Klarinet Archive - Posting 000682.txt from 1999/10
From: "Benjamin Maas" <benmaas@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Digital Recording
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 14:51:43 -0400
> I'm wondering if anybody has any thoughts or opinions on digital hard disk
> recording. At the pro-audio store I went to, the salesman suggested that
> for my purposes (practicing & audition tapes), a DAT machine may not be
> the most practical. Instead, the advice was to buy a machine like the
> Fostex FD-4 Multitracker with hard drive. The microphone would be
> something like AKG c1000.
>
I have some opinions on this, (but then again, when it comes to recording, I
have opinions on everything) that I'd like to share.
> Some of the reasoning behind this was that a Sony portable DAT has no
> editing possibilities, and a TAscam costs 2-3 times as much.
> The price for the Fostex is around 800 CAD at this store, and my main
> question is, whether that is worth the money? Also is it regarded as a
> good procedure to make digital recordings?
>
> Hopefully someone will have some experience or advice about this.
I would stay away from cheap hard disk multi-track recorders like the Fostex
unless you absolutely have to... If you get a sony TCD-D8, get the Audio
Technica stereo microphone for it. You'd be able to plug in and it would
cost less than $1000 US out the door. You also might consider the Tascam
DA-20 DAT machine as well. It is a much more reliable machine than the
Sony... If you want to do editing, do it on a computer. A decent sound
card would cost a couple hundred bucks, and editing software can be had for
about $150 (Sound Forge XP for Win 95/98/NT). Some cards even come with
that program....
What you are trying to do is make audition tapes. You will find that an
actual tape machine will be the most useful. Another option if you need
editing is to send a tape to a studio... You can't do that with the
Fostex...
If you use a stand alone DAT recorder (like a DA-20) you will need something
to power microphones, ie a mixing console. You can get a Mackie 1202 for a
couple hundred bucks (used even cheaper), and I'd suggest Shure SM-81s
instead of the c1000. I think of the C1000 as a pretty dreadful sounding
microphone. The SM-81 will give you a much smoother sound and it isn't
quite as colored off axis...
My last comment is: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Every time I have tried to
cut corners buying audio equipment, I have been sorry. I have usually sold
the gear (at a loss) and bought what I should have later. Save yourself the
time and energy of bad gear. Decide your budget and spend another few
hundred bucks. In the long run, you will be much happier...
--Ben
Benjamin Maas
Freelance Clarinetist and Recording Engineer
Los Angeles, CA
benmaas@-----.com
http://www.fifthcircle.com
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