OT: HHB MDP-500 Field Recorder

PossibilityX wrote on 8/1/2005, 9:16 AM

I'm looking for a good quality standalone audio recorder.

The HHB MDP-500 Portadisc Portable MD Field Recorder looks like a great machine (link here: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=200797&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation ), and it should be for $1500.

My questions: Is there another machine, DAT or MD, with specs / features close to the HHB that I should consider?

Anyone have any experience with the HHB? Is it a quality product?

Is DAT "better than" MD, or vice versa?

Thanks in advance----
John

Comments

riredale wrote on 8/1/2005, 4:08 PM

I have no experience with DAT, but used MD quite a bit on my recent documentary projects (used to record the rear 2 audio channels of my "surround sound" projects). From what I've heard, however, there are some differences:

(1) DAT records raw PCM audio samples, much like the 44.1KHz, 16-bit stream of a CD. The bitrate therefore should be about 1.4Mb/sec. MD, by contrast, uses compression to reduce the bitrate to about 300Kb/sec before recording it onto Minidisc. The compression system is similar to the universally-popular mp3 format. At that bitrate, the audio is pretty much identical to PCM audio.

(2) I had the impression that DAT is a dying breed. Minidisc is also, to a degree, but has the advantage of being very popular in Japan with consumers--which is why media is so inexpensive (~$1.50 for 80 minutes).

(3) To me the ultimate setup is a portable flash recorder such as this device. No moving parts except the pushbuttons.
(4) My cheap little Sharp Minidisc units (bought for about $65 each on eBay over the past year or so) have been very good recorders. I will move up to solid-state at some point, though.

farss wrote on 8/1/2005, 6:21 PM

That Edirol has a problem I think, you cannot turn the limiters off, I bought the Edirol R4 and so far it's looking very good.
HHB stuff is rather high end, used by the film guys a lot.
M-Audio have a nice 2 channel CF recorder for a sensible price, it'll record at upto 24/96 and has phantom power etc, $399 at Sweetwater.com.
Bob.

corug7 wrote on 8/1/2005, 7:19 PM

I own a Hi-MD recorder that records beautiful uncompressed PCM audio. It also has a recording levels meter (something a few more Sony products - DSR-11, anyone - could use) so you can monitor your input. Biggest drawbacks are difficulty finding HI-MD media (although you can get it online, and you can use regular MD media as well), and a downright terrible menu system. Once you learn the menus, you will like what these very compact units can offer. Oh, no XLR inputs either, but you will probably be plugging into a mixer board anyway.

B.Verlik wrote on 8/1/2005, 7:30 PM

Seems like with that money you could get an 8 track yamaha with a 20 or 40 GB hard drive and many,many options. No not as portable, but those options. Oh well. You want what you want.

Jeff_Smith wrote on 8/1/2005, 9:30 PM

B&H does not have the microtrack in stock.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=389807&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

You should call sweetwater and verify they have it. Hoping to read some reviews of this recorder.

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

PossibilityX wrote on 8/2/2005, 9:05 AM

Thanks to all for the info.

For some reason I never considered the Flash / Microdrive option, but now it looks like the way to go.

I see that Marantz has a number of such recorders available...I know the name, of course, but I don't know how Marantz shakes down in terms of reliability. Any opinions?

---John

farss wrote on 8/2/2005, 2:16 PM

Just my opinion but I think they've been outdone by Edirol and M-Audio. The mic pres in their gear have proved to be pretty pedestrian. Same goes for Fostex.

John_Cline wrote on 8/25/2005, 2:49 PM

Sony has just introduced a new MiniDisc recorder that will record uncompressed .WAV files on 1 gig MiniDiscs. It has a USB 2.0 interface and the disc appears to Windows as just another drive, so you can also use the disc to store data as well as easily transfer audio from the disc to the computer. It appears to only record at 44k and who knows how good the mic preamps are, but for those of you using MiniDisc, this may be the upgrade you've been waiting for.

Sony MZ-M100 review

Sony MZ-M100 web page

John

fldave wrote on 8/25/2005, 7:48 PM

I have the Sony MZ-NHF800 HI-MD walkman with a $100 sony stereo mike. I'm pleased with the results, from the balcony of a 1200 seat church to 50 ft from Niagra Falls to Hurricane Dennis. I basically don't use my FX1 audio and carry this with we everywhere.

The base Sony convert to WAV is only 16 bit 44hz, but am researching the base "256" capability and using a third party recorder to record 24-bit audio.

mattockenfels wrote on 8/25/2005, 8:04 PM

Consider the Fostex FR-2. Got it and love it.

http://www.fostex.com/index.php?file=products/pfr/fr2

Cheers,
-Matt

PossibilityX wrote on 8/27/2005, 9:56 AM

The Fostex looks good, but about triple the price of the Marantz.

The Marantz seemed to have some preamp noise, supposedly fixed now.

There's a review here:

http://transom.org/tools/recording_interviewing/200503.pmd660.html