so i've decided i want to start doing field recordings

blamethesun · Post by **blamethesun** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 7:28 am

i think as a basis for my music i've become a lot more interest in processing samples than synthesis and so with the introduction of the freesound project as well as that i'd like to start recording my own field recordings and other odd jobs, rustiling objects around, banging and scratching on things, such and such

what kind of job or doohickey would do this best and for a reason able price? should i just get a decent mic fer my ibook or it would be cheaper to get a little recorder. wjat would you recommend and what would you do?

i appreciate all suggestions.
thanks you

henry ford · Post by **henry ford** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 7:37 am

this
http://www.musicstorekoeln.de/en/global ... store.html

plus this
http://www.musicstorekoeln.de/en/global ... store.html

plus a 2gb compact flash card, and some rechargeable AA batteries.

a powerful always-in-the-bag combination , and no loss in quality in transfering it to your computer. the inbuilt effects are quality too. I own the recorder , but dont use as fancy a MIC

conny · Post by **conny** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 10:44 am

The set above is what I absolutely would like to have, too.
But can't aford it for some time

// C

ReverendShank · Post by **ReverendShank** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:14 pm

In my opinon, most field recorders are sub par as compared to a computer running live. I myself use an iBook for all of my recording out in the world. There are cheap solutions such as this mic with built in usb cable. http://sweetwater.com/store/detail/C01usb/
I actually use a m-audio mobile pre and a solaris cond. mic.
http://sweetwater.com/store/detail/MobilePre/
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=h ... id/276501/
These work fine, and are all bus powered through my usb. I would encourage you not to worry about things like stereo recording, or super small sized recorders, these can prove to cause more hassle and have limited quality. In addition, on all field recorders I have tested, internal mics seem to love handeling noise as much as samples. Also on another note, flash cards are notoriouslly prone to wear out or lose data as a result of their reliance on "flashing" the card. They have a limited lifespan, and are a pain to back up in the field, this is very important if you can only get one take of something. If stereo is a must, try a pair of AKG c-1000's in an "x" pattern with the mobile pre. C-1000's are great workhorse mics to have on hand, and they are inexpensive, and have a better sound then any Sony mic I have ever used. Either way, have fun, find noise.

sans soleil · Post by **sans soleil** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:22 pm

get yourself a minidisc recorder (still the best value for the money) and a decent mic...something like the audio-technica at822 isn't too expensive and should do ya good.

you can also check www.phonography.org for more useful tips re. gear, etc.

swishniak · Post by **swishniak** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:12 pm

i would actually stay away from minidiscs (too much compression) and those external devices as long as you already have a laptop.

anyone can make nice field recordings with a laptop. . ive even recorded some scratchy sounds using an ibook internal mic in the park.

but a little soundcard like the tascam 122 and some c1000s is a real good set up (and affordable).

those usb mics seem cool too but i havent had the chance to try them out.. anyone?

spiderprod · Post by **spiderprod** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:24 pm

i used to do recordings of natural environments for a cd collection , i recorded sound from the forest ,jungle , sea ,mountain ,etc...

i have done all this on a laptop with an edirolur80 souncard, the whole system was powered by a car batery & a voltage converter .i used 2 mics to have a stereo signal .

i used to place both the mics 50 meters from each others & 50 meters from the computer .
there is some expensive stereo mics that you can use but it doesn't give the quality of using 2 mics distants from each others .
example one mic near a river & the other 50 m away from it , it sound so real .

i don't know if you intend to record the same as i did , but remember a field recording is very hard to process due to all the noises going around all the time , it is very hard to isolate a sound if it has been recorded in a noisy environment .also give some room to you input gain because there always unexpected things happening that generate a bigger sound pressure on your mic & can clip your recording .

Henry Robinett · Post by **Henry Robinett** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:31 pm

It maybe more money than you were planning, but as far as I'm concerned the best thing going: http://www.mhlabs.com/metric_halo/products/mio/

For mobile recording the ULN-2 is where it's at. It's bus powerable so it's perfect for taking into the field. The mic pres are phenomenal as are the convertors. [/url]

swishniak · Post by **swishniak** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:36 pm

spider -

that sounds like a fun rig.. . does setting the mics so far apart distort the stereo field though?

and how did you get together so much damn cabel? solder it yourself?

buzzcock · Post by **buzzcock** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:29 pm

Can't believe no one's mentioned this thing:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/M ... -main.html

Obviously not the best sounding mic pres in the world but 2 channels of phantom power from a hand-held-- not too shabby. Plus, CF and USB. Can't beat it for convenience.

If you want the best, however, check out SoundDevices 722 & 744...

spiderprod · Post by **spiderprod** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:35 pm

swishniak wrote:spider -

that sounds like a fun rig.. . does setting the mics so far apart distort the stereo field though?

and how did you get together so much damn cabel? solder it yourself?

you got it , the cable & the bateries were the hardest to move , & they were all custom made by a friend of mine , you have to add the solar panel to it or a few spare bateries if i was in the forest .

for the mics i had a few different set , i couldn't use directional as their angle is to small so i had some akg & some of the se range .i would choose the mic set depending on the weather conditions (wind, humidity ,temperature ).
i would put them above one meter from the ground , behind a tree or a small wooden board to try to get a 180 angle of sound being recorded (in theory), to put the mics so far away from each other gives a nice stereo fx , but when there was animals around , it was tricky cos the delay becomes obvious so i had to setup the mics to get a delay lower than 5 ms , count one ms delay per foot if the sound is on the same line as the mics .
i haven't made a penny from doing it(cd sales for these sounds are really low) but it was fun , really good fun .

