would, however, drain your Mac battery faster. Also, I'm not a fan of M-Audio gear, these just happened to be the easiest examples to find -- other brands have the same features :)
You can use a Firewire bus-powered interface, such as the M-Audio FW410. 2 built-in mic pres, phantom power, gain adjustment, etc. If your mic is stereo, you would need to route it through both pres, not just one. There are also any number of USB-powered interfaces, such as the M-Audio MobilePre. All these are less expensive than the option Chris mentioned above.
These options would, however, drain your Mac battery faster. Also, I'm not a fan of M-Audio gear, these just happened to be the easiest examples to find -- other brands have the same features :)
#4
Chris Breen
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Posted 01 April 2009 - 11:46 AM
satan said:
You can use a Firewire bus-powered interface
Regrettably he has a new MacBook, which has no FireWire port.
(A fact I should have -- and will -- mention when I update the post.)
#5
stoneinapond
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Posted 01 April 2009 - 12:07 PM
Yes, this is a Mac centric site, but my advice is forget the MacBook. Buy yourself a Sony PCM D50, its corresponding tripod and a wind muff.
I just finished working on an indie movie, and while not the main recording device, it behaved in a stellar fashion while gathering Foley type material. The inbuilt microphones are great, battery life is insanely good (4 AA), and no moving parts.
I also took it down to Costa Rica and recorded some gorgeous soundscapes. It travelled well, (its reletively light), dealt with the heat and humidity and there was never even a hint of a complaint.
And downloading the audio files is as easy as plugging into a USB port of my MacBook and dragging the files to the desktop or other folder.
I just finished working on an indie movie, and while not the main recording device, it behaved in a stellar fashion while gathering Foley type material. The inbuilt microphones are great, battery life is insanely good (4 AA), and no moving parts.
I also took it down to Costa Rica and recorded some gorgeous soundscapes. It travelled well, (its reletively light), dealt with the heat and humidity and there was never even a hint of a complaint.
And downloading the audio files is as easy as plugging into a USB port of my MacBook and dragging the files to the desktop or other folder.
#6
iamac
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Posted 01 April 2009 - 12:53 PM
There are USB-powered preamps. I use a Digidesign Mbox with my Firewire-less MacBook, but the Mbox 2 also comes in a USB version. There's also the M-Audio MobilePre and Presonus Audiobox USB. I'm sure there are a few others.
#9
Chris Breen
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Posted 01 April 2009 - 01:10 PM
satan said:
Chris, not sure if you missed this or just didn't address it, but I also mentioned USB-powered options for those who don't have Firewire.
You're right, I was speed reading and zipped right past the USB stuff. Not terribly rugged for field recording, but then I'm not sure I'd drag a MacBook out for this job either.
#10
auramac
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Posted 01 April 2009 - 02:51 PM
There are a number of USB interfaces, but also a great number of great field recorders- some as low as $199 (or less, possibly). I use an Edirol R-09, buult-in mic is great but use the AT external, connect to my Mac via USB afterwards and tweak the files using free software or shareware. Most PC users use USB interfaces anyway, though I too prefer Firewire.
But you can get around it.
But you can get around it.
#13
People_Eater
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Posted 02 April 2009 - 08:06 PM
stoneinapond said:
Yes, this is a Mac centric site, but my advice is forget the MacBook. Buy yourself a Sony PCM D50, its corresponding tripod and a wind muff.
He already has an expensive microphone with an XLR connector, and your solution is for him to buy an overpriced digital recorder that doesn't even have an XLR socket?
You can get a Zoom H4 for less than half the cost of the Sony recorder, and it features two XLR inputs! I can't for the life of me think why somebody would recommend an inferior product that costs twice as much.
Message was edited by: Chris Breen to remove gratuitous snark.
#14
stoneinapond
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Posted 03 April 2009 - 05:14 AM
[quote name='People_Eater']
>
It would seem to me that you have used neither the Zoom nor the Sony if you consider the Sony to be inferior. I have used both, and they are as far apart from each other sonically as the Zune is from the iPod functionally.
