DAT vs. Minidisc for field recording, specifically D8 vs. Sharp 24bit MD recorders

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SeaOwl

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Hope that reads ok
I've been using a sharp minidisk recorder for many years and after many hours, it's just about fallen apart, splayed.

Still, I was very happy with it, and it lasted far longer than I expected it to, considering the travel, wear, and drops inflicted upon it.

So the time has come to get a new field and demo recording unit and could use some guidance from you good folk.

I've been offered a virtually new Sony D8 dat recorder for a price lower than the new minidisc recorder would cost me and was planning to buy that, however, i am also aware of new Sharp (DR7/DR480) 24 bit minidisk recorders, and was wondering if anyone here has any advice.

the plusses of getting another minidisk is the vast repository of demos and song scraps i already have on minidisk and need to access on a fairly regular basis.

the plusses (i think), of getting the D8 is that some of the magic moments i captured on minidisk could have been released if only they were of a higher fidelity.

has anybody ever done a head to head against the D8 and the new Sharp minis? any words of caution about either unit be it build, headlife, glitches, etc?

Thanks for reading, and as always, help warmly appreciated.
Best,
Dave
 
I use a sharp DR 7 and love it to death. I have done a lot of recordings using a core sounds binaural stereo mic, but have recently got a MXL V57 condensor and have been running both through a behringer mixer. You can hear some examples under the singles section:
Carless Me
How I met Sonnyboy Williamson

6 months in the county- just with core sounds mic direct to md

I don't know alot about dat, but I know I love this mini disc! Audio Cubes has them. Walter



http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/discography.php?aid=3118
 
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I used a MD recorder for a long time, and I thought it sounded great...until I heard the same sources recorded without the ATRAC compression and without all the extra analog/digital conversions that I wound up going through to get the data to my PC.

I don't know much about DAT, but it seemed like a hassle to me so I researched hard disk recorders. There's a lot of stuff out there, although probably not in the price range of a walkman-style MD.

Walter: how do you mix the stereo mic and the MXL? Just keep the mono mic panned center? Doesn't it mess with the natural stereo image that the binaural is putting out? I'm pretty new to this stuff, and I only ask because I've been doing some live recording with a stereo pair, and when I try to add an extra mic for soloists or something, I find that it's really difficult to get it to blend in with the pair correctly and maintain the same stereo effect that I get from just the pair.
 
Chip: I am not very technical. I just set up and mess with mic placement and mix until it sounds good to my ears. Yes I pan the core sounds binaurals all the right and all the way left. I have the 1/8th male plug off them splitting to 2 XRL jacks, and plug them into seperate channels. I set the 57(to be replaced today by a AT 3035) to center. I also have put a mic on the guitar set to center. You can check the above recordings to see what you think. Walter
 
hey walter,
glad to hear from you

it sounds like you're using the setup similarly to what i have in mind so your feedback is extremely valuable to me.

i'll be recording demos, bits of songs and whatever else catches my ear while i'm touring, travelling, and even at home, so the deck and mic will see the beach, mountains, and country as well as various living rooms and clubs. in other words, it will see a lot of use.

i'd like a rich sound, and don't mind hearing the surf if i record on the beach, don't mind hearing the birds if i'm recording outside, etc. for the most realistic general recording for both music (voice + guitar) and atmosphere, i'm assuming you'd recommend the core sounds binaural mics?

have you ever heard the audio technica 822 compared to the core sounds binaural set?

Cheers,
Dave

p.s.- look forward to hearing your songs. i'm at the library right now using a computer with no audio card, but will visit a friend tonight whose computer will allow me to listen in//.
 
Dave: I bought the core sound stereo binaurals because I had a cheapo version called a spider mic, and the input cable was real cheesey. It popped and crackled after a few months. The core sound mics are built tough. They do a great job. If you hear any distortion on the vocals, harp, or guitar, it is because I had the levels too high. I clip them on my cap or my hat rack. The Metal on Metal cd was done with the core sounds direct to cd. The Live at the Alpine Hall cd was done with the spider mic. I had just gotten it the day before. It went downhill after that. Walter


http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/discography.php?aid=3118
 
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