All Things Audio -- topics from 2002 thru 2004

Jay Massengill · February 6th, 2004, 02:35 PM

Just got a pair of external firewire drives that I'm very impressed with. They are LaCie d2 120GB units. Very quiet since they don't have any fans but use their solid aluminum case and vertical stand as heat sinks. Awesome styling and construction too, really impressive looking as well as being so much quieter than what I was using. It was impossible to record with the old drives nearby. If you have to record in the same room as your drives, these would be quiet enough. You can hear the head seeking occasionally, but otherwise it's almost silent.
For mobile use they are small for standard sized drives, but kind of heavy. They also have a line-lump style power supply instead of a standard detachable power cord. This extra weight and the power supply are what keep them so quiet though, so you can't have everything.
They are reasonably priced too and available just about everywhere. So far I've had no problems with their performance including editing directly with Vegas, which is notorious for hanging with many types of external firewire drives.
Since I think everybody (including me) has had a hard-drive failure with just about every brand out there, I'm only posting this under the "These are quiet" category. No horror stories about LaCie unless you had 3 failures in a row or something extreme like that. :-)

Bob Fitzgibbon · February 7th, 2004, 03:33 PM

I welcome any suggestions:

I am new to video and own (3) Sure dual diversity SM58 Mics as well as (1) AKG Headset dual diversity mic. All...UHF.

These mics are designed for use with musical or DJ/KJ work.

Question 1.) Are these mics appropriate for video

Question 2.) Is there anything on the market that I could purchase to power these units in the field. ie: DC/AC power source.

Any input would be appreciated

Thank you

Bob Fitzgibbon

Paul Leung · February 10th, 2004, 07:31 PM

Know nothing about sound recording. Need help!!

I will be helping to film a mini concert at the local Hard Rock Cafe this Sat. Need advice on picking up the sound and the recording.

I only have a DVX100A. What type/model of mic do I need and in what positions? I think I can only afford to buy 1 two two mic. Should I feed the mic directly into the DVX100A or record the sound by MD?

Thanks!

Douglas Spotted Eagle · February 10th, 2004, 08:58 PM

I assume since you are at one of the HR's, you'll have a house console for the band. I've yet to see a HR without one. Feed one of the auxes to the camera, but you'll need to set this up in advance. It's no big deal to feed a split of the house into the aux on most any console, even if it's a cheapo 8 channel powered mixer. Then send the aux to the camera so that you have level control that doesn't affect the house levels. Monitor levels closely.
Recording a band can't be done properly nor well without a console and mics on the various instruments. Even if it's a pair of acoustic guitars, they'll be close mic'd for the house sound. House sound can feed you a send. Just be sure that you set it up in advance, check levels at their soundcheck, and you'll be good to go.
BTW, MD works pretty good, even though it's a compressed format.

Robert Paul · February 15th, 2004, 12:14 AM

After tearing this forum to pieces looking for information on basic audio recording I have come to the conclusion that I just need to go ahead and say it. Almost everything on this board is way over my head as far as audio and sound goes. Computers, video, editing, those I know, but not audio. What I am getting at here is, could someone please provide me with a link possibly to an online source of getting basic audio and recording info. I do mean basic as well.

These are the things I need to know...

About the mixer (what it is and what it does)

mics (the differences between the millions of varities of mics)

And heck info on DATs, MD recorders, and multitracks.

I have been given the task of finding out all of this information to help a friend start making short films. He knows his video and computers as well, just not his audio. Living in Northwest Arkansas doesn't help either for obvious reasons.

If anyone could help me out of a tight spot and direct me to some online resources then I would be most grateful. I guess some book ideas would help too but I figure almost all of the money I have (tax return as well) will go to purchasing some of the equipment I am going to learn about.

By the way... You guys are too smart for your own good ~or my own good ;)~

Douglas Spotted Eagle · February 15th, 2004, 12:20 AM

About the mixer (what it is and what it does)
A mixer allows for the connection of multiple microphones, controls their volume, EQ, panning, sends to auxiliary outputs, buses, and eventual routing to loudspeaker systems or cameras or tape. Some mixers have lots of processing features and others are nothing more than just volume control.

mics (the differences between the millions of varities of mics)
Mics can be any number of types from uni-directional (One direction) to omni-directional (all directions) and a variety in between. They can be dynamic, (no external power applied, merely magnetics) to condensers (which use batteries or phantom power to apply voltage to the parts of the mic)

To learn about JUST audio, I recommend starting with Chris Meyer's book on audio for DV, or even to some extent, Jay Rose' audio production for DV book. All of my books cover basic audio as well. You can also find several tutorials on just audio for DV at http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/help/kb There are over 40 audio tutorials there.

