Inexpensive MD Recorder and Mic

[73TypeLT LS1]

What I am looking for is an inexpensive setup I can bring with me to record either a full band or something I can put on a mic stand of say a sax or trumpet to record just their parts. I know there will be some bleed over from the rest of the band but I need it just to write horn parts out.

Please give me some suggestions. I did some searches but got more confused. Thanks in advance.

[73TypeLT LS1]

Thanks for the help I guess

[onlyfingers]

OK. The MD will work for what you are suggesting. If you are going to score the piece--write out a chart for instance--you want to check out how the forward and reverse work within a recording. Analog is pretty easy. I don't know about the MD (and mine isn't nearby to check).

If you get into transcriptions, you might want to use a computer program that slows the music down, but keeps the key the same. (Shareware or SlowBlast for about $25.) If that is something you do frequenty, you probably need a direct recorder to give you files instead of recordings, since the MD is pretty computer-unfriendly, IMO. (I had my eyes on a Boss 864, but decided to stay low tech.)

The plus of the MD is its portability. Pretty long life on a single AA, so you don't have to plug it in. Stereo mini-plug, so you can run a remote mic on a sort of long cord. (You have to buy the mic separately. Mine cost about $60.) If your needs are modest, you can "dumb it down" and record mono, doubling the recording time.

[73TypeLT LS1]

I basically just need it to record the horn lines. I do have a computer to drop it down to and cool edit will allow me to slow the part down but reserve the pitch.

I'm debating on just using my wiresless AT 600 / Pro35 mic and bringing it in to my laptop. I just didn't want to have to have all that crap with me. That's why the m-disc looks to entertaining.

[onlyfingers]

MD will be easier to set up and use than a PC. You might find that you skip the PC altogether, and do your trancscribing direct from the MD. It's a matter of scale, maybe. If the piece is short-lived, and you need to go through it two or three times, then it may not be worth taking it from MD to PC. But if you need to slow it down and work over it quite a bit, then you would be better off reading the piece into the computer.

Iyou need to go from recording to computer a lot, then you are probably better off skipping MD and going for a direct recorder.

[bubbleboy]

i had a similar situation at one point. i researched some stuff, and although i ended up not needing anything, i see at least 2 suggestions i can make, one is more expensive than the other. i know people who use these too:

Sony makes a MD recorder called the MB-100 or something. It goes for $350-$400. They call it a "business recorder." It basically is built like one of those stand-alone hand cassette recorders. I almost got this because it has both a built-in stereo mic and a small speaker. Amazon gots it: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...&s=electronics

I recently saw for $200 at guitar center a sony MD 'musician's bundle' which included a small external stereo condenser mic and one of their MD recorders. This mic used batteries, but there is a smaller one called the ECM-DS70P that has plug-in power. This is not an all in one setup, but still better than a laptop. I have used this same setup to record concerts and sound quality is fine for simply recording horn parts, etc. I'd assume the quality on the other more expensive one is more tinny...