| deleted user 03.01.2005 16:39 |
Not sure if this belongs in the personal section BUT here is a question for audio and/or video concert tapers What devices do you use to make your recordings? It seems that my olde tape recorder is a bit outdated. What are some techniques that you use to get good quality recordings? What are your methods for not getting "caught" taping (esp. video)? Thanks! |
| Penetration_Guru 03.01.2005 18:57 |
Nowadays, it should be fairly easy - miniature mics of decent quality, HDD recorders, video cameras small enough to fit in the pocket. If there are any dates you can't get of the next tour, I'll be a little surprised. |
| Adam Baboolal 03.01.2005 20:25 |
Far too easy to do bootlegging these days! I've been using a portable minidisc recorder along with a tie-clip mic from the local electronics store (Maplin) and that's it! Just check your levels and you'll be laughing. And yes, tie-clip mics have astonished me with their clarity and amazing low-end. Seriously, check them out. Peace, Adam. |
| deleted user 03.01.2005 21:59 |
So, are we expecting possible bootlegs of the upcoming tour, considering Queen's efforts in releasing material? |
| riku_queencdr 04.01.2005 02:16 |
I use Kenwood MiniDisc (bought in 1999) and a Sony stereo mic with a clip-on, just like Adam. It costed 105 EUR back in 2002 and the sound it produces is excellent. Of course Shoeps etc are even better mics but I really don't have extra 1000 EUR to spend on that kind of recording equipment.... MiniDisc records in a slight lossy format (it's NOT mp3 but ATRAC coding which is far better IMHO) so in case you want totally lossless recordings, use a DAT recorder. Remember to test everything couple of times before you record something you REALLY want to record. Most likely the first or second test shows that you were doing something wrong and after that you know how to fix that. Set the levels (the best is the type of recorder which allows you to set the recording level while recording) and make sure you have enough blank discs and an extra battery on you. Always use a brand new battery for each recording. It should last at least 3-4 hours so you don't have to change it while recording. I always check my watch when I start the recording and see when I should be changing the disc (either after 74 or 80 minutes). This way I don't have to take out the recorder from my pocket several times to see how much time is left to record. Those MDs with LP and EP features; if you use LP or EP, the quality of the recording is worse than with SP as then the audio is packed more (more lossy). I don't have any experience regarding video recording as I don't want to risk my video camera. It is too big to hide in my underwear when I go in :))) |
| sexmachine 04.01.2005 15:28 |
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| sexmachine 04.01.2005 15:37 |
there is a new technology called high- minidisk(i think) and you can record looseless with it.it is allready cheaper than DAT. more important than the medium is the kind of microfone you use.one sort of mics which are famous for bootlegin are the "OKM series": link and another(i think better) is the" Core SOund Cardiod Microphone" link be careful bootlegging is addictive!! |
| Adam Baboolal 04.01.2005 21:43 |
I'm planning on getting a Hi-MD recorder/player. A little while back, someone broke the code to upload PCM recordings to the PC! So, I'm definitely giving it the thumbs up for that. After the quality results I can get from a normal minidisc, Hi-minidisc seems even sweeter! Peace, Adam. |
| riku_queencdr 05.01.2005 03:28 |
Does anyone know any links to Hi-MD players/recorders? That kind of lossless recording feature sounds very interesting. |
| onevsion 14.01.2005 10:31 |
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| Adam Baboolal 14.01.2005 12:05 |
link - Good link to a forum. link - General info. + Some reviews link - Nice info on Minidisc Peace, Adam. |
| Penetration_Guru 14.01.2005 17:53 |
What I need is a reasonably priced (and ahem....very discreet) stereo mic. Anyone? |
| [ Wybren™ ] 30.04.2005 06:56 |
So the best recorder is an Hi-MD player/recorder? There's a big difference with the old MD players? Which brand is the best? What are the best discs to get (1GB sony discs)? What's the best mic? (sony ecm-ms907 or are there any better types) link Thanx! |
| deleted user 30.04.2005 09:06 |
most mp3 players these days come with built in voice recorders too which can record upto 5 hours and are fairly cheap, they can also have pretty good quality! |
| sexmachine 30.04.2005 09:33 |
taylorgaga (Begg) wrote: most mp3 players these days come with built in voice recorders too which can record upto 5 hours and are fairly cheap, they can also have pretty good quality!i doubt this. i used some binaural mics for my recordings with excellent results. |
| [ Wybren™ ] 30.04.2005 11:57 |
knebworth wrote: i used some binaural mics for my recordings with excellent results.For your MD player? |
| Wilki Amieva 30.04.2005 12:06 |
