I'm just wondering what the pros and cons are of using a Sony Hi-MD device or a DAT machine to record audio externally.

Do many people do this? What are the advantages and disadvantages to this approach?

I'm currently looking into purchasing the MZM100.

Search the forum, you'll find loads of posts. Many folks are using HiMD, DAT, Microtrack, StudioDevices, Edirol Rseries, and other externals for better audio and audio conversion.

I'm just wondering what the pros and cons are of using a Sony Hi-MD device or a DAT machine to record audio externally.

Do many people do this? What are the advantages and disadvantages to this approach?

I'm currently looking into purchasing the MZM100.

I also plan to try out Hi-MD for recording higher quality audio very soon.

you might want to consider the new and about-to-be-released-in-US models, the MZ-RH1 and the MZ-M200.

alas, I'm not sure how to deal with the inevitable 'sync' issues of separating the audio from video media.


clay

syncing the audio to video is really simple.

if you don't have a slate with the clapper sticks on top just clap your hands in front of the camera and so it is picked up on the mic.

then just sync up that clap with the video.

if the camera has a mic and your not using the camera inputs with an external mic leave the sound on in the camera so you have the sound from the camera as a reference point.

that way you can line up the sound wave's in your nle between the camera mic and the external recorder mic.

i bought a mini disc recorder but never really used it much.

i have read that they aren't even making dat drives anymore.

i have the sound devices 744t for recording high quality audio.

matthew

i use a Sharp IM-DR420H minidisc player. i bought it on the online recommendation of an NPR commentator (forgetting which one--a female), who recommended it for its voice fidelity. it's great, a little temperamental at times--the controls are not that intuitive, but it records super-clean vocal sound and sounds better than some of my more expensive audio equipment. i know most folks like the Sony models, but i have had good results with this one--bought it for cheap on ebay.

i haven't had to synch it yet, i mostly use it for V/O work or sound fx collecting....it's ultra-portable....

On TV news shows, I see more and more digital recorders rather than mics being shoved in people's faces.

I've gotten excellent results recording concert music with a good stereo pair of mics going into my MZ-M100

I work in the pro-ENG / Small Films market, it's still DAT or the Deva being used with MD or HighMD as backup. Only the small stuff uses MD base as the primary format.

Hhb Md500.