Recording sound

[brokenflashlight]

It's okay, Dave. It's seems like there's been more than a couple people around these parts these days that are a bit bitchy. Maybe they're all on the same menstral cycle. I don't know. Or maybe they're all filmmakers or something. Who knows. Not me. Who am I to judge?

[dave]

I have 63 rolls of ELA 594 SOUND frozen in a block of permafrost with a wooly mammoth...
dave

HOW MUCH FOR THE WOOLY MAMMOTH? HOW MUCH WOULD INSURED SHIPPING BE TO LONDON, UK?

Insurance on the mammoth is free .How many do you want?

[reflex]

Perhaps a pm would have been more appropriate.However It appears that you have nothing better to do .Why don't you contribute something positive rather than vent your frustrations.

Oh, come on Dave. I'm not the first forum user to ask you to stop your repeated "sound film for sale" ads in the forum.

But, out of genuine interest, I'll repeat sk8's question. Where can I get your sound film processed in North America?

[dave]

Hey reflex , you are not the first and you wont be the last .What i wonder about is why you characters get so uptight when someone is specifically interested in recording sound and i have a RARE ITEM that i no longer use which has been tested and shown to be of excellent quality and i offer the item for sale for a fair price to that individual who may not be aware as you are(obviously) of that option, that you go bonkers?
Anyway, cheers

[dave]

But, out of genuine interest, I'll repeat sk8's question. Where can I get your sound film processed in North America?

As i pm'd sk8 you must confirm turn around time and cost with the following labs: yale film and video
rocky mtn film lab
film rescue it'l
the local lab film services lmtd
nano lab (australia)

[reflex]

What i wonder about is why you characters get so uptight when someone is specifically interested in recording sound and i have a RARE ITEM that i no longer use which has been tested and shown to be of excellent quality and i offer the item for sale for a fair price to that individual who may not be aware as you are(obviously) of that option, that you go bonkers?

I'm not wound up about this. It just doesn't feel good to have people use filmshooting as a personal storefront.

I was hoping to learn more about flash audio recorders in this thread - I've got my eye on the little Zoom H2 and would really like to hear from anyone who's had one for a while. It seems like a good low cost recording solution to low budget location sound.

[ccortez]

Obviously ,they don't call you reflex for lack of reasons.

Well, without not referring to your writing style, the above doesn't fail to say it all.

Anyway, "they" don't call him reflex, he does. Did the collective forum membership choose your username, or did you just pick "dave"?

Reflex --

I care nothing about the rest of this thread. I only want to know how much you're going to give me for my nagra. You know you want it. :mrgreen:

[dave]

Reflex --

I care nothing about the rest of this thread. I only want to know how much you're going to give me for my nagra. You know you want it. :mrgreen:

Hey ccortez .Selling your nagra on this forum may cause reflex to look elsewhere .Suggest you try ebay and not po anybody
kindest regards

[Blue Audio Visual]

I was hoping to learn more about flash audio recorders in this thread - I've got my eye on the little Zoom H2 and would really like to hear from anyone who's had one for a while. It seems like a good low cost recording solution to low budget location sound.

The Zoom H2 doesn't seem like a great choice to me, though it is super cheap, mainly because you are limited by its inability to take Phantom powered mics (but it will take plug in power types). The same is true of the Edirol R-09HR, Olympus LS10, Yamaha Pocketrak, and many others...

The M-Audio Microtrack II seems to address a number of the shortcomings that the original version had (battery issues, only 30v Phantom, no limiter), so may be worth a look at. There is still the minor niggle of having to get TRS to XLR leads if you want to plug in external mic's. IMO jacks are far more likely to suffer from dry-joints than XLR inputs, so this really puts me off the whole thing. There are also reports of firmware issues, though these seem to have been addressed.

The Marantz PMD660 is more expensive, but build quality is a lot nicer. You have to buy external mics, so that is an extra cost unless you own something suitable already. Some people moan about it being 'only' 16-bit. I wouldn't worry too much about that too much - sound quality is better judged subjectively rather than by objective criteria. There are compatibility issues with certain memory cards, though that is not a problem if you get the right makes/types.

