Hi-MD portable recording rig suggestions

[babading]

I want to start recording every show we play live and I've narrowed my search down to a Sony MZ-RH910 Hi-MD recorder, Studio Projects C4 mic package, and Deneke PS-2 mini phantom power. This is about $750 of gear new.

Two questions:
--Can anyone offer a better or similar PORTABLE (battery powered, relatively small) solution I should consider that is comparably priced?

--Minus two mic cables and a stand, this should be all I need to catch the music, right?


Thanks!

 

[Cazzbar]

Hi there... I bought the MZ-NH1 Hi-MD on Amazon for 105 pounds, which was half the price of any high street shop around here (I don't work for them I can assure you! but I thought it was a staggeringly good deal, so snapped it up)

Using the 1 Gig Hi-MD disc, you can record 90 minutes of CD quality audio (uncompressed stereo 16bit 44.1Khz), or about 6 hours of 256kbs compressed audio (you'd be struggling to tell the difference) or days worth of audio of you increase the compression still further!

I'd be surprised if there's anything 'better' in terms of quality, price or portability.

Without wanting to state the obvious, but if it's your gigs... do you have control over the PA? If so I would use those microphones (or to save loads of dollars any mics) and mic up the drums, DI the bass guitar, mic up the guitar amp (or use a Pod and go direct again) maybe a crowd mic and record straight from the mixing deck to your minidisc recorder. With correct settings on the mixer the results can be incredible.

You can then upload the MD files from the recorder to your PC, convert them to wav's and edit to your heart's content.

 

[babading]

Without wanting to state the obvious, but if it's your gigs... do you have control over the PA? If so I would use those microphones (or to save loads of dollars any mics) and mic up the drums, DI the bass guitar, mic up the guitar amp (or use a Pod and go direct again) maybe a crowd mic and record straight from the mixing deck to your minidisc recorder. With correct settings on the mixer the results can be incredible.

You can then upload the MD files from the recorder to your PC, convert them to wav's and edit to your heart's content.

I have total control over the PA, it's mine. However, we don't always mic everything, depending on the room. Also, the PA doesn't have outs for each channel so I'd be recording the same PA mix I have for the room. This will guarantee out of wack levels since the room in real time is really getting some of the stage monitor noise along with natural sounds off the drums and bass/guitar amps. This guarantees that the mix will suck if I take a single PA out. I can't post mix any separate instruments since it will simply be a single out from the PA. Aside from those technical hurdles, I don't want to have to screw around with recording mix levels on a separate mixer even if we had channel outs on the PA. Our best (read CHEAPEST) solution is just to mic the room right now. I want to set it and forget it at sound check.

As far as I can tell the only real difference with the Hi-MD I'm looking at and yours is a backlit screen. That's the only reason I've chosen the cheaper one.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Cazzbar]

Fair enough, just with our set-up everything goes through the mixer and we have the main mix for room output and use the monitor mix for recording straight to the disc. It is a pain to set the monitor mix just right as you don't know what you got till you play it back, but once the settings are right it can be sweet. Kinda home recording quality but for live music... but you're right, it's one more headache you don't really need when playing live, just thought i'd suggest.

btw the controls on these portable MD units are seriously fiddly, and the screens are tiny. I never use the controls on the unit itself (apart from record as that's the only way) i use the controls on the separate 'remote' headphone lead as they're slightly easier and the display is slightly bigger. But when that backlight goes out on the remote then i'm totally lost again, I end up pressing buttons at random in frustration to get that light back on. The old big rack size unit was a complete dream to use compared with these awkward things (and i'm no old fart, and program machines all day!)

 

[babading]

Hmmm...never thought of using the monitor mix to record straight from the board. That's actually a really good idea. Even if the monitor mix won't work due to singers wanting extra vocals, I could use one of the effect outs and/or aux outs for a third mix. I'm going to try that! Thanks for the idea.

 

[Cazzbar]

Cool... and I've never thought of using the effects out as a 3rd mix!!