Comments

pup wrote on 1/3/2002, 9:34 AM
Derg,

I assume this is to circumvent your "wireless static" problem in your other forum post. I record lectures (audio only) onto mini-disc. I use a wireless mic on the speaker so he/she can move around freely, and record it on a portable mini-disc unit. The sound is fine. I have issues with the uploading process, however. If you do a search under "mini-disc" on this forum (or the Sound Forge forum) you may find others baffled by it too. Personally, I have trouble getting a strong level into the computer and end up having to normalize the whole thing quite a bit, which raises the unwanted sounds as well. Still, for a lecture, it's fine.

It sounds like you're interested in sync recording, so be sure to slate it. And don't nudge the mini-disc while it's recording.

Hope that helps.

- pup
Chienworks wrote on 1/3/2002, 9:11 PM
If you can be patient for a bit, i'll bet there will be MP3 recorders on the
market soon that will record directly to a memory cartridge. Then you
could just upload the MP3 file to your drive, convert it to .wav, and load
it into your project. The biggest variable there would be the quality of
the mic. Audio Technica, Shure, and Sony all make very good tie-clip
style mics which will probably cost more than the recorder.
xgenei wrote on 1/4/2002, 5:29 PM
Get yourself an Archos HD-MP3 Player/Recorder

I hear people are having good results with it -- and it is incredibly flexible. It records directly to MP3 at 160bps, which I think is on par with minidisk -- plenty good for voice and single instrument recording I think. It's been out of stock, the price keeps dropping, and new models are due out so there's a lot to look into -- but it's basically "IT" for the type.

As to the location of the recorder if the groom has it in his pocket or on a belt doesn't matter -- just the mic's location. Do a test!
DougHamm wrote on 1/5/2002, 4:56 PM
Works fine. Keep in mind the unit should be kept relative stable; unless the bride and groom are skydiving you should be fine. And buy a good quality padded case with a strong belt clip for your investment, since it'll be worn by someone who doesn't appreciate how much it cost. :)

I've used mine twice with success for just such a purpose.

-Doug
FuTz wrote on 1/5/2002, 5:44 PM
I'd try it using a belt and pad, like said earlier but I'd definitely go with a quality mic like Tram, Senheiser or, even better, a Sanken (all lavalliers). Just to have a better idea, go check http://www.locationsound.com/ . It's a store but there's good advice on there since they sell to pros. The way you'll hook up the mike will do all the difference in the world, too. I think there's a good section (how to's) on this site too. And you'll have the chance to see what people in the business actually use... All you'll need will be the right plug(connector) at the end of the mic's wire... good luck and don't give up; when sound's good people don't notice (and everything's therefore allright) but when it's bad... holly sh** do they criticise the whole project. It's like that; unnoticed BUT really important... believe me, I certainly know about that!
redmt wrote on 1/6/2002, 12:25 PM
I've used the MZ-R700 recording from the tape out of a Mackie board during a concert. Recorded the MD back into the computer and lined up the audio/video tracks with very good results. Sounds especially life like with the combination of camera sound and direct sound. Be careful not to overload the camera mic/preamp in loud concert settings.

OTOH, I recorded a 40 min. wedding ceremony in mono mode and lost sync w/ the camera sound. Haven't figured out yet what happened but was able to align the audio quickly in VV3

Andy
redmt wrote on 1/6/2002, 6:00 PM
derg,
Question 1:
No. It didn't even get that involved. It was a last minute favor for a friend of a friend. I had a lavelier on a podium to capture the mariachi band and anything said at the podium and didn't even have time to find or mic anybody in the wedding party.

Question 2:
The MD recorder has an 1/8 stero output so I just ran a 1/8 to RCA cable into the sound card and recorded to a new audio track in VV.
PumiceT wrote on 1/30/2002, 12:51 PM
I recently got the newest version - Archos Jukebox Recorder 20 - a 20 Gig (Yes, 20 gigabytes, folks) USB 2.0 hard drive. It DOES NOT have a mic input. It has a line-level input. You will need a mic preamp. I ordered one from soundprofessionals.com. They sell a fairly small preamp... so I guess this could be reasonable, but I don't think I would trust the Archos unit for something as one-time and critical as a wedding. I've used it to record directly from a sound board at a live show, and naturally, it sounds exactly like what was coming out of the sound board (minus the MP3 psychoacoustic stuff that most humans would not have heard anyway).
Just my 2 cents.
Pumice
DougHamm wrote on 1/30/2002, 7:48 PM
It's worth noting as well that VV's ability to very easily stretch audio makes syncing the minidisc recording to video a snap. Separate clocks mean drift over time, such as with an hour-long interview that you intend to hack up later - so the audio at the end might be off by a second or two.

I dump the whole hour video capture onto the timeline, then line up the recorded minidisc audio on a second audio track. Line up the beginning of the minidisc audio to the DV audio track (a clap at the beginning of your shoot works wonders here). Go to the very end and shrink the minidisc track so that it lines up perfectly at the end. Then mute the DV audio track, render to a new DV file, and presto! One DV file with audio from minidisc that can be cut up easily.