Desperately need help with equipment solution! (noob)

[kev182]

Hey guys,

I need a portable easy to use (no laptop) setup that I can use to record classical performances... Mainly chamber music (2-4 instruments) primarily clarinet and piano.. no orchestras =).

I go to an arts academy and it is essential that I find some way to record myself.

I do not need super high end equipment either...

I was thinking minidisk player...but then there's the whole phantom power thing with mics.. A pair of mics for stereo recording would be very nice.

I'm mainly looking for a mic solution.

I have the Belkin tunetalk stereo which can record at full stereo CD quality with no auto gain. It also has a mic input... the problem I'm having is that I would like to buy a high end mic to connect to my ipod however all High end mics need Phantom power? I'm not sure.... I need something to power the mics and change the phantom power to a mini jack to connect to my ipod.

I'M a complete Noob! Embarrassed

Thanx for the help =)

 

[thajeremy]

just buy a small 2 or 4 channel mixer with built-in phantom power....

 

[thajeremy]

I would suggest something like this....

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Yamaha-MG102-Stereo-Mixer?sku=630048

4 mic pres and it has phantom power....

 

[eyeteeth]

First Question everyone will ask...

What is your budget?

In the meantime...
A few self contained suggestions... in no particular order and of widely varying price ranges.

Sony PCM-D1
http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/DisplayModel?id=82662

Ederol R-09
http://www.edirol.net/products/en/R-09/

Korg MR-1
http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?a_prod_no=MR1&category_id=3

Zoom H4
http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h4/index.php

Is that along the lines you're thinking?

 

[kev182]

Thanx for the link jeremy, however I need something that runs on batteries and that I can easily move around.

 

[thajeremy]

Thanx for the link jeremy, however I need something that runs on batteries and that I can easily move around.

hmmm....well, I may be wrong...but I doubt you will find anything like that....unless im just really missunderstanding what you are looking for....

 

[kev182]

I need something to change phantom power into a mini jack to connect to my ipod....

Or a recording device that can take phantom power directly....like the H4... looks good.. hmm

 

[Richard Monroe]

The Edirol R-09 listed above will do everything you want, and the stereo mics are built in. If you just want a mic to feed to the iPod, I recommend:

http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=4563&Category=Microphones

About $250, I got mine used on ebay for about $100. It runs on batteries, and produces excellent stereo recordings. It is worlds ahead of cheap stereo mic offerings by Sony and Audio-Technica.-Richie

 

[kev182]

Edirol looks got but it can't accept phantom power like the H4 can.

Do you think the H4 would have enough juice to power for 2 high end mics using phantom power.

or are the onboard mics good enough?or decent?

 

[Richard Monroe]

The problem is, to provide the phantom power for higher end mics requires more juice than most battery powered units can provide. The basic solutions are:

1. Use a 12v power supply and a power invertor with a real preamp. Advantage- better recordings, more versatility in mics used. Disadvantage- more bulk, more weight, more cables and setup required. I do that with an M-Audio DMP-3 preamp, using a variety of small diaphragm condensers, ranging from Oktava MC012's to Studio Projects C-4's to Neumann KM184's. For *serious* battery powered stereo recording, I use a rack with a JoeMeek twinQ with the Neumanns into a Roland VS1824CD. All told, that's a $4500 battery powered stereo system.

2. Use a battery powered mic, straight into a micro-recorder. Advantage- Compact, light, simple. Disadvantages- somewhat less versatile for post-production processing. Quality of sound is not quite as good, but is shockingly good, considering the equipment used. For this, I use a Korg PXR4 Pandora and a SONY ECM-MS957 (Electret condenser mic, mid-side, model 957). Rode NT-4 will also work just fine. Both mics run on batteries.

Conclusion- plug an ECM-MS957 or Rode NT-4 into whatever you have, and it will make very good stereo recordings. If you want to use high end SD condensers, expect more bulk and complexity to run the system on batteries. In the end, any micro-system that provides phantom power is likely to produce less than 48v, which will mess up some high end mics, and the system will tend to suffer from mediocre preamps, which will waste the expense of those cool mics. Both of the basic systems I have outlined above will work just fine. You can pick up the 12v power supply at any automotive hardware supply, and the power invertor at any Radio Shack. If you go with a power invertor, you only need about 60 watts. The smaller ones are better, in fact, because they have no fans and are very compact. They will plug right into the cigarette lighter jack on the power supply, or any car. For this, I recommend solid state preamps, Tubes and Class A electronics are right out. They draw too much juice.-Richie

 

[danny.guitar]

Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but take a look at this:

M-Audio 24/96 MicroTrack

Has 48v phantom power and 3 hour life using phantom power. Runs on rechargeable battery.

Supports both WAV/MP3 recording.

I'm gonna be getting one for binaural/field recordings.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Great post, Danny.Guitar. That product seems to do *everything* the original poster is requesting. All that, and S/PDIF in! I'l bet you don't get 3 hours with the backlight on.... Anyway. I'd love to hear what that sounds like with the ECM-MS957 plugged into it. No phantom power needed- 5 hours. Cool. -Richie