Subject:Microphone

Posted by: Moxx

Date:3/6/2005 7:13:13 PM

I want to record different sounds from around my house with a microphone, and be able to load them onto my computer and use them as loops in acid.

How would I do this?
Explain clearly, in noob-english.

I'm soon to get acid pro, and maybe a microphone.

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:3/7/2005 11:06:59 AM

The easiest, most flexible way would be to directly record into ACID using a laptop. (You could also use Sound Forge, if you have it, for the same purpose.) You could then burn the recordings to CD (provided your laptop has a CD/DVD burner) as WAV data files and then bring that to your desktop PC.

You could also use a digital or analog recorder and then transfer that into your system. Using an appropriate digital recorder, you can record the sounds into your recorder then transfer them to your PC via USB or FireWire without having to re-record. Recording in analog (e.g., a simple cassette tape recorder) would require you to re-record via your PC's sound card.

Iacobus
-------
RodelWorks - Original Music for the Unafraid
Buy Instant ACID by JohnnyRoy and mD!
mD at ACIDplanet

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Moxx

Date:3/7/2005 1:31:59 PM

Do the digital recorders have usb plugs on them, so you could just plug them into your computer?


I don't have a laptop, and I have that crappy demo version of sound forge. :(

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Chienworks

Date:3/7/2005 7:38:27 PM

iRiver makes some very very good portable digital audio recorder/players. They can record in MP3 or uncompressed WAV format. When connected to the computer's USB port they show up as a drive letter in explorer making it very simple to drag the recorded files into your computer's hard drive.

I don't know which models (if any) have microphone inputs though.

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Moxx

Date:3/8/2005 5:32:47 AM

Thanks, but I don't need another mp3 player with a digital recorder, I need a digital recorder itself.

Which ones are good, aren't too much money, and have a usb plug on them.

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Chienworks

Date:3/8/2005 9:31:24 AM

iRiver is a very good digital recorder. I believe the hard drive models start at around $250. You can probably find a lower street price easily.

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:3/8/2005 9:49:49 AM

Adding to what Chienworks mentioned, if you're looking for full-on digital recorders that have USB, might want to take a look at the offerings at Musician's Friend. There are a couple there in the $300 range that have a USB connection for transfer to a PC (but I don't know if it's USB 1.1 or 2.0; more than likely USB 1.1).

Iacobus
-------
RodelWorks - Original Music for the Unafraid
Buy Instant ACID by JohnnyRoy and mD!
mD at ACIDplanet

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Moxx

Date:3/8/2005 1:37:27 PM

Is the N10 an example of one of iriver's digital recorders?
On the website, it says it has "integrated voice recording".




mD, um...I just want to record sounds, and put them on my computer; those are a little complex.

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: coolout

Date:3/8/2005 3:47:12 PM

trust me...what you need is a minidisc recorder.

i had a couple of projects where i needed to record a bunch of natural sounds indoors and outdoors.

it was really easy to just take my $99 portable minidisc recorder, grab a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter, and plug in a regular dynamic mic or battery-operated small condenser.

the ATRAC compression really gets a unfair rep when it still sounds 100 times better than an MP3 and it sounds to the average person exactly like normal 16-bit/44.1khz CD quality as long as you don't do over 3 or 4 A/D-D/A conversions (i.e. copies) between minidisc recorders.

for location recording it's just like having a portable DAT for really cheap. on most decks you can re-record 100 times and set your own index points.

that's my suggestion. you can probably get a used one off ebay for 50-75 bucks or a new one for $99-150.

i own two...a home deck that sits on top of my DAT machine and a portable one for when i record on location...(and when i jog).

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Moxx

Date:3/8/2005 4:49:40 PM

I'm a noob to this recording stuff.

I almost don't understand what you just said.









From here-on out, please use NOOB-ENGLISH to explain anything in this thread.

I need something SIMPLE and user-friendly.

