Hi, I'm getting ready to purchase a couple small portable recorders with lapel mic's for capturing audio at weddings. I thought maby one on the groom, one on the sound system, and my wireless for the pastor. Any thoughts? Also I have seen alot of people on this board use irivers and Giand Squids. I also have read there are several different configurations of mics (stereo, mono, etc.) and to get long recording times the recorder needs to record in mono and you have to use the appropriate mic to work. And which iriver, I see 700 and 800 series so any help there would be greatly appreciated. By chance is there another match that would be better for what I am trying to do like sony or something? Thanks again in advance for the help. TAG

I use an I-River iFP-795. It has 512MB of memory and records for several hours in stereo... double that in mono... close to 15-16 hours. I have a giant squid lav mic for ceremonies. I can clip it to groom/officiant or onto a podium for readings. At the reception I set the line in level around "40" and record right off of the DJ's board. Provides very good audio of the Bridal Party Intros, toasts, etc. when mixed with the live sound of the room from my camera mic. I can also add in applause effects in Soundtrack Pro if need be for the intros. This usually sounds really good.

There are no audio level meters on the iRivers... not that I have found anyway, so it makes them a little tricky to use... but you can get a good feel for what level settings work by playing around with it for a bit.

Good Luck!

I also have a 795 and I love it. I agree with everything Matt said.

One other piece of advice: always switch the hold/lock lever after you start recording - the buttons are pretty sensative and the hold lever allows the buttons to lock down.

There are no audio level meters on the iRivers... not that I have found anyway, so it makes them a little tricky to use... but you can get a good feel for what level settings work by playing around with it for a bit.

Matt -- there is a level meter, but it's so small it's practically useless. Instead what I do is get a pair of small ear buds, plug them into the headphone jack while testing the Giant Squid levels according to the speaker. You can test the levels without recording, but you do have to be in the appropriate recording option to hear what the iRiver and mic are picking up. So far, I've been very satisfied with the iRiver, Giant Squid microphone combination. Very pleased!

Regards,
-Michael

Matt,
There is a level meter available to be used with the irver
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/ISI-RLM-1

Without a device like above, about the only semi-accurate way to adjust the record level is to test with the iRver in the recording process...i.e. if being used to mic a groom or officiant, place it on yourself at the approx location. Remember, with a digital recording, always set it a bit lower than what you may think or test at. This will give you plently of headroom in case the speaker has a somewhat louder voice than what you test at. It is always easier to raise the level in post than to have the recording clip and become unusable

Thanks Gents for the reply, I'm guessing that you wouldnt trade your iriver for anything else in its price range. Im working in waveland Miss. right know but I go home on the 14th. We are shooting a wedding on the 22nd so between those two dates we will head to hollywood and pick up a few things, some of those will be the irivers and giant squids. Any thoughts where to find them. I know we can get them online, we just like the chance to go. Thanks again TAG

Terry,

The IRivers you should be able to pick up at any Meijers, Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. I got mine at Meijers... you can get them alot cheaper on eBay.

The GiantSquid mics I think you'll need to order online. They are made by a small business out of Flint Michigan. Could even be a home based business... maybe?

Good Luck

Here's a link to Giant Squid and its microphone for iriver. It's not clear from the site, but you do not need a power supply for this mic.

http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/gs/gs-mono1.htm

The Giant Squid mic, by far is the best bang for the buck with the iRiver. Darren is a small businesman like ourselves and is a first-rate guy to deal with....

An advantage of the Giant Squid iriver mic is that it is especially wired for the iriver to recognize it as mono not stereo. With this mic, you can set the recording to mono and double the recording time. The iriver will detect other mono mics as stereo and not let you set mono recording. With the giant squid iriver mic, you're all set.

Do a search of dvi community for "iriver" and see other threads on this topic, including ones with settings to use.

I would recommend the "MicroTrack 24/96" for professional use. Irivers and the like are consumer grade products. I just got a notice it is in stock at B&H photo.

John

I would recommend the "MicroTrack 24/96" for professional use. Irivers and the like are consumer grade products. I just got a notice it is in stock at B&H photo.

John
So are most of the cameras many of us use...so what is your point? :-)

I agree the MT is a professional product and mine will be delivered Monday or Tuesday. However, it currently does have some issues. The iRivers have been a welcome addition to many wedding videographers due to their small size, realiability and great voice recordings when good mics are attached. DOn't knock them until you tried them... :-)

So are most of the cameras many of us use...so what is your point? :-)

I agree the MT is a professional product and mine will be delivered Monday or Tuesday. However, it currently does have some issues. The iRivers have been a welcome addition to many wedding videographers due to their small size, realiability and great voice recordings when good mics are attached. DOn't knock them until you tried them... :-)

Yep.. Put my i795 with a giant squid into service and it's been fantastic.. Just excellent for the price and value. Now if your needing perfect perfect quality then sure the professional route would be the way to go.. But if your a PD-150/PD-170 W&E kinda person.. Irivers are a welcomed investment.. Just ordered two more..;)

So are most of the cameras many of us use...so what is your point? :-)

I agree the MT is a professional product and mine will be delivered Monday or Tuesday. However, it currently does have some issues. The iRivers have been a welcome addition to many wedding videographers due to their small size, realiability and great voice recordings when good mics are attached. DOn't knock them until you tried them... :-)


It's funny you say that, because I have tried them mark. The small record capacity, lack of 48khz recording, and overall cheap look/feel seperate them from a product like the MT. The only reason wedding videographers(professional and unprofessional) like them is cost. You get what you pay for.

