What Recording Equipment Is Available?

[PorterhouseMusic]

This discussion got me thinking about... how simple and inexpensive could I go and still get decent quality. Like for recording my acoustic guitar. I remembered I have one of those little handheld Olympus LS-10 PCM recorders which records in "stereo". So a few minutes ago I stuck it on a tripod and set it in front of my Taylor 414ce. I have some really quiet spots in the house - but I decided to just set it up in my den - kids playing next door and a full blown patio construction project happening at my neighbors place across the street. These things are super sensitive so there was a lot of noise once I dumped this in Reaper. And my wife was talking loud in her office - but I don't think you can hear any of the background crap - just some hiss. (ignore the clams - it was a single take)

This is the recorder:

The first clip is 100% dry and unprocessed. The second one is possessed a little: EQ, compression, reverb

 

[TalismanRich]

I was going to say I prefer the dry one, but right now I'm having some serious hearing loss issues. I'm afraid to make any judgement, as it's really playing havoc with my tonal balance, and even pitch perception.

I will say that what you can do today with such basic, simple equipment is amazing. The other night I was going thru some old transfers of tapes that my dad made of my sister playing piano. He had a Wilcox-Gay Recordio (1955 mono) and the mic was a salt crystal microphone. I checked the mic out, it was dead. When opened, you could see the salt that had dissolved of the past 70 years.

That recorder cost him more than an H1Essential today!!! At 130, that would be roughly $1600 today with inflation. Plus you had to buy tape to run it. A 7" reel of Scotch 190 tape was $7.70. That's one reason I try to make people understand the absolute bargain basement cost that digital recording offers today for REALLY HIGH quality.

This is home recording in the 1950s!

 

[PorterhouseMusic]

Sorry to hear about your hearing issues sir. That's a drag considering this is a hobby of yours. Best wishes with that.

But yeah - there's something to be said for a minimalist approach and getting the most out of very little.