Recording hardware

[tobstar]

I'm having a bit of a problem, I am just about start making a short film and I have no audio recording equipment. I'm working on a very tight budget with a maximum of £200 for audio recording hardware.

I planned to use the latest Sony MiniDisc but they use their own ATRAC3 encoding making it a nightmare to transfer my audio recordings from MiniDisc to the PC.

My question is what hardware should I be using to do this. I obviously wanted to be digital, the highest quality and portable.

When I studied media at college MiniDiscs where the industry standard for recording audio effects in AV production.

For this reason and that it could act as a portable MP3 player it seemed ideal, but when testing the MiniDisc the ATRAC format (created thanks to people pirating copyright music) is incompatible with everything bar the rubbish Sony Software.

Should I be buying a digital dictaphone or is there another digital audio format I could use for recording audio effects/dialogue?

[MrM]

I use minidisc for portable and moveable recording situations, it really is a great medium for that.
To transfer the digital stored data from the minidisc into the computer, there are 2 possibilities;

1 - Use the analog line out of your portable recorder and feed it into the analog line in of your soundcard. (not my favorite method)

2 - Get a stationary minidisc deck with digital output. Feed the digital output to the digital input of the soundcard.

remark 1 ; optical / toslink is preffered over coaxial / SPDIF
remark 2 ; NET MD with USB is to be avoided as it does not allow digital transfer of self recorded files into your computer :(

If you go to my website, you can read some stuff about that on the 'tech stuff' page, also you can listen to examples of field recordings on the page called 'field recordings', it might give you some impression about MD.

[tobstar]

thats kind of what I was thinking but its not really ideal.

your recommendation....

2 - Get a stationary minidisc deck with digital output. Feed the digital output to the digital input of the soundcard.

Is the closest but MiniDiscs with stationary cradle/deck are more expensive than your standard NET MD minidisc.

From what you say MiniDisc is still the best format portable recording so I may have to do this.

Thanks for your help, very helpful

[tobstar]

i cant find a "stationary minidisc deck with digital output" do you have any recommendations. All minidiscs i have found only have a Digital in.

thanks

[MrM]

NET MD will allow files to be uploaded to your computer. But sadly not files that are recorded on your portabel MD Recorder, so for you (and me) NET MD is worthless.

I don't know if this is a one time project, or that you are going to use the gear for a few projects? But you might consider renting a stationary MD recorder. Surely you must know some-one with a deck?

[MrM]

My Kenwood DMF-3020 was one of the cheapest on the European market that has both optical in, coaxial in, optical out and coaxial out.
I don't know any shops nor prices, but I remember that it was about 200 euro's.
It can be bought, but it is discontinued so you might have to search for one.

(BTW, It is not available out of Europe.)

[tobstar]

sadly not. I'm planning to become independant regarding making a film (have all equipment to create broadcast quality productions). I have good DV camera, Premiere, Sound Forge. All i need is a digital audio recorder that connects with my PC.

Sadly it does seem as easy as I thought.

Incidentaly I have the Soundblaster Audigy Soundcard.

[apropos of nothing]

I just got an Archos MP3 recorder. (Jukebox Recorder 20.) Does what I need it to -- specifically record at a reasonably high quality to mp3 and then offload directly to PC via USB 2. There're a couple Archos models to stay away from apparently. This one seems to be a little unhappy playing back mp3s above 192kbs, but I haven't had any problems recording, and it sounds durn decent.

[audiomaniac]

Hello

If you want high quality recordings see the last digital recorders from Marantz PMD 670 at http://www.marantzpro.com/Products/PMD670.html or Fostex FR2 at
http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/products/fr2.shtml

regards

[tobstar]

now thats what i call a digital recorder, thats more the kind of thing i'm thinking about but a little too professional (expensive).

Surely theres an inbetween device between the minidisc and these proffessional recorders,

thanks

[xpine73]

have u ever though of MINI DV?it s digital and portable.in addition,u can easily transfer the sound to pc via 1394 port digitally.set the recording mode to 48k 16bit stereo.u lose nothing.

[tobstar]

A very good idea