And heck info on DATs, MD recorders, and multitracks.

Bryan Beasleigh · February 15th, 2004, 02:28 PM

Douglas
I'd be really interested on your experience with this mic. I know Jay Massengill has just bought one and speaks kindly about it.

They're reasonably priced and have an interchageable capsule. They're also 1/3 of the price of a schoeps and mkh50

I had been looking at the Schoepsmk41 or mkh50, but if the AT will do a reasonable job.

Douglas Spotted Eagle · February 15th, 2004, 05:21 PM

It's a very hot mic, has a sweet high end, is great for voice and acoustic guitars, good for upper piano's too. It's crisp with an excellent bottom. I've never worked with a Shoeps 41, so can't comment.

Paul Tauger · February 22nd, 2004, 08:39 PM

Can anyone direct me to reasonably-priced buyout music that features Italian folk music (mandolins, light pieces, etc.)? I'd prefer something that lets me buy piece-meal, rather than an entire library, as I really want to keep costs down.

Alternatively, if anyone knows someplace that will license this stuff reasonably, I'd appreciate a reference.

Thanks.

(I'll need to do the same thing with Spanish/Basque music in a couple of months).

Douglas Spotted Eagle · February 22nd, 2004, 09:32 PM

www.weed.com
Ask specifically or listen specifically to Rudy Sarzo's music. You can also email Rudy care of Sundance Media group, he does a lot of work for us. If you don't know who he is, he's the bass player for Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, and formerly of Quiet Riot. He also has authored lots of Spanish/Cuban/Afro Cuban music. There are 2 Italian cuts from him as well.
Finally, there is a guy named Derek Keith who did some Italian music for a Sonic Fire library that was never released, I'll see if I can dig up any contact info for him.

Rob Hester · February 23rd, 2004, 11:14 AM

Here are the specs:
http://minidisc.org/keep/walkman_specs_fy04.pdf

and the lowest end model that we'd want:
http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-NH700.html

"Record from multiple sources: USB-in / Mic-in /
Analogue-in / Digital-in"

At minidisc.org it says the device will record "Linear PCM 1.4mbps: 1h 34m" so the device has large enough storage, but is it still 44.1kHz? 48? This device seems not too shabby...I did a quick search and the going price is £199.95 here:
http://www.avland.co.uk/sony/mznh700/sony-mz-nh700.htm

Marco Leavitt · February 23rd, 2004, 12:14 PM

I believe it's going to be 44.1. HiMD looks to be fantastic, but with no Mac support or at least optical out, it's not going to be of much help to me. Too bad. I love my current MD, and would like to continue with the format, but I'm not about to buy a PC for this reason alone. Sony comes awfully close to being reasonable for a change with this one, but I just wish they would go a little farther and ditch this NetMD crap altogether. If these units could only be connected like any other USB peripheral Sony would conquer the world with it. Still, I'm interested to see how this works out, and who knows, maybe they'll finally license the technology to a third party who will make Mac software. At the very least, all kinds of current minidisc stuff is about to get real cheap on e-bay.

Dennis Kane · February 24th, 2004, 12:06 PM

Does anyone have any first hand experience regarding either of these two products they would like to pass along ?
Thank you

Jan Roovers · February 24th, 2004, 01:15 PM

I found this review:
http://www.dv.com/reviews/reviews_it...ew/garrett0402

Claude Isbell · February 24th, 2004, 11:24 PM

Has anybody used it? How's the sound quality with the flash card?

