Best iRiver to get?
 

Looking for advice on the best Iriver recorder (ebay) to get...I want to use it for weddings and for some short film work as well.

If there are any other devices that I am going to need with the iRiver, please let me know as well. I am using an HC1 Sony HD camcorder.

Thanks

Hi David -
Look for a iFP-7XX or 8XX - those two series are able to take an external mic. The "XX" is just for whatever the model # is, which designates the amount of memory the particular model has... even the 128M units are probably usable for recording weddings...

The 7 series seem to command a big premium still, but the 8 series can be picked up reasonably cheap on Ebay...

And plan on a Giant Squid lapel mic - they do sound quite nice, and for the $, can't be beat. Got one used, and will be getting a couple more soon - plug right into the iRiv's, and make for a nice compact system

Should I go for a 1Gig or just a 256meg iRiver?

i just got a 256MB but i haven't used it yet. i also got one of the Giant Squib mics. hope it works out.

I hear that they are on sale until August 12...
I am going for the iRiver tonight. If you don't mind me asking, what is a good Ebay price for them?

Do you get the Groom to put the iRiver in his pocket and just hook up the lapel that way? This isn't wireless, so I am assuming that is the process...

Also, why don't people just use a digital recorder instead of an iRiver for recording? Is there a reason? Is there better audio through iRiveR?

Just a quick warning about the iRivers. I had a problem with losing an entire recording if the battery went dead (which happened a few times). Instead of saving the file up to that point, the entire thing was lost. Caused me a ton of problems. I eventually went with the M-Audio Microtrack 24/96. You can get them on ebay for around $250 (about what the iRiver cost me) and they are FAR better (they are made for professional recording applications after all).

I don't know if this is a typical problem with iRivers but you may check it out first.

I don't know what the absolute best iRiver is but I use the the 890 and am pleased with its performance.

The 890 has a built-in preamp for external mics and 256Mb of memory. That gives me a little over 4 hours of record time. I use three iRiver 890's for weddings. One on the groom, one on the officiant, and one on the speaker's podium. I use lapel mics. I was thinking about getting a 4th for recording the choir/singer/soundboard.

iRiveramerica(dot)com has an oulet for refurbished units. All my units are refurbs. I haven't had any problems.

I always put a fresh, new battery in prior to recording. I also place tape over the battery cover just to be sure it doesn't accidently get popped off. Plus the tape gives me a place to "label" the unit so I know what's recorded on that unit.

The audio is quite acceptable IMO.

A warning regarding ebay units. Buying on ebay is like a box of chocolates. You never know for sure what you're really going to get. Sometimes you get one of those crappy ones you won't like.

I bought an 890 unit "used but in good condition" off ebay. Turned out to have issues with both the input and the headphone jacks. So that unit is worthless. That's why I decided to go with the iRiver outlet. $45 each but at least they had a 90 day warranty so I could be sure it all functioned properly.

Good Luck with whatever you go with.

Jeff

Could you tell me what settings you use on the IRiver. I just bought one and also got an underwater cases and earphones. Great for doing laps in the pool!

When recording with an exteranl mic I use Stereo, 44.1 KHz, 128kbps.

Jeff

This is the page for you:

http://www.videouniversity.com/iriver.shtml

All the info you need on setup, mics to buy, etc.

I have the ifp-899, and the ifp-895, both from Ebay. I use the Giant Squid mics that Darren makes for irivers, that let you record in mono at 160kbps. Works great. For the 800 series, get the right angle plug if you go with Giant Squid. For the 700 series, get the straight plug.

Always use fresh batteries for your event, because it's true you will lose your recording if it dies.

I got 4 off ebay - average of about $US11.

One of the reasons I use Iriver's instead of other recorders is the lockability of the unit. I'm not aware of another unit that can be locked.

Its true that it can corrupt your recording and you lose everything, as this happened to me once - but it was because I stopped recording, and then immediately shut it off before it had a chance to "get its thoughts together". Now I make sure that after I press 'stop' I give it a few seconds to save the file before shutting the unit off.

I have 4 iRiver units, and I think they are a life saver. The M-Audio unit really seem like a great device and an attractive option. It certainly is going to record higher quality audio, no doubt about that. But for a tight budget, you really can't beat the iRiver 7xx and 8xx series if bought from reputable sources - they can be had for a fraction of the price of the M-Audio device. My 4 units, plus Giant Squid mics, totals about half the price of 1 retail priced Microtrack.

I generally use the iRiver specifically as a backup device. The truth is that even at the highest recording settings, it still records to a highly compressed audio file, which is noticable when compared to higher quality recordings. But for spoken word capture, it really is a great recording solution, and if I fatten the sound up a little bit in post, it blends really well with audio I capture using pro gear.

I also find the iRiver a great option because of its size. It is significantly smaller than most other portable recording devices, including the M-Audio. (It is a little thicker than most because of the awkward '3-sided' form factor, but it still quite small and very light. I find that it very discreetly fits into clothing pockets, and have generally been told by clients that they forget that they are even wearing it.

I have Giant Squid mics for each of the iRivers, and they really are a great sounding mic. One of them is white, so I have been able to use it on a few grooms in white jackets or military dress whites without having the cord and mic being a distraction if seen around the jacket edge.

Because of their size, I have successfully used them in alot of places, including in the wireworks of flowered garden archways for outdoor garden weddings, attached to music stands to capture the audio of a string quartet or guitarist playing background music for outdoor weddings, in the pockets of special speaking guests or 'readers' at weddings where there isn't a podium and when I don't have enough wireless mics to go around, and even hidden in an eyeglass case planted on a podium when I wasn't given an option to plug my gear into house audio.

