I need your help.

[traidma]

I'm glad you like it! I loved it also!

 

[DJL]

It's really easy to use too... I showed my friend how to operate it tonight and he loves it... and he just called me and told me he came up with two new song idea's already, you've got to frickin love that. And I think my son already took mine... lol. I'm at the studio and on a break right now, so I'm going to surf hr.com real quick... anyway, thanks again for your help traidma.

 

[traidma]

hehe, anytime!

 

[Richard Monroe]

Yo DJL and Traidma- I've been using the Pandora for about 3 years, and the little thing rocks! Some practical suggestions- The line in is looking for -10 dBV, so if you want to record 2 tracks at a time, use the "tape out"'s on the mixer. It works rather well with a DMP-3 on the lo gain setting, or even an Audiobuddy. +4 outs tend to clip the little puppy if you're not careful. Second tip- for higher quality stereo recording, try a Sony ECM-MS9507 into the line in. That will produce very nice mid-side stereo recordings, and you can pretty much pack the whole system in a guitar case (with the guitar). The built in mic is a lot better than you would expect, but the Sony is a big improvement. Key- because the mic produces an MS signal, and that's already hard-wired in the mic, you need to use the mixer button and the jog wheel to dial up equal input and output levels, so the noise stays phased out. As far as exporting tracks from a PXR4, yeah you can export by MP-2 and then convert to WAV file in your computer, but it's simpler for most purposes to run the line out to a sound card, and record it as an analog signal in whatever software you want, just like you'd do with a cassette. Sometimes I'll add a 4 second click track to the beginning, using the drum machine. Copy that to the other 3 tracks, and use it to synch the four tracks manually in the computer. Then you can process the 4 tracks independantly and mix them.
Compressed or uncompressed, the sound quality of the PXR-4 is amazing. The effects are very usable. It'll take you at least a year to figure out most of the things it can do, unless you're faster than me. As a main recorder, it's pretty weak. As a palm pilot for a recording artist, it rocks!-Richie

 

[DJL]

Hey thanks for the tips Richie... and I just emailed your tips to my friend too. I'll most likely run the stereo line-out of the PXR4 into one of my Alesis MasterLink units. I'm having problems locating the Sony ECM-MS9507 online... is that the correct model number? About how much is the Sony ECM-MS9507 and who sells them the cheapest? Thanks again, Don.

EDIT: PS... I found the Sony ECM-MS957... that must be the model you mean? If so, I'm not sure I want spend that much ($300) on a stereo mic for the PXR4. Have you tried any other cheaper stereo mics with the PXR4 that you liked? Like maybe the Audio-Technica PRO 24 stereo mic ($70).

 

[Richard Monroe]

Sorry, I was going from memory on the model number. Yeah, it's Sony's top of the line one point mic. The cheaper ones I've never tried, so I have no clue, except they'll do something. I got mine on ebay for $150, but I had to look around for a while. You know I'm there for you. Pandora tech is a fairly strong suit with me. I've actually used it as an outboard reverb unit in a pich. It's really not bad. The little thing surprises me every day. I'll tell you this, though. If you wind up with an ECM-MS957, once you figure out how to get from a stereo miniplug to 2 XLR males (that's a fun game), you'll find the mic has a wide variety of studio and remote applications that add to it's functionality. Patched to my Avalon, it is an impressive acoustic guitar mic. It has 90 and 120 degree settings, so you can adjust the hard wired stereo separation a bit. The mic, it's folding desk stand, and cable fit very well in the zippered case for an Oktava MK319.
Remember this, though. You're the one that says you should invest in good mics that will last and get the job done. I'm here to tell you that the little Sony and the Pandora *love* each other. If it doesn't have to be hyper-portable, just use a DMP-3 and whatever mics you like.-Richie

P.S. The guy who does the sound at Jamfest (Me old guy-memory not working on his name) has an AT stereo mic that he uses with a PDA based micro recording system. I don't know the model number. We plugged it into the Pandora for a couple of minutes. Through Sennheiser HD280's, from what I can get just from ambient noise/background music, it sounded "adequate", you know, plain vanilla usable. The ECM-MS957 (I'm presuming electret condenser mic, mid-side 957) has scary but tame-able, highs, kind of like the KM184. With a little judicious EQ, the Sony mic rocks.-Richie

 

[DJL]

I already have some nice stereo mics... but for the PXR4 I'm thinking of something cheap that fits in my guitar case that I can take to the beach, camping, parks, pubs, and etc without having to worry too much about it. Anyway, thanks again.

PS... I haven't had much time to play with the PXR4 yet... but with what little time I have spent with it, I've been impressed... and my friend seems to love his.