Sales Dude McBoob · Post by **Sales Dude McBoob** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 4:53 pm

Stereo Mics:
R0DE NT4 (min plug + XLR, cool looking)
Audio Technica 825 (XLR)
Sony ECM907S (mini plug)
Soundeman (German mini plug binaural mics, look 'em up)

USB Mic:
B.L.U.E. Snowball

Recorders:
Edirol R-1 (stereo mini mic input + built in stereo mic)
M-Audio MicroTrack (Built-in battery charges for 8 hours for 3 hours of use)
Marantz PMD660 (2 XLR inputs, not so good preamps)
Marantz PMD670+671 (Good all around, larger + more expensive)
Sound Devices 744t (drool. lots of cool blinky lights)
Sony mini disc (not so great, but cheaper)

sans soleil · Post by **sans soleil** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:04 am

i'm amazed that people are using their laptops for field recording...obviously there are a variety of approaches, though this one sounds pretty fragile and complicated.

there is a dedicated group of people who are into field recording (or phonography, as it's called). most of them have a great deal of knowledge re. gear and are happy to answer newbie questions. i mentioned phonography.org earlier: they also have a good links section with further resources.

most 'beginners' (and several semi-pro and pros) use minidisc, either consumer models (what i have) or dedicated pro models with XLR inputs, etc..
although minidisc is compressed, most people will hear a far greater difference from their choice of mic than they will from the type of recorder they use. many threads on the phonography list have mentioned that the mic pres on the new consumer sonys are in fact better than those on the m-audio microtrack and edirol r-1 flash recorders.

some other things to keep in mind...the sony minidiscs use auto level adjustment by default...this can be a pain for some...i know it is for me, and is why i use a sharp. i've heard mixed things about the sonic stage software sony uses to transfer files digitally to your pooter, especially regarding mac users, but that seems to have sorted itself out now.

the microtrack is pretty cool...sounds ok, transfers files to your computer easily. can't replace the battery, which is built in. that sucks, as it means that once your batteries run out, you're done for at least a couple of hours until they recharge. with my minidisc i just pop in another AA and i'm good for another 5 hours.

all of these are pretty robust...i ws recording at -15C last week in heavy snow with no problems. i wouldn't do that with a laptop.

there's a bunch of more expensive stuff available...in fact there's really no end to the amount of money you can pour into a field recording set-up. that stuff is gear porn to me now, and will probably remain that way.

in my case i'm into small size and cheapness...i like to have my recorder with me to capture those unexpected sounds (though i also often go out specifically to record certain things too)...i use a 3 year old sharp minidisc and bottom of the line sony stereo mid-side mic. works well, though the mic is pretty noisy for some quiet recording and i'll probably get something better soon.

anyway...kind of a long post, but i get kind of excited when people get interested in field recording...now to clean up the mess...

henry ford · Post by **henry ford** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:28 am

sony is evil. sonic stage is evil. mini disc is COMPRESSED fool.....and using your laptop , or spending 2 grand on a friggin interface PLUS your laptop is more madness....relative to the starting thread

the edirol r1 uses 24bit wavs , and sounds great. plus when you connect it to your machine , its recognised as an external drive. UNlike sony;s hideous sonicstage software......which tags all your files giving them their own prisoner style serial numbers , causing problems down the line for things such as format conversion and if you reformat your laptop or pc , your files courtesy of sony arent recognised as yours anymore.

whatever you do , whether you go mega bucks or ultra cheap......stay far far away from sony, and only use a minidisc if you are too bruk-ass to buy a dedicated recording solution. as for compact flash woes...well , its the same as anything else really. you could be hit by a bus when you;re out recording. shit happens , but its by no means as contentious an issue as has been suggested.

that being said , you can make field recordings with anything.

martian · Post by **martian** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 4:53 am

mini disc might be physchoacoustically compressed but it's way more fun to lug around than a car battery and a laptop!

mic's 50 meters apart??? interesting but not one that's in the books is it?

if you got the cash then a uncompressed WAV recorder might be nice - but 2 be honest 90% of the time you won't notice the diff cos your ears mask a lot anyway....

Even if you got golden ears u'll find the MD solution to be good- go an buy your self a cheap sony ecm series stereo mic and an MD recorder and never leave home without 'em!!!

I've made hundreds (thousands?) of recordings with an MD player held together by cellotape and the sound is more usable and u really are more likely to be hit by a bus when carry all that other crap with you!

start wacking the recordings into a sampler and making something...

here's one of mine...

http://homepage.mac.com/mcmrc/FileSharing4.html

folder : confessions of hongkong sound guy

track : empty words - primarily location recordings from the democracy rally early this year...