If you think that an XLR connector makes something sound good, then I have a whole bag of them that you can buy to add to your sonic arsenal.
I agree, the Sony is crippled by not having XLR connectors and Sony's solution to that is expensive to say the least. At some point I will try their add-on for one reason. A good condenser microphone draws a relatively large amount of power and the add-on solutions I tried running on a 9V battery failed to provide adequate recording time. (About 1 1/2 hours for a pair of Rode NT55s.) However, the built-in microphones are really quite wonderfull, if a little bright. And the Sony will record continuously for well over 12 hours on 4 AA batteries.
But much of that is immaterial since the microphone that the OP has, terminates in a stereo 3.5mm mini, which the Sony happily accepts if the person was so inclined to use it.
Finally, by the time a portable preamp is purchased, for what, about $200 at a minimum (you do want decent sound, don't you), you are half way to purchasing the Sony. And then you don't have the hassle of a computer, and additional interface with the needed cabling and a microphone that won't really work well in places where, 1) there is no convenient source of electricity, and 2) where by the time you've set up this recording situation, your subject may well have disappeared.
So in closing, it was a suggestion, just that, based on personal experience. I do not know what the OP's intentions are, and what the sonic requirements are, although judging by the price of the microphone in question, the Sony could be overkill. Yes, the Zoom is an option, but in all honesty, I wouldn't really recommend it from a sonic standpoint and it is really flimsy in construction. So, just another reader's opinion, and a humble one at that.
>
stoneinapond said:
> Yes, this is a Mac centric site, but my advice is forget the MacBook. Buy yourself a Sony PCM D50, its corresponding tripod and a wind muff.
He already has an expensive microphone with an XLR connector, and your solution is for him to buy an overpriced digital recorder that doesn't even have an XLR socket?
You can get a Zoom H4 for less than half the cost of the Sony recorder, and it features two XLR inputs! I can't for the life of me think why somebody would recommend an inferior product that costs twice as much.
Message was edited by: Chris Breen to remove gratuitous snark.
He already has an expensive microphone with an XLR connector, and your solution is for him to buy an overpriced digital recorder that doesn't even have an XLR socket?
You can get a Zoom H4 for less than half the cost of the Sony recorder, and it features two XLR inputs! I can't for the life of me think why somebody would recommend an inferior product that costs twice as much.
Message was edited by: Chris Breen to remove gratuitous snark.
It would seem to me that you have used neither the Zoom nor the Sony if you consider the Sony to be inferior. I have used both, and they are as far apart from each other sonically as the Zune is from the iPod functionally.
If you think that an XLR connector makes something sound good, then I have a whole bag of them that you can buy to add to your sonic arsenal.
I agree, the Sony is crippled by not having XLR connectors and Sony's solution to that is expensive to say the least. At some point I will try their add-on for one reason. A good condenser microphone draws a relatively large amount of power and the add-on solutions I tried running on a 9V battery failed to provide adequate recording time. (About 1 1/2 hours for a pair of Rode NT55s.) However, the built-in microphones are really quite wonderfull, if a little bright. And the Sony will record continuously for well over 12 hours on 4 AA batteries.
But much of that is immaterial since the microphone that the OP has, terminates in a stereo 3.5mm mini, which the Sony happily accepts if the person was so inclined to use it.
Finally, by the time a portable preamp is purchased, for what, about $200 at a minimum (you do want decent sound, don't you), you are half way to purchasing the Sony. And then you don't have the hassle of a computer, and additional interface with the needed cabling and a microphone that won't really work well in places where, 1) there is no convenient source of electricity, and 2) where by the time you've set up this recording situation, your subject may well have disappeared.
So in closing, it was a suggestion, just that, based on personal experience. I do not know what the OP's intentions are, and what the sonic requirements are, although judging by the price of the microphone in question, the Sony could be overkill. Yes, the Zoom is an option, but in all honesty, I wouldn't really recommend it from a sonic standpoint and it is really flimsy in construction. So, just another reader's opinion, and a humble one at that.
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