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: coolout

Date:3/9/2005 7:38:22 AM

i know you're a NOOB...but dang...a minidisc recorder!?!?!?

you know those things they sell next to the mp3 players at every major electronics retail store.

it records to a...you guessed it..."minidisc"

minidisc is a format that the consumer electronics industry has been trying to push at least 7 years.

it's bascally a re-recordable mini CD in a hard case.

the recording time and quality is about the same as a regular CD.

they achieve that by using a thing called ATRAC to compress the data and make it fit on the minidisc.

like i said they've been trying to push this technology to the masses for years and still hasn't really caught on like mp3 (and we all know the reason why mp3 caught on).

they keep adding new features and making it better like now they have minidisc recorders that transfers audio from your computer to the player through USB like a normal mp3 player would (NET-MD) and they just came out with a format of minidisc that can hold 1GB of data (HI-MD) that still works with the old format.

WHAT ALL THIS MEANS....is you can get great digital recordings on a little portable player/recorder that you can buy for 100 bucks at a freakin' wal-mart, target, or best buy.

grab your minidisc recorder, plug in some type of microphone (you may need to buy a $3 adapter at radioshack), record all the sounds around your house, and then transfer the audio from your minidisc recorder to your computer.

i can't explain it any simpler than that.

plus if you have NET MD you can tranfer your mp3s to that minidisc at a high speed over USB and go jogging with it...it's skip-proof too.

i'm starting to sound like a commercial.

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: JohnnyRoy

Date:3/9/2005 1:29:43 PM

> From here-on out, please use NOOB-ENGLISH to explain anything in this thread.

What everyone is trying to tell you is that you need a recorder to record sound. Some have suggested a digital recorder, others a minidisk recorder. If those are too complex for you to understand then get a cassette tape recorder. It doesn’t really matter if you are just foolin’ around. Buy any recorder and then record sounds in your house. Then come back and tell us what you bought, and we’ll tell you how to get it into your PC. Digital and minidisc will transfer via USB and a tape recorder will have to be a recorded into your PC via your sound card.

Either way you need to buy a recorder of some kind. I think the easiest solution is to buy a digital recorder or minidisk recorder as was suggested.

~jr

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Moxx

Date:3/9/2005 2:31:10 PM

Ok, i don't know much about minidiscs, so do you have to take out the minidisc and put it into the disk drive, or do you leave it in the recorder and plug the whole thing in (via usb).

And you can change the minidiscs, right.


Any other basic information like where they go/where to plug in is welcome.




Dont yell at me.
=D

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: coolout

Date:3/9/2005 4:26:34 PM

if you have a player that has NET MD you can transfer the audio over USB.

if you don't you just have to re-record the audio into you computer just like you normally would through your sound card.

and yes you change the minidiscs.

check out: www.sony.com look under portable audio/minidisc

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: JohnnyRoy

Date:3/9/2005 4:30:39 PM

We are not yelling at you. We are just trying to be clear so you can understand us.

Minidisc recorders are a technology that Sony introduced several years ago when memory was still very, very expensive. Minidiscs are basically CD technology (only smaller) with file compression. You cannot take the minidisc out and put it in your computer. It only plays in the minidisc player.

Yes the minidiscs are replaceable so you can build up a collection of them. Not all minidisc players can record with a microphone so make sure the one you buy has a mic input.

Coolout, can you suggest the model number of a minidisc recorder in the $99-150 range that records with a microphone, because all the ones I saw in that price range had no mic or line inputs. You had to go into the $250+ range to get a mic input.

I must agree it’s very confusing because at the B&H site the Sony MZNH600D is listed as a Hi-MD Minidisc Player/Recorder yet on Minidisco.com it states in bold print No Mic or line input next to that models description. The specs on the B&H site make no mention of any inputs. This is very deceiving because when they say “record” they really mean transfer data via USB to the mini CD and NOT record audio. BTW, Sony’s site calls it a Hi-MD Walkman Digital Music Player. It does NOT have recorder in the “official” name.

~jr

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Moxx

Date:3/9/2005 6:08:39 PM

Would this work

http://www.planetminidisc.com/mds-je480.html
erm...copy/paste.

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: MyST

Date:3/9/2005 6:27:12 PM

Sony has an inexpensive digital voice recorder with external mic input and USB cable.

