question on minidisk

Jon, does your little Sharp unit have a VU meter that one can
adjust "on the fly" during recording, like the Sony Professional
Walkmen do??

Also, just how much length of time can one get on one minidisk??

And, is the problem of "overwriting" previous recordings no longer
an issue with that unit??

I understand that Carl hates minidisks, but maybe it's the faulty
Sony units. It seems you've been having greater success with yours.

Thanks for the help!

Joe

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Joseph Pehrson" <jpehrson@r...> wrote:
> Jon, does your little Sharp unit have a VU meter that one can
> adjust "on the fly" during recording, like the Sony Professional
> Walkmen do??

Similar: it is a little bar graph on the LCD display. It actually has more 'segments' than the little red lights on the Walkman, and a top bar that indicates a spike. Caveats? The LCD is not backlit, so impossible to see in the dark, and, like all digital recordings, there is no "soft clipping" - if you spike the level, you definitely get a very ugly digital distortion of the sound. OTOH, the volume is set in increments from 1-30, and I've gotten to where I can ballpark the levels according to situation, much like photographers can tell light levels without pulling out their light meter.

But when I underestimate, it is a pretty spectacular miss!

> Also, just how much length of time can one get on one minidisk??

Commonly, 74 minutes. I believe there are some 80 minute discs, but I have not used them.

> And, is the problem of "overwriting" previous recordings no longer
> an issue with that unit??

This was never an issue on Sharps (you need to erase tracks to do that), and apparantly newer Sonys don't have the earlier 'feature' either.

> I understand that Carl hates minidisks, but maybe it's the faulty
> Sony units. It seems you've been having greater success with yours.

Everyone just has differing needs and ways of working. I'm not married to the format, and will gladly switch to a similar "dream unit" that Carl envisions. For now, I like this way of working.

Lastly: we originally got one for my wife to record rehearsals and her individual practice; I used it with a couple basic mics for some things, but never really got off on it. All that changed when I finally got some nice mics, and it made all the difference in the world. For me, at least.

Cheers,
Jon

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Joseph Pehrson" <jpehrson@r...>
wrote:

> I understand that Carl hates minidisks, but maybe it's the faulty
> Sony units.

my sharp unit didn't fare any better than the sonys for us. possibly
i'm not the right one to ask, though, since our live recording
situations are probably far more rambunctious than yours . . .

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Erlich" <PERLICH@A...> wrote:
> --- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Joseph Pehrson" <jpehrson@r...>
> wrote:
>
> > I understand that Carl hates minidisks, but maybe it's the faulty
> > Sony units.
>
> my sharp unit didn't fare any better than the sonys for us.
possibly
> i'm not the right one to ask, though, since our live recording
> situations are probably far more rambunctious than yours . . .

i must add that the recording quality we got from both brands (and a
single tiny square clip-on microphone) was truly stunning, light
years beyond what we had achieved with 4-track tape recorders and
multiple shure mics.

> I understand that Carl hates minidisks, but maybe it's the
> faulty Sony units.

You may have missed the post where I explain that I've used
Sharp gear.

The problem, Joe, is that the storage media is obsolete,
and there's no digital out.

You can put several hours of music on a minidisc with the
new MDLP modes, but at reduced fidelity.

-Carl

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Szanto" <JSZANTO@A...> wrote:

/metatuning/topicId_5881.html#5882

> --- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Joseph Pehrson"
<jpehrson@r...> wrote:
> > Jon, does your little Sharp unit have a VU meter that one can
> > adjust "on the fly" during recording, like the Sony Professional
> > Walkmen do??
>
> Similar: it is a little bar graph on the LCD display. It actually
has more 'segments' than the little red lights on the Walkman, and a
top bar that indicates a spike. Caveats? The LCD is not backlit, so
impossible to see in the dark, and, like all digital recordings,
there is no "soft clipping" - if you spike the level, you definitely
get a very ugly digital distortion of the sound. OTOH, the volume is
set in increments from 1-30, and I've gotten to where I can ballpark
the levels according to situation, much like photographers can tell
light levels without pulling out their light meter.
>
> But when I underestimate, it is a pretty spectacular miss!
>
> > Also, just how much length of time can one get on one minidisk??
>
> Commonly, 74 minutes. I believe there are some 80 minute discs,
but I have not used them.
>
> > And, is the problem of "overwriting" previous recordings no
longer
> > an issue with that unit??
>
> This was never an issue on Sharps (you need to erase tracks to do
that), and apparantly newer Sonys don't have the earlier 'feature'
either.
>
> > I understand that Carl hates minidisks, but maybe it's the
faulty
> > Sony units. It seems you've been having greater success with
yours.
>
> Everyone just has differing needs and ways of working. I'm not
married to the format, and will gladly switch to a similar "dream
unit" that Carl envisions. For now, I like this way of working.
>
> Lastly: we originally got one for my wife to record rehearsals and
her individual practice; I used it with a couple basic mics for some
things, but never really got off on it. All that changed when I
finally got some nice mics, and it made all the difference in the
world. For me, at least.
>
> Cheers,
> Jon

***Hi Jon,

Thanks again for the info. What mics did you recommend again??

tx

JP

> i must add that the recording quality we got from both
> brands (and a single tiny square clip-on microphone) was
> truly stunning, light years beyond what we had achieved
> with 4-track tape recorders and multiple shure mics.