I always use a Sony MD Walkman MZ-NHF800 Hi-MD recorder along with two stereo Sony electret condenser microphones: a ECM-CS10 and a ECM-MS907. The first is almost unnoticeable, while the second is bigger and need an AA battery. This hardware is really good - such a pity that Sony software is crap! The only advice I can give you is to set the recording ambience mode to "noisy" and/or to lower the microphone sensitivity as to avoid saturation by the roaring crowd. |
| sexmachine 30.04.2005 20:51 |
[ Wybren™ ] wrote:yes!?!knebworth wrote: i used some binaural mics for my recordings with excellent results.For your MD player? |
| Adam Baboolal 01.05.2005 21:17 |
[ Wybren™ ] wrote: So the best recorder is an Hi-MD player/recorder? There's a big difference with the old MD players? Which brand is the best? What are the best discs to get (1GB sony discs)? What's the best mic? (sony ecm-ms907 or are there any better types) link Thanx!I did actually make a reply, but I guess Richard's mishap affected my post. I'll TRY and post what I'd said. That thread you mention above has a lot of what I advised, already. But I can mention some new things for your above questions. Hi-MD is a great new format that records PCM (uncompressed) audio and lets you upload it to your pc for editing, etc. Very nice bit of kit. The old MD player/recorders are compressed atrac formats that you CAN'T upload without a bit of 3000 quid equipment! And hey, the Hi-MD can still record the same old MD format! But I'm not sure you can upload 'that' type. I think the Sony 1GB discs are all they have on offer. As for brands... aren't the new Hi-MD's all Sony models? I hear the NH900 is the best. The Sony ecm-ms907 mic is merely ok. I'm sure you looked at the comparison site I had posted in that above thread. And considering my cheap tie-clip mics sounds much, much better, I wouldn't bother with it. Far too expensive for something so simple and not that great. If you want, I can post an example of my cheap tie-clip microphones for you to hear. I'm sure it'll surprise... :) Peace, Adam. |
| riku_queencdr 02.05.2005 02:10 |
Adam, do you know if Sony MZ-NH900's input volume can be adjusted while recording? On my Kenwood MD you can do this and it's a brilliant feature. I did check some reviews of MZ-NH900 but none of them mentioned if this feature is included.. (Edit) Please check this link: link Looks like you will have troubles burning/editing the audio once you have copied it to PC. I also found few sites saying that it DOESN'T have manual volume adjustment. If someone has more info, please let us know. Thanks! |
| Adam Baboolal 02.05.2005 18:22 |
You must have missed my post from a while back that mentioned the uploading thing having been cracked by a guy called Marc - link But, I think someone at Sony must've realised they should really activate the uploading thing properly and made it possible to convert to wav. Though, I haven't read about it for a while, so maybe that's not the best util. It may still be the one in the above link. On the volume adjust thing, I really don't know. I haven't invested in one. But check that forum above and see. I'm sure someone did some comparisons and got some answers for what they needed. Peace, Adam. |
| riku_queencdr 03.05.2005 02:26 |
Yes, I must have missed this link you sent earlier! I searched the forum and looks as you can manually adjust the recording level BUT you have to do it before the concert starts. You can't adjust it while recording, which leads you to simply guess how loud it will be. Not an easy task.. Another drawback; when you stop the recording, the player goes automatically back to the automatic level adjustment?!?! This is not a good thing, as when you change the MD (1GB disc records up to 94 minutes of lossless audio), you must go back to the main menu and do all the manual adjustments again. This wouldn't be a problem otherwise but in the middle of the show, in the darkness, in a hurry to get the recorder back on, it will be a quite hassle. On my Kenwood MD you can adjust the volume while recording and it really is a brilliant feature. Hopefully Sony will someday include this as well. |
| Adam Baboolal 03.05.2005 09:48 |
Yeah, sounds like a bit of hassle. But it's not hard to set correct levels before a concert. It's quite easy, for me at least, to guess as I've recorded concerts on the minidisc before. That, and I also have something called a juice booster that allows me to rarely clip/distort my recording. It's not impossible, but it helps make it less of a worry. But yes, Sony need to get with it on that recording level thing. My Sharp MD allows me the same freedom as yours and it's a damn good thing. Menus... *Sigh* Peace, Adam. |
| sexmachine 03.05.2005 14:58 |
there is a thing i have experienced with sony hi-md and i have to tell you: if you finish recording a md you have to wait for "data save" and "system file writing" before you can change the md.this takes about 30 sec +the time of changing the md and the batterie.so if you are good you can change your(full)md in about 45 sec.this is a lot of time in a live concert and thats the reason why i´ve decided to record my stuff on usual md with hi-sp mode(2,5h).an uncompressed 1gb hi-md lasts for 95 min the q+pr concerts vary between 120 and 140 min. |
