Hi,

I'm in a quandry! I have some excellent recording equipment that has served me very well, all of it Nachamici. I use a tuner/amp, a cassette tape deck, three (3) studio-quality electric condenser mics with stands--two cartioids mics (for up close) and one omni-directional (for ambiance), an external power supply for the mics (plus the mics have 9V batteries), and a mic mixing box. The mixing box connects to the tape deck via red/white RCA cables. To transfer taped recordings to the PC, I use a different RCA stereo cable from the tape deck to the PC mic input, and use AVS Audio Utilities software to convert wma format into mp3.

Problems: The tape manufacturers have phased out Type IV Metal Bias tape, which was the best for my application. Type II Chome tape is OK, but not great, and Normal Bias tape is to be avoided. So with Type IV gone, the tape deck will not have much more useful life. As it is, I'm recycling old tape. Also, with tape dithering you can get some very subtle pitch changes, making the piano sound a bit out of tune at times. Another reason to switch to digital.

So, I'm ready to transition to the extent I need to. My ideal objective would be to simply replace the tape deck with its digital descendant. One thing I'd especially like to avoid is having to buy a laptop for direct recording. I've heard too many people remark on drive noises on their created music files. (My PC is too far away from the piano.)

The first thing I checked out was DAT stereo recorders (they use tape different from cassette tape), but DAT is still analog technology, and the industry seems poised to discontinue DAT products sooner than later.

For digital alternatives, I've ruled out the compact ZoomH2 and ZoomH4--too much of a quality compromise in recorded sound for me. I'd never be happy with it.

That brought me next to mini-disc stereo recorders, such as the Sony MZM200 MiniDisc Portable Audio Recorder, which gets very high consumer ratings. Some good things: It has a recording level meter (like my old tape deck), a mini-disc can hold 34 hours of recording, uploads to the PC are through a USB cable with supplied software, which is great.

But can the mic's external power supply and mixing box interface to the Sony (possibly through Radio Shack connector adapters)? And is the sound really great? These units go for about $350 to $400. Although that's not a lot of money, it could become a waste of money if I run into either interface or sound quality issues.

Then too, I wonder if I should be looking at something more fancy, without it being a highly complex "professional model" with 1,256 features of which I'll just be using three or four for my purposes?

These days, other than buying on line, the two sources seem to be Best Buy and Circuit City. Just trying to find a clerk in those places, never mind one who knows something about the products, is really difficult.

Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thanks!

This topic has moved to the Pianist Corner forum.

i do not believe you will have much luck with best buy or circuit sh!tty.

there are a lot of good on line soures that can help you. i recently had a good experience with Sweetwater music. yea, they are salesmen, but they seem to be fairly knowledgeable. they "assign" you an associate that will help you with some of the technical aspects of what will meet your needs / circumstance. i pretty much already knew what i wanted but the guy did give me additional info without trying to supersize my order.

too bad you dont have a guitar center in your area. they can be hit or miss but i did run into one guy there that seemed to know his stuff (at least know a lot more than i did about recording related items).

my stuff is not considered high end. got zoom H2 and a small behriger mixer. did sink a little more into the mics than originally planned but i figure that is a area to spend a little more. got a stereo pair of rodes nt5 mics.

no i don't sound like horowitz, but i do sound like me (kind of).

good luck,
gw

Hi gwood,

Thanks for responding.

I was kind of disappointed in Sweetwater to tell the truth. (Someone else had also recommended them.) I used their "contact" messaging system built into their website, adequately described my current configuration and what I was contemplating buying from them, and inquiring as to whether that was a good solution. I never got the courtesy of a reply from them. I'll follow up to see if maybe it fell through a crack.

Hi RachFan,

There are many fine digital audio recorders available today that offer better sound quality and easier operation than cassette decks, DAT machines and mini disc recorders.

If the Zoom H2 and Zoom H4 don't satisfy, consider the Sony PCM-D1 (finest in its class), Sony PCM-D50, Marantz PMD620 or M-Audio MicroTrack II. Each of these devices record to compact flash or secure digital media, fit in the palm of your hand and record at CD-quality or better. Each also have USB ports which allow you to drag and drop your music files to your computer without a problem. Wingfield Audio is a musician-owned, online seller of the best digital audio recorders available. They also offer reviews and sound samples of each of the recorders, which is very useful. You can find them at http://www.wingfieldaudio.com.

Good luck!

Brahmslover

Hi Brahmslover,

Thanks for those recommendations. I'll take a look at the link you listed as well. Another possibility I'm checking out is the Roland CD2 with both the flash cards and CD recording capability. Plus Roland has always been oriented to the musician and music, whereas Marantz and Sony are more slanted toward general-purpose consumer products. (Also looking for a permanent installation, not portability.) Thanks again!