The Zoom H4 seems to fit the criteria that you may be after (?), as it is pretty well-featured and comparatively cheap, with the bonus of built-in microphones. Lack of a dedicated hardware limiter switch is possibly a bit of a pain, but one that can be lived with I'm sure. Setting input levels is fiddly, and the embedded menu system is not the best thought-out in the world, but once you are used to its foibles none of that should be too much of a problem bearing in mind the low price. An awful lot cheaper than getting the Aaton Cantar-X and some Schoeps microphones anyway....

[sk8]

Blue Audio Visual, have you had any experience with Tascam Field Recorders?

i have an Edirol R-09, precedent to the R-09HR..a small pocket sized recorder with uncompressed audio possibilities but far from a professional standard.

[Mr Blackstock]

I am not sure if i am in time to add to the topic, it seems to be wandering, but nobody suggested using a Minidisc digital recorder.

they are cheap, on ebay for around $40US to $60US, record sound digitally, are robust, reliable, and a dream to use.

then simply plug it into the "in" jack on your computer soundcard, download a free music program, "Goldwave" is one, and you now have digital sound track of your shoot.

I think the MiniDisc is the ideal alternative to the smart budgeting film maker.
Cheers.

[Blue Audio Visual]

Blue Audio Visual, have you had any experience with Tascam Field Recorders?

Not with the new solid state recorders, no, but looking at the cheap DR1 it doesn't take phantom powered mics, so a bit of a no-no I would have thought. It does have an analogue limiter though which can't be a bad thing...

[Blue Audio Visual]

then simply plug it into the "in" jack on your computer soundcard, download a free music program, "Goldwave" is one, and you now have digital sound track of your shoot.

Audacity is another popular free program that many people swear by.

For me the sheer convenience of USB connectivity and lossless transfer in the modern generation of digital recorders in a compelling reason to go for one of them instead.

No moving parts means that *in theory* solid state recorders should be pretty reliable compared to optical disk technology like Minidisc. Not sure whether this really is the case in practice however.

[reflex]

I care nothing about the rest of this thread. I only want to know how much you're going to give me for my nagra. You know you want it. :mrgreen:

Yes, yes I do. But sanity prevails and I'm going flash digital. :lol:

I had an opportunity to buy a 4.2 and a III from the family of the guy who did foley for Gumby & Pokey about six months ago. I decided against it because digital is where it's at these days. Besides, a Nagra would attract serious attention from bored security guards who equate fancy equipment with terrorist inclinations.

The Zoom H2 doesn't seem like a great choice to me, though it is super cheap, mainly because you are limited by its inability to take Phantom powered mics.

The Zoom H4 seems to fit the criteria that you may be after (?), as it is pretty well-featured and comparatively cheap, with the bonus of built-in microphones.

Hmm. The lack of phantom power is a big deal when using my shotguns. I guess it's time to head down to the local pro video place to fiddle with the H4 and the latest version of the M-Audio gear to get a feel for the controls. I don't really care about built-in mic quality (I'd only use them for capturing ambient beds). On the other hand, overly fiddly menus could be a show stopper.

[Blue Audio Visual]

Remember that with the M-Audio it is pretty much a given that you will also need to buy an external USB battery pack or risk getting caught with your trousers down sooner or later - don't forget to factor in the additional expense into the equation.

Other things I would seriously consider before making a decision.

-Boot up times.
-Limiter/limiter functionality.
-How easy it is to read the meters to monitor for clipping.
-Robustness. Like I said before a 1/4" jack going into a mini device is a recipe for potential disaster.

Personally I wouldn't worry about fiddly menus too much - Within a few days you'll be able to negotiate them with your eyes closed. Slightly tangentially to that point the Zoom has a reputation for being difficult to operate with one hand due to poor button placement...

I'm pretty sure that you would end up appreciating the built in mic on the Z4 even if it seems superfluous to your needs currently, and don't forget that the M-Audio package includes a plug-in Stereo mic.

Take a look at the Marantz as well, even though it is comparatively expensive. I've sold a load of these to Film Schools here in the UK and all the techs have loved them.