| wstüssyb 03.05.2005 15:06 |
Simply one of the best topics ever =-) Bootleggers is what keeps us the real die hard fans from going crazy. |
| riku_queencdr 04.05.2005 02:07 |
45 seconds is a VERY long time! For my player it takes about 5 seconds to save the data and then I just quickly take the disc out and slide a new one in. All this takes around 10 seconds (which feels much longer as you are in a hurry LOL) as I don't have to change the battery. I use a brand new one for each recording and that lasts over 3 hours. There are not many bands that play a longer set than that.. |
| Adam Baboolal 06.05.2005 23:06 |
Well, I took the plunge and got an Sony Hi-MD NH900. It's not bad at all. I love the fact that I can simply plug into a usb port and download my recordings! So simple and still faster than my digital playback method. The 45 seconds thing doesn't ring true for me. I did a recording and it only took around 15-20 seconds. Granted, a gap still isn't good for recording. But I think Hi-SP or old MDSP is good enough for recording constant live stuff. And hey, there's hours of recording available! Even the old 74-80min MD's can handle a couple of hours recording! And yes, I know the old MDSP mode still needs to be played back in order to record it. But at least it's all played back through the computer via the soundcard's internal wav option. Yup, same as the old digital playback method. Unfortunately, after trying my Juice booster, I've found out that it's faulty! Damn it. And I haven't read the manual enough to disengage the Auto Gain Control. But at least it's a fairly easy unit for me. The PCM recordings sound sweet. I'm very impressed! Peace, Adam. |
| YourValentine 09.05.2005 06:15 |
bttt |
| onedunpark 09.05.2005 08:19 |
Quick tip time then. Before going to the gig, ensure that you have already placed a 2 second clip on each disc you intend to use. This means that when you eject a disc, the machine only has to perform a TOC upate rather than creating a new one from scratch. Saves vital seconds. Cheers Steven |
| Adam Baboolal 09.05.2005 15:40 |
Nice tip, Steven! I'd never considered that. Another tip I came across on the link forums is this - Before going into the gig, set up your MD to record with guessed levels and leave it on pause. When you want to start recording, take off pause and then there's no need to fumble to start recording. This seems to be especially useful with Hi-MD where there some menus to navigate to set recording levels, etc. Haven't uploaded any recordings yet, so I'll try and update when I have. Peace, Adam. |
| riku_queencdr 10.05.2005 02:14 |
Thanks for the 2 second tip! I really never thought about it so this is great to know. I always go to the toilet to set my gear up once I get into the venue. Then I just have to place the mic correctly and press record once the show starts. During the first 10-15 seconds I follow the level meter on the player to make sure it doesn't go over the limit. If it's even close to the limit, I lower the sound by one step to make sure the loudest parts of the show doesn't get distorted. This all is of course possible only with players that allow you to adjust the volume while recording. Another tip for players that don't allow you to adjust the level while recording but only when the recording is on pause; if there is a warm up band, do all the necessary adjustments during their set because the sound level is most likely pretty much identical for the main act as well.. |
| Wilki Amieva 10.05.2005 08:29 |
Adam Baboolal wrote: And hey, the Hi-MD can still record the same old MD format! But I'm not sure you can upload 'that' type.Yes, you can, but only if it is formatted as Hi-MD (doubling its capacity). |
| Wilki Amieva 10.05.2005 08:32 |
Adam Baboolal wrote: The 45 seconds thing doesn't ring true for me. I did a recording and it only took around 15-20 seconds.Should I point that the "save data" time increases with the recorded time? |
| Wilki Amieva 10.05.2005 08:38 |
Yeah, that tip saves the "Writing TOC" time. I have forgotten that!
Adam Baboolal wrote: Haven't uploaded any recordings yet, so I'll try and update when I have.Might I suggest that you use the last version of SonicStage? |
| Adam Baboolal 18.05.2005 22:03 |
True Wilki, I hadn't used up more than half the disc for recording. So, the save time could be a lot more, I guess! Btw, I am using the latest version of Sonicstage (3.1) to upload/record. Great stuff. Though, it caused major headaches because I was originally using XPSP1. It didn't like that. Updated windows to SP2 (reluctantly) and everything started working! Now... here's the real reason I'm posting here. Tonight I wanted to record a conversation and set-up the record and left it on pause. Well, I completely forgot to start it! But get this, that was 5 hours ago and I just found it. The battery is STILL full on my display... Now, that should reassure anyone about setting their recording up and leaving it on pause for any length of time before a gig. Peace, Adam. |