Hi Rachfan,

Yes, the Roland CD-2 is an interesting product. FYI, last month Roland introduced the CD-2e, a sleeker, prettier and cheaper version of the CD-2. Similar but more robust is the Marantz CDR420 with a 20G hard drive and a CD burner.

Comparable to the CD-2 but with better electronics are excellent solid state recorders like the Fostex FR-2, Korg MR-1000, Marantz PMD671, and the Tascam HD-P2. Keep in mind that the CD-2 and the others I've mentioned are considered "portable" recording solutions even though they are not handheld recorders.

If you want a blow-out, first-quality, permanent recording installation, consider investing in the Audix SCX-25A or Earthworks PM40 Piano Microphone System (or fine compact mics by DPA or Schoeps), a high-quality mic pre-amp like the Millenia HV-3C, Grace Design m201, or Great River MP-2NV, and a good recording unit like the new Tascam SS-CDR1 or HHB CDR882, or a tried and true product like the Marantz PMD570 (solid State) or the Marantz CDR632. It won't get much better than that.

Although it's clear that Sony and Marantz have very well-developed consumer lines, they also have very sophisticated professional product lines which you won't find at Best Buy or Circuit City. It would be a shame for a sound connoisseur such as yourself to not consider them. For instance, you won't find any of the Marantz products I've mentioned at "marantz.com." They are listed under the professional products division at http://www.d-mpro.com/. Likewise, the very fine Sony handheld recorders are listed under the broadcast and industrial division at http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/index.shtml.

All in all, there are many high-quality music recording options available at all price points. Believe it or not, some users report that even the lowly Zoom H2 surpasses a mini disc recorder or cassette deck for sound quality. Take your time, investigate all the options within your price range, and make sure you check out Wingfield Audio (http://www.wingfieldaudio.com).

Good luck again!
Brahmslover

Thanks again, Brahmslover. Many ideas presented in your post, and I will certainly look into every one of them. I really am trying to stick with "the rest of my system" (Nachamici studio quality condenser mics, external power supply and mixing box and the Sony receiver) as they deliver very fine quality. My desire then is to simply and transparently switch out the obsolete link--the Nachamici cassette tape deck and substitute in its place the eventual winner of the stereo flash card recorder competition, plugging it in seamlessly. My goal is not to produce professional CDs for the purpose of selling them, rather just to make fine room recordings for the purpose of storing and preserving them as electronic files on my PC and posting them occasionally in forums such as this one.

Again, I'll definitely take a look at your suggestions. When I checked Wingfield Audio, it appeared that their line is hand-held recorders, unless I missed a click on the navigator bar somewhere.

My search is over. I purchased the Korg MR-1000, a direct stream digital recorder (1-bit, 5.6 MHz ), the very latest technology, and I'll be delivered tomorrow. I'm excited to be transitioning from analog to digital recording!

what budget are you looking to spend?
what are you planning on recording now and in the future?
What type of mics do you want to run and have now?
Are you planning on a portable or studio type setup?

I really think a high end MTR like an Alesis HD24 and Yamaha Digital mixer is a great way to go but as you can see, the price is very high.

You could go for something like an interface and a good laptop or an interface and desktop DAW. I use a desktop DAW every day in my home studio and really enjoy working on it since it is very easy to edit on and upgrade.

Have a look at Tweaks Guide linked in my sig.
That page has really helped me out when learning this.


BTW try zzounds or musiciansfriend.com They both are great sites to buy from and I order from both all the time.
Hosha cables and adapters are better quality and less costly than those from the Rat Shack...

Hi 85Dave,

I think you must have missed reading my post immediately preceding yours. I bought and received the Korg MR-1000 which features 1 bit/5.6MHz direct stream digital (DSD) recording (can also record in WAV format as well as others). I got P500M20 Monster cables, and decided to hold onto my Nakamichi MD-300 high-quality small diaphram condenser mics which have interchangeable cardioid and omni-directional capsules. The Korg does the mixing for my 2-track piano recordings. So I'm all set!

Yes, I did look at the Alesis and considered it's features to be way far and beyond my needs for making occasional home recordings.

Hi RachFan,

Just following up. How is your Korg MR-1000? Is it meeting your needs, easy to use, etc? (BTW, Wingfield Audio definitely sells both handheld and field recorders like the MR-1000).

Regards,
Brahmslover

Hi Brahmslover,

The Korg is fantastic! The ease of use during recording sessions is amazing compared to what I had to do during analog recording sessions. Now I just turn on the Korg, select record mode and desired file format, hit the "record" button and the "playback" button and then I'm actively recording. At the end of it, I simply hit the playback and record buttons and I'm done. To hear outtakes, I just select the library and playback mode, then the specific recording and I'm already listening. (The system automatically assigns the project numbers for me.) The sound is truly fabulous. I've had good comments on it from others. And transferring files to the PC through the USB2 cable takes only seconds. This was the best product selection to meet my needs. I have no regrets and couldn't be happier!