The iRivers are a great device to have as backup for a multitude of situations.

A search in these forums will generate alot of results pertaining to the iRiver. There are also a few posts that include optimal settings and procedures.

Hope this helps.

-Jon

Ok, thanks for all the response. What is the best cable size 5 ft, 4ft etc (Giant Squid) that people are using?

I've been using the iRiver T-30 with no problems. It has a built in microphone as well as a line-in input. It's smaller than a pack of chewing gum and uses 1 AAA battery. Recording time is 17 hours at the highest bitrate, capacity is 512mb.

For ceremonies I use it as a groom's backup mic in his pocket, for receptions I hook up one to the DJ via line input, and another I hide in front of the bride and groom's flowers to catch their laughter and comments during the reception. My main audio sources are 1 Lectrosonics wireless mic, and on-camera mic.

The T-30 sells new for about $30 new, and I've seen used ones on ebay for $1! Get a bunch...how can you go wrong? If you don't like em, send them to me!

The only problem I've encountered is that they're so small, I keep forgetting where I hide them!

Sounds great, have others had problems/challenges with the iRiver T-30? I don't think I have seen it mentioned before...

Well, Warren must be using the sound he gets from the built in mic. As far as I know, the T30 will not accept a mic level input like the ifp 700 and 800 series. So you can't use (easily) an external mic with the T30.

I use the 5 foot. It's long when you are micing the groom, but you just stuff the extra in his pocket. When you want to mic the podium and route it here and there, it's nice to have the extra length.

Yes, that's true. The T30 can't accept an external mic. However, it's small and covert enough to the point that you can gaff tape it to the underside of a gooseneck on the podium, and it's invisible.

The T30 also comes with a neck strap and you can wear it like a pendant. Go line in and plug into the DJ or house system. I found the unit very versatile and considering it costs only a dollar now, it's a huge bang for the buck.

I was listening to the sound files on your page - and the ones that are recorded with the Omnidirectional Mono, sound fatter and less tinny than the ones for the Iriver? Is this my imagination? I want to get the best mic for the Iriver...so which would you recommend?

Can't argue with that...

Is there a Mac equivalent to the iriver?

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Zoom H2 release next week. I've been waiting all summer for it.

http://www.samsontech.com/products/p...fm?prodID=1916

I'm glad to see more and more wedding videographers are going wired. Interference is just a pain.

Looks like a great unit. Unfortunately, doesn't seem to have a hold/lock switch, which could be a problem if you want to put it in someone's pocket. We'll have to wait and see what the verdict is.

Really looks great, though. Very useful.

dana i've been waiting all summer myself.
is it def coming next week?

Oooo. I like the idea of hiding the mic on the head table to catch laughter and giggles...... now if I can just book another gig...

Hey,
Here is another guy who used the T30 with a mic preamp and got good results:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&highlight=t30

The T30 sounds like a good addition to my 895.
Where did you get it for 1$?

The preamp costs about $37 on ebay. In addition, you will have to worry about another battery (besides the recorder itself) dying.

You could get an iFP-7xx or 8xx series iRiver, which has a built-in preamp, for the price of the T30+preamp combined.

I have 3 iRiver 795s and an 800 series that I use and haven't had a problem. Just make sure you don't turn off the power before recording has stopped. Also, make sure recording has stopped and not only paused.

The preamp, however, still would come in handy. These Mac Pros have everything except a Mic In port. The preamp would allow you to hook up a mic to the Mac Pro through the line-in port without having to use a mixer board or separate mic preamp. I like that these preamps are really small and battery powered :)

Where do you purchase the giant squid mic?
 

Can anyone tell me where to purchase the giant squid mic? Also, is there a particular "kind" to get for using with the iriver? I need it for wedding ceremonies. Thanks!

I hate to sound ignorant on this, but how do you know when the recording has stopped & it is safe to turn it off? Thanks.

You push the record button to start, and push it again when you want to stop. You'll see it indicate something like "scanning music file" (I forget exactly), then it's stopped.

Mono sound vs. stereo?
 

With the iriver and using the mono sound giant squid mic, how does that work in post-production with mono sound? Do you need to somehow split it into 2 channels for stereo sound so it doesn't sound off compared to the rest of the footage? Audio stuff is a little beyond my knowledge at this point.

Basically, it won't say "Recording" anywhere on the screen and should look pretty much the same as when first turning the device on.

When you use a mono audio source in FCP, it sends the audio to both channels so you don't have to duplicate the channel for left and right. Recording in mono allows you a much longer recording time and makes editing easier. If you were to record in stereo with the iRiver, one channel would have audio from the mic but the other channel will be silent.

However, if you plan on recording in mono, make sure to get the mono mic for iRivers from Giant Squid as the iRivers don't use the standard channel for recording mono (don't ask me why). If you use a standard mic in mono mode, you may pull all your hair out when you find out you recorded hours of silence(!)

Also, for easier editing in FCP, convert the mp3 file that you get from the iRiver into an aif file so that you don't waste time rendering the audio. This is easily done in Quicktime Pro or iTunes.

Hope that sheds some light on audio for you, Bobbi.

Most times you can clone the audio, or if you're mixing 5.1, this track usually will go in the center speaker, and doesn't necessarily need to be "stereo" - center spkr is typically dialog. You'd only need to move the source around (either side to side for stereo, or within the soudspace for 5.1) if you needed it for some effect.

To lock the record button, you simply push the record button for a least 5 seconds. To stop the recording, reverse the process....

Did you buy it, review review review? :}