February 6th, 2004, 02:35 PM	#226
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	Slightly OT: Quiet Firewire Drives Just got a pair of external firewire drives that I'm very impressed with. They are LaCie d2 120GB units. Very quiet since they don't have any fans but use their solid aluminum case and vertical stand as heat sinks. Awesome styling and construction too, really impressive looking as well as being so much quieter than what I was using. It was impossible to record with the old drives nearby. If you have to record in the same room as your drives, these would be quiet enough. You can hear the head seeking occasionally, but otherwise it's almost silent. For mobile use they are small for standard sized drives, but kind of heavy. They also have a line-lump style power supply instead of a standard detachable power cord. This extra weight and the power supply are what keep them so quiet though, so you can't have everything. They are reasonably priced too and available just about everywhere. So far I've had no problems with their performance including editing directly with Vegas, which is notorious for hanging with many types of external firewire drives. Since I think everybody (including me) has had a hard-drive failure with just about every brand out there, I'm only posting this under the "These are quiet" category. No horror stories about LaCie unless you had 3 failures in a row or something extreme like that. :-)

February 7th, 2004, 03:33 PM	#227
Bob Fitzgibbon Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: West Simsbury, CT Posts: 30	Wireless mics AC/DC Converter I welcome any suggestions: I am new to video and own (3) Sure dual diversity SM58 Mics as well as (1) AKG Headset dual diversity mic. All...UHF. These mics are designed for use with musical or DJ/KJ work. Question 1.) Are these mics appropriate for video Question 2.) Is there anything on the market that I could purchase to power these units in the field. ie: DC/AC power source. Any input would be appreciated Thank you Bob Fitzgibbon

February 10th, 2004, 07:31 PM	#228
Paul Leung Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 173	Help! Live performance Know nothing about sound recording. Need help!! I will be helping to film a mini concert at the local Hard Rock Cafe this Sat. Need advice on picking up the sound and the recording. I only have a DVX100A. What type/model of mic do I need and in what positions? I think I can only afford to buy 1 two two mic. Should I feed the mic directly into the DVX100A or record the sound by MD? Thanks!

February 10th, 2004, 08:58 PM	#229
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	I assume since you are at one of the HR's, you'll have a house console for the band. I've yet to see a HR without one. Feed one of the auxes to the camera, but you'll need to set this up in advance. It's no big deal to feed a split of the house into the aux on most any console, even if it's a cheapo 8 channel powered mixer. Then send the aux to the camera so that you have level control that doesn't affect the house levels. Monitor levels closely. Recording a band can't be done properly nor well without a console and mics on the various instruments. Even if it's a pair of acoustic guitars, they'll be close mic'd for the house sound. House sound can feed you a send. Just be sure that you set it up in advance, check levels at their soundcheck, and you'll be good to go. BTW, MD works pretty good, even though it's a compressed format. __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

February 15th, 2004, 12:14 AM	#230
Robert Paul New Boot Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Springdale, Arkansas, United States Posts: 6	Looking for information on Basic Audio Recording After tearing this forum to pieces looking for information on basic audio recording I have come to the conclusion that I just need to go ahead and say it. Almost everything on this board is way over my head as far as audio and sound goes. Computers, video, editing, those I know, but not audio. What I am getting at here is, could someone please provide me with a link possibly to an online source of getting basic audio and recording info. I do mean basic as well. These are the things I need to know... About the mixer (what it is and what it does) mics (the differences between the millions of varities of mics) And heck info on DATs, MD recorders, and multitracks. I have been given the task of finding out all of this information to help a friend start making short films. He knows his video and computers as well, just not his audio. Living in Northwest Arkansas doesn't help either for obvious reasons. If anyone could help me out of a tight spot and direct me to some online resources then I would be most grateful. I guess some book ideas would help too but I figure almost all of the money I have (tax return as well) will go to purchasing some of the equipment I am going to learn about. By the way... You guys are too smart for your own good ~or my own good ;)~

February 15th, 2004, 12:20 AM	#231
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	About the mixer (what it is and what it does) A mixer allows for the connection of multiple microphones, controls their volume, EQ, panning, sends to auxiliary outputs, buses, and eventual routing to loudspeaker systems or cameras or tape. Some mixers have lots of processing features and others are nothing more than just volume control. mics (the differences between the millions of varities of mics) Mics can be any number of types from uni-directional (One direction) to omni-directional (all directions) and a variety in between. They can be dynamic, (no external power applied, merely magnetics) to condensers (which use batteries or phantom power to apply voltage to the parts of the mic) To learn about JUST audio, I recommend starting with Chris Meyer's book on audio for DV, or even to some extent, Jay Rose' audio production for DV book. All of my books cover basic audio as well. You can also find several tutorials on just audio for DV at http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/help/kb There are over 40 audio tutorials there. And heck info on DATs, MD recorders, and multitracks. __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

