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Post by Kathy on Feb 25, 2005 22:13:27 GMT -5
someone who is going to try and tape a show asked this question:
Any tips on getting a good audio recording without getting any distortion.
I have a Sony NetMD with a clip on stereo mic. Should i put any foam around the mic to dampen the sound???
I understood maybe 3 words of that...anybody more knowledgable want to help me out?
thanks!
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Post by Twenty Questions on Feb 25, 2005 22:29:39 GMT -5
I’d say that foam won’t do much good.
I’d look into whether or not the volume control doubles as a recording level control.
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Post by FreeRider on Feb 25, 2005 23:14:38 GMT -5
Yeah, I don't think foam will do anything in terms of preventing distortion. Foam on a mic is actually a "wind screen", it dampens the force of the air hitting the mic from certain sounds, eg, words beginning with the letter "p". You project a small burst of air that the mic picks up.
Like 20 Questions said, what's key is getting a decent recording level without any distortion.
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Post by MidniteRdr on Feb 26, 2005 23:06:50 GMT -5
Second that, FreeRider!
The big key for the Sony MD's is to turn off Auto-Leveling, which is unfortunately defaulted to "on'' as soon as you hit the RECORD button (caveat: this was true for the latest Sony MD's about 2 years ago ... haven't checked the newest ones).
Get the thing set to manual levelling, then adjust the record volume so that peak sounds hit close to the 'zero' mark on the display. Anytime you hit that mark you're clipping the sound and it will sound like ka-ka.
This, of course, is a bit of a guessing game when recording live shows via stealth ... so you gotta guess unless you *like* explaining to security guards why your cell phone has microphones attached to it. Best tip is to practice in front of your stereo ... crank that puppy up, set up your MD/mics and walk around with 'em, experimenting with volume to get a feel for the levels.
I generally find that when recording in smaller venues where rock shows are fairly loud that my recording volume is usually set somewhere between 7 and 9 ... just below the 'low' sensitivity setting. I think for the Sony units there's actually a 'low sensitivity' switch on the back; set it.
I use a Sharp MT-877 as it doesn't default to the auto-levelling; I also found it a bit more stealth-friendly in the backlit remote (although I can't start the damn thing in Record mode from it).
What really sets a good recording apart is the microphones you use ... I spent 3x the dollars I spent on the MD for good mics with a bass roll-off box/switch. For acoustic shows I record flat, for most rock shows I'll turn on the bass roll-off and the results are awesome without the usual muddy-bottom sound of older live recordings.
I use CoreSound binaurals and really like'em, fwiw.
MR
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Post by hudson99 on Feb 27, 2005 1:52:25 GMT -5
You probably should actually set the levels so they're well below the red line. MD or DAT doesn't have the hiss that you had with cassette or reel to reel so you don't have to worry about decreased sound quality. I haven't worked much with MD but on DAT it's always recommended to set the levels to peak around -6 or so. That way any sudden jumps in levels like crowd noise or feedback won't create any clipping.
You can always increase the levels when you transfer it to your computer.
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