RECORDING SHOWS.. WHAT DO I NEED

[Tim Nickerson]

I'm willing to buy a Sony Minidisc to record and archive every show they do. Which one should I buy? And should I buy something other than sony?

[Tim Nickerson]

note: ill be plugging straight to the soundboard

[Jeff]

Awesome. I was wondering about recording shows as well, since I expect to be at the upcoming Boston shows and NYE I thought I would investigate ways to do it. I don't know the first thing about it though, and don't own any minidisc or ipod type stuff.

[onlycrayons]

I've never used a minidisc, so I can't offer specific advice. To plug into the sound board, you will need some kind of cable. The minidsic probably has a 1/8 inch input jack. The soundboard will have XLR or 1/4 inch output, maybe 1/8 inch. So you will need a cable that has the right ends.

The recorder I use at work is a Samson Zoom H4, $249 at B&H:
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/445854-REG/Zoom_H4_H4_Mobile_Stereo_Field.html

It has a great built in mic, and accepts XLR or 1/4 inch input. It records on a SD card, or straight to your computer via USB.

I have a friend who works in radio, I'll ask him about minidisc suggestions.

[Tim Nickerson]

that would be great.. im looking for the best possible quality too... obviously

[Nuphus]

Let me first say "Tim, you're the man. Thank you for stepping forward".

Crayons is right about B&H. They seem to be the best when it comes to Professional Video and Audio for availability and price. I haven't checked prices on-line, but my catalog has about 2 pages dedicated to Digital Audio Recorders. I'd call the guys direct B&H Pro Audio phone # [phone] I've had the same problem in the past with too many products to know which is the best one. I've always called them and told them what I'm looking to do and what my limitations are (usually $).

I've used my Creative Labs Zen Vplus 2GB MP3 player in the past. It has a built in mic (only good when standing way in the back of the venue) and a line-in (which has worked very well once plugged into a board somewhere). The only problem is that the mic records in WAV and the line-in records as WMV. It works in a pinch and only cost me $80 for the unit and another $40 for mini-mic and other adapters and connectors for the line-in 1/8 connection problem.

Well, Thanks again for taking this on your shoulders.

[dev]

Mostly, I've used a Sony MiniDisc to record, stealth-style, in venues such as the Orpheum here in Boston. The only problem I ever encountered with them is that on the highest quality setting, you typically run out of space on the MiniDisc.

I'd reccommend Sony b/c of the brand's reliability and the ease of operation. Though if you can afford a DAT, go for it.

**take this as you will, as my Roxy recording with my laptop was a bust....,**

[Tim Nickerson]

thanks dev, nuphus... any everyone else.. i do think ill be getting a sony... ill let ya all know what i get soon!

[onlycrayons]

Alright Tim, for what it's worth, my friends uses a Sony HI MD Recorder MZ-M200. He uses it for interviews and to record his broadcasts.