Here it is at a Canadian online store. It should be about $100US.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&dept=19&sku_id=0665000FS10042664&catid=10089&newdeptid=19#

Mario

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Moxx

Date:3/9/2005 6:39:19 PM

If I were able to, say, sit it down, make a beat on a table ur sumthin', and stop recording, would it be easy to do that with any of these products with little blank space?

If not how would I eliminate that space in a loop without an editor like sound forge?

MyST, that sounds and looks good, but it's like completely out of stock, and the customer reviews say it has bad sound amplification.

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: MyST

Date:3/9/2005 6:50:17 PM

You could easily edit that space out in Acid.
BTW, don't make a beat on the same table you're going to sit the recorder on.
;-)

Also, I think they mean using the built-in microphone.
I have no experience with these, but if it's digital and you use a good quality mic...
Then again, I have a digital answering machine and it's CRAP for sound.
Others can chime in here.
The table top model might be good as long as you record close to it. What happens if you want to record elsewhere?

Mario

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Moxx

Date:3/9/2005 6:53:26 PM

About the beats, yeah, LOL.

I was thinking an extension cord ur 20, lol.
I dunno.



I'd probably want a portable one up to $150 (not a player, a recorder) with mic and usb input.

Yall find anything like that?

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: coolout

Date:3/10/2005 3:22:50 AM

i think you guys may be right about the cheaper NET MD decks.

in the past if a minidisc deck said "recorder/player" that meant that it had a least a regular analog input. the whole NET MD thing just came out last summer and i think it's propietary sony stuff, as a reaction to apple making a killing off ipods and the fact that minidisc has pretty much tanked over the years. it's kind of like the old beta/VHS wars in the 80's...just because you have a superior format doesn't mean you'll come out on top.

damn shame too, because minidisc addresses my biggest beef with CDs...the fact CDs seem designed to be disposable. you'd think in the 20-30 years it took for a digital format to arrive that could replace vinyl records, they'd make it so it couldn't be SCRATCHED. unless they DESIGNED it that way...and CD-Rs are the worst. i remember walking into bestbuy a couple of years ago and seeing a little section (about a 1/10th the size of the CD section) of major artist albums on minidisc. i thought, "cool, CDs that are smaller in size and will never get scratched"

sony loves to change things up, so i guess the NET MD decks have replaced the audio input with a USB port so it can only transfer audio from the deck to a computer and not record live audio. i don't have the time to check the 20 different NET MD models that sony has put out to verify though.

none of this matters because a regular portable minidisc with a line input should be pretty easy to find online. just look for a sony one that doesn't say NET MD or look for a aiwa or sharp deck.

here's one off amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005T3MK/ref=pd_sbs_e_3/102-7833388-3856122?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Moxx

Date:3/10/2005 5:25:31 AM

Does that have a mic input?

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: JohnnyRoy

Date:3/10/2005 6:57:54 AM

> Does that have a mic input?

No, just a Line-in. That means you will need a mixer to record onto it. At that point you would be better off spending the $250 and get one that records with a mic.

I don’t know how serious you are with all of this, but the easiest method might be to just go to K-Mart and buy a $10 cassette tape recorder to record you banging on the table.

~jr

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Moxx

Date:3/10/2005 1:30:13 PM

How about this, $180 and mic input.

http://minidisco.com/md-mt280s.html

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: coolout

Date:3/10/2005 2:43:43 PM

man...that table must really sound good.

that one will work. i have a sharp MD-SR60 it has a mic input, a line input, and digital input. i got from sears 4 years ago for around 100 bucks.

here's some on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67851&item=5757285190&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

and

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67851&item=5758586049&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

i wouldn't spend more than $150 for a new one because the used ones are so cheap.

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Moxx

Date:3/10/2005 2:49:04 PM

The table was just an example, lol.

Does the one for $180 have usb input?
I couldn't find where it says so.


If so it is perfect.


But then I have to get a mic...

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Weevil

Date:3/10/2005 5:59:42 PM

...I gotta admit, I saw a thread called ‘microphones’, it contained 25 posts and I instantly thought ‘Okay, who is red arguing with this time?’...

Subject:RE: Microphone

Reply by: Zacchino

Date:3/10/2005 11:24:42 PM

lol