Those cheap, tiny clip-on mics are often far superior to
mics costing far more, especially dynamic mics (were
your shures dynamic?). In fact, you can get excellent
recordings with the built-in condensers on a $30 boom box
and a chrome tape.

-Carl

Hope this doesn't come twice, the first try got eaten...

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Joseph Pehrson" <jpehrson@r...> wrote:
> Thanks again for the info. What mics did you recommend again??

See the core sound reference in:
/metatuning/topicId_5825.html#5838

And look, this is what *I* use. I think the results are amazing, everything I've every wanted in a mic that could capture a place, moment, or concert, and be pretty unobtusive. But you might be happy with a good quality single-point stereo mic.

And if you *haven't* experienced binaural recordings of places and concerts, I'll burn a CD for you of some of my stuff (and other peoples) so you can see for yourself what these dogs sound like - as long as you promise to use headphones!

Cheers,
Jon

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Carl Lumma" <clumma@y...> wrote:
> > i must add that the recording quality we got from both
> > brands (and a single tiny square clip-on microphone) was
> > truly stunning, light years beyond what we had achieved
> > with 4-track tape recorders and multiple shure mics.
>
> Those cheap, tiny clip-on mics are often far superior to
> mics costing far more, especially dynamic mics (were
> your shures dynamic?).

sm-57s, positioned to record each instrument individually (insofar as
possible).

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Szanto" <JSZANTO@A...> wrote:

/metatuning/topicId_5881.html#5890

> Hope this doesn't come twice, the first try got eaten...
>
> --- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Joseph Pehrson" <jpehrson@r...>
wrote:
> > Thanks again for the info. What mics did you recommend again??
>
> See the core sound reference in:
> /metatuning/topicId_5825.html#5838
>
> And look, this is what *I* use. I think the results are amazing,
everything I've every wanted in a mic that could capture a place,
moment, or concert, and be pretty unobtusive. But you might be happy
with a good quality single-point stereo mic.
>
> And if you *haven't* experienced binaural recordings of places and
concerts, I'll burn a CD for you of some of my stuff (and other
peoples) so you can see for yourself what these dogs sound like - as
long as you promise to use headphones!
>
> Cheers,
> Jon

***Hi Jon,

Well, that would be informative, but I pretty must trust your
opinions, judging by the other sound-thingies you've put up from time
to time (and those were probably lossy...)

I still have a couple of other questions:

1) Do you think that the small *headphone*-type mics they show on
www.outwardsound.com would be "good enough?" or would I be
disappointed?

2) Would the other "Audia Technica 822" really be all that much
better?

I note, in passing, that these microphones are *fully the price of*
the minidisc unit. I might feel "happier" spending less right "up
front" and then "adding on" later... ??

3) Do you think it would be wise to order online from Outward Sound,
or do you think I'd do better shopping in a store?:

A real caveat is in order here: there are some *incredible* shysters
selling this kind of stuff in New York, cameras too. They really
take advantage of the unknowing... (I just got taken with a camera
chip, but I don't want to go there...)

I notice that "Core Sound" really doesn't make it too easy to order
their products. They don't have web ordering as yet... Are there any
other of their "accessories" that are mandatory in order to get the
basic mics working?

Really, I have to update the Walkman Pro. I know my some of my
friends have minidisks, and I blush every time I take my thing out...
(the Walkman Pro, that is...)

JP

Joe,

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Joseph Pehrson" <jpehrson@r...> wrote:
> Well, that would be informative, but I pretty must trust your
> opinions, judging by the other sound-thingies you've put up from time
> to time (and those were probably lossy...)

If you misspelled 'lousy' you're in big trouble! :)

I gotta go out, but I'll make a post specifically on "mics" when I get a moment...

Cheers,
Jon

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Carl Lumma" <clumma@y...> wrote:

/metatuning/topicId_5881.html#5887

> > I understand that Carl hates minidisks, but maybe it's the
> > faulty Sony units.
>
> You may have missed the post where I explain that I've used
> Sharp gear.
>
> The problem, Joe, is that the storage media is obsolete,
> and there's no digital out.
>

***Hi Carl...

Yes, hence my original "shock and awe..."

JP