John

Do a search of dvi community for "iriver" and see other threads on this topic, including ones with settings to use.

I'm one of those who had trouble with my iriver 795 from the start, so if you do a search you'll find me agreeing with the notion that they are consumer gear--not up to level with pro gear. But, by golly, when you need something fast, something inconspicuous, and something that records darn good audio (especially for the price) the irivers and the Giant Squid mic are hard to beat.

Yesterday I had to hurry up and mic a ceremony. I quickly taped the mic halfway down on the arm and placed the little iriver on the floor at the base of the mic stand. I'm particular about my audio, and I have to say that what I heard when I got back blew me away. These little gadgets definitely have their place, and I think they're great! I got more than I paid for.

Well I just got back and went to order the giant squid mic's and I cant find the gentlemens phone number. I wrote him an e-mail with my order and asked him to call back but like always its crunch time as the rehersal is friday. Anybody have Darrens number? Thanks TAG

Darren's number: 1-989-753-1607

If you're worried about getting it in time, you could borrow mine for the shoot. :)

Your location looks like either California or Nevada. If I popped it in today's mail you'd have it in two days.

Thank you very much Lorinda that was a very kind offer. And thanks Mark for the number. I did receive the mic's today and went down south monday and picked up the 795's. All systems go for now, I'm striping tapes as we speek. I shot the Love story interviews last night and found I need a shotgun mike and a portable light source, possibly a small soft box. Seems like I'm always wanting something, maby a XL2 hd next month ( boy now I'm dreaming). Thanks again for all the help and support. TAG

on the giant squid site they list a right angle adapter. is this something i will need? im purchasing 3 iriver 790's, and three giant squids. one i will get in white, also what does everyone recomend for the cord size????
thnx

Hey John, I did go to B&h's site and downloaded the spec's of the MT. It looked awesom and definately would like a couple of those in my bag. Right now cost was a factor and I needed two so I thought I would give the irivers a try as I could afford them. I usually lean toward professional gear so this feels a little awkward. Thank you though as that was what I was looking for in my origional post. Thanks again TAG

Overstock.com has the 895T IRiver for $79

Just a FYI..

Overstock.com has the 895T IRiver for $79Hmmm.... they don't seem to have this. Got a link perhaps?

this iriver thing has me intrigued. So far the only reasonable gripe I've heard is the inability to monitor the audio. (other than synching in post which is really no big deal). If one were placed on the groom and the other on the minister it sounds like a backup is in place.

It'd sure be nice not to have to worry about all the potential problems with wireless mics - not to mention the cost.

Hmmm.... they don't seem to have this. Got a link perhaps?

My bad... 890T not 895T

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=1534173

Also
899 for $154
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=1652767

It looks like the 800 and 700 series of Iriver may be cancelled per Iriveramerica.com. It looks like the T30 series may be the new model. It uses a AAA battery instead of a AA and it does not seem to have FM radio. It looks like a small 700 series without the FM radio. The mic and headphone plugs are both on one side like the 700. The good thing is that it is a few dollars cheaper and should be quite small with a AAA battery. The bad thing is that the battery probably won't last as long.

Get the 795/799 for Christmas if that is the model you like! They aren't available at Iriver's site anymore, but many online retailers seem to have them still. The T30s are $149 and $99 respectively at Iriver's site for the 1GB/512K models.

I have heard that the "T" series does NOT have mic input, so be careful before you buy one of those.

http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/product_info.php?products_id=760

I just confirmed that it does have line-in and a built-in mic. It does not have FM. The user reviews say it has great quality audio, but they do not mention recording. The site review says it has line-in as well as the spec. page. They also say that it is the replacement for the 700 and 800 series, as I suspected from looking at iriver's site. I just wish that iriver would come out and say it.

The user reviews say it has great quality audio, but they do not mention recording.I wondered the same thing but couldn't find anything so I emailed Darren at "Giant Squid":
http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/gs/gs-mono1.htm

He assembles jacks/cables/lav mics and one specifically for the iRiver that keeps it recording in mono mode. (thereby doubling the recording capacity).

Darren said that "he had heard" that the "T" series was not very good for voice recording. I'm trying to be careful because again, he said it's what "he heard" and I assume he has no first-hand knowledge.

Not willing to take a chance I found a couple of new 895's for $100 each and ordered two lav mics from Darren. I've decided to use these for now and add a wireless system down the road (which I can't afford for now).

It seems there's a lot of ultra-compact MP3 players out there with an external mic jack that might work as well and I'm just wondering how many folks really use them for this purpose.

Marcus ,that is correct.However the "T" series doesn't have the ability for mic level input.
Only line level.The built in mic is not great.
The 700 and 800 series DOES have mic level input.
Rick ,good choice.

on the giant squid site they list a right angle adapter. is this something i will need? im purchasing 3 iriver 790's, and three giant squids. one i will get in white, also what does everyone recomend for the cord size????
thnx

I ordered my squid mikes with the right angle adapter because the 895's have the mic input on the side of the unit. I'm not sure about the 700 series though... I *think* the mic jack for those is on the bottom(end) of the unit so a straight jack should be ok. (Please verify this and don't take my word for it).

I ordered mine yeterday (Friday) and received a one-line email from Darren at Squid which simply says,

"Thanks. Your order will be shipped Monday".

I like this - simple and to the point. :)

As far as cord lengths... I orderd 2 and 4 foot cables. Since I've never done this before I'm planning on using the 2 footer in the grooms inside coat pocket. I thought the 4 footer would give me some flexibility with the different garb ministers wear.