February 15th, 2004, 02:28 PM	#232
Bryan Beasleigh Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,922	AT4053a Douglas I'd be really interested on your experience with this mic. I know Jay Massengill has just bought one and speaks kindly about it. They're reasonably priced and have an interchageable capsule. They're also 1/3 of the price of a schoeps and mkh50 I had been looking at the Schoepsmk41 or mkh50, but if the AT will do a reasonable job.

February 15th, 2004, 05:21 PM	#233
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	It's a very hot mic, has a sweet high end, is great for voice and acoustic guitars, good for upper piano's too. It's crisp with an excellent bottom. I've never worked with a Shoeps 41, so can't comment. __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

February 22nd, 2004, 08:39 PM	#234
Paul Tauger Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Los Angeles (recently from San Francisco) Posts: 954	Italian Folk Music - Buyout Library? Can anyone direct me to reasonably-priced buyout music that features Italian folk music (mandolins, light pieces, etc.)? I'd prefer something that lets me buy piece-meal, rather than an entire library, as I really want to keep costs down. Alternatively, if anyone knows someplace that will license this stuff reasonably, I'd appreciate a reference. Thanks. (I'll need to do the same thing with Spanish/Basque music in a couple of months).

February 22nd, 2004, 09:32 PM	#235
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	www.weed.com Ask specifically or listen specifically to Rudy Sarzo's music. You can also email Rudy care of Sundance Media group, he does a lot of work for us. If you don't know who he is, he's the bass player for Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, and formerly of Quiet Riot. He also has authored lots of Spanish/Cuban/Afro Cuban music. There are 2 Italian cuts from him as well. Finally, there is a guy named Derek Keith who did some Italian music for a Sonic Fire library that was never released, I'll see if I can dig up any contact info for him. __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

February 23rd, 2004, 11:14 AM	#236
Rob Hester Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 113	Sony's new HD minidisc for audio recording? Here are the specs: http://minidisc.org/keep/walkman_specs_fy04.pdf and the lowest end model that we'd want: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-NH700.html "Record from multiple sources: USB-in / Mic-in / Analogue-in / Digital-in" At minidisc.org it says the device will record "Linear PCM 1.4mbps: 1h 34m" so the device has large enough storage, but is it still 44.1kHz? 48? This device seems not too shabby...I did a quick search and the going price is £199.95 here: http://www.avland.co.uk/sony/mznh700/sony-mz-nh700.htm __________________ JVC DV3000U - 30P (non-interlaced) capture on a budget - tests@http://robvideo.netfirms.com

February 23rd, 2004, 12:14 PM	#237
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	I believe it's going to be 44.1. HiMD looks to be fantastic, but with no Mac support or at least optical out, it's not going to be of much help to me. Too bad. I love my current MD, and would like to continue with the format, but I'm not about to buy a PC for this reason alone. Sony comes awfully close to being reasonable for a change with this one, but I just wish they would go a little farther and ditch this NetMD crap altogether. If these units could only be connected like any other USB peripheral Sony would conquer the world with it. Still, I'm interested to see how this works out, and who knows, maybe they'll finally license the technology to a third party who will make Mac software. At the very least, all kinds of current minidisc stuff is about to get real cheap on e-bay.

February 24th, 2004, 12:06 PM	#238
Dennis Kane Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: san francisco, ca Posts: 106	Tinymike, Tinymix Does anyone have any first hand experience regarding either of these two products they would like to pass along ? Thank you

February 24th, 2004, 01:15 PM	#239
Jan Roovers Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Amsterdam NL -Turnhout BE Posts: 158	I found this review: http://www.dv.com/reviews/reviews_it...ew/garrett0402 __________________ ___________ Jan Roovers www.jtv.be

February 24th, 2004, 11:24 PM	#240
Claude Isbell Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: ny,ny Posts: 52	Fostex MR-8 Has anybody used it? How's the sound quality with the flash card?