Is there such a thing as stereo MP3 recorder (like for concerts?)

[AnitaPeterson]

Hi there,

I'm curious whether anyone knows of an mp3 recorder which can use a stereo microphone to record things like shows or concerts in really good quality.

I know there are mp3 players which double as digital voice recorders, but the quality is probably lousy.

So, is there a device that accepts inputs like microphones, to record directly in mp3 ?

 

[Lord Evermore]

That'd be illegal. (If you were on the staff or something you'd probably have better ways of finding what you need. )

I doubt you'll find anything that does direct to MP3 recording. How many people really ever record anything these days?

 

[AnitaPeterson]

The "illegal" part depends very much on where you are in he world and what company you're in. People are too scared these days and automatically assume things like this are illegal, without ever questioning the logic behind this reaction.

I am convinced that things like these exist - perhaps on the Asian market.

They would also be excellent for radio reporters. I know some who carry small MD recorders, so an MP3 device should be the next - and logical - step.

 

[PraetorianGuards]

Anita, I can't remember the name of the article but there was something on Slashdot about a device similar to what you're requesting...Don't remember the particulars, but it was pretty sweet, the article is only a couple days old I think.

 

[Joker81]

At some concerts you are able to plug directly into the soundboard depending on the muscian so its not always illegal. I think some people use MiniDisc Recorders with stereo mic. You need to have a left and right seperated to actually make a stereo recording.

 

[jaeger66]

Originally posted by: Lord Evermore
That'd be illegal.

There are still bands who let you record their shows, as long as you don't show up with a boom mic and a team of engineers.

 

[RalfHutter]

1)Why record something in the fairy low fidelity enviornment of "mp3" when you could get yourself a DAT or MiniDisc recorder and record in full glorious high fidelity? After you record in DAT or MiniDisc format you can dump the file to your HDD and rip it to mp3, if that format floats your boat. There are many commercially available, small, stereo DAT recorders available.

2)I'm also fairly sure that the large majority of commercial bands would frown upon you recording their live music no matter if you are in the US, Canada, or East Mongolia. I've had very good luck with smaller bands and non-commercial artists by asking for their permission prior to recording their performance. Occaisionally they'll even let you plug into the soundboard so you end up with a very high quality recording.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Praetorian, thanks for the tip... I found not one, but two devices (although one is fairly large and expensive):

http://www.core-sound.com/HighResRecorderNews.html#NEWS

http://www.micsupply.com/722.htm

 

[Lord Evermore]

Technically the bands don't even own the copyright to their music, so it isn't up to them whether you can record a show. And asking and being allowed to plug into a soundboard isn't the same as sneaking in a recorder.

 

[billandopus]

Let's say you're recording something legally - like your son's concert at home - alright, with that out of the way many people I know use MD recorders with an external mike and they seem to get good quality. There are many websites out there AFAIK that deal with this kind of stuff. Good luck.

 

[Mingon]

what about the archos jukebox recorder

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Lord Evermore
Technically the bands don't even own the copyright to their music, so it isn't up to them whether you can record a show. And asking and being allowed to plug into a soundboard isn't the same as sneaking in a recorder.

"Technically" your reply is OT and useless to the poster's question - please keep your inane moralizing to yourself .

If you want really good quality recording, a mini-disc or DAT would be far superior to a MP3 recorder and are available with hi-quality mic inputs (plus they can also be rather small).

 

[sharkeeper]

So you're looking for a Rio type device with record capabilities?

-DAK-

 

[AnitaPeterson]

yes, something along those lines.

*edit* cool, the Archos Jukebox Recorder 20 seems to be the right item, and it records music in real time at bitrates up to 160 Kbps... which is pretty decent...

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: AnitaPeterson
yes, something along those lines.

*edit* cool, the Archos Jukebox Recorder 20 seems to be the right item, and it records music in real time at bitrates up to 160 Kbps... which is pretty decent...

What I am curious about is WHY you prefer MP3 as your choice of recording format.



Anything the mp3 recorder can do, a DAT or minidisc can do better - especially at a live concert.

The Jukebox comes with a padded case with a belt holder on the back. The case gives the surprisingly fragile unit some protection, but it's not the prettiest thing, and we wouldn't be caught dead wearing it on our belts. Just remember to be very careful with the Jukebox since it has a hard drive.

However, I guess if you are just looking for "casual" concert recording, the Archnos at $220 looks pretty good.

Are you certain the 1/8-inch cable connect allows for "real" stereo mic inputs?

 

[FishTankX]

One thing that I would like to point out, is to get a high quality recording from an flash MP3 player for anything over 30 minutes, you'd have to have quite a bit of free space.

That being said, i've seen one Samsung voice recorder, with a Mic in port that would record at atrociously low bitrates, like this.. Unfortunatley, the only Mp3 players with robust recording features, that I know of, at this point.. are harddrive based players.

I might add, that much of the recording 'Quality', has to do with the Mic Preamp, and the Mic itself. My minidisc recorder sounds stupendous when mated with twin binaural Mics from the sound professionals, and a mini preamp. As close to CD quality as you're going to get. Once I plug in my dinky voice recording Mic (Afraid my good Mic's will have something bad happen to them) even the highest bitrate recording modes all sound like complete and total garbage.

Often times, if you want truly high recording quality, you'll probably have to (Depending on your standards) invest more in Mic (And possibly preamp) than you paid for the recorder itself.

 

[FishTankX]

Eek. Double post. See next post.

 

[FishTankX]

Originally posted by: FishTankX

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: AnitaPeterson
yes, something along those lines.

*edit* cool, the Archos Jukebox Recorder 20 seems to be the right item, and it records music in real time at bitrates up to 160 Kbps... which is pretty decent...

What I am curious about is WHY you prefer MP3 as your choice of recording format.



Anything the mp3 recorder can do, a DAT or minidisc can do better - especially at a live concert.

The Jukebox comes with a padded case with a belt holder on the back. The case gives the surprisingly fragile unit some protection, but it's not the prettiest thing, and we wouldn't be caught dead wearing it on our belts. Just remember to be very careful with the Jukebox since it has a hard drive.

However, I guess if you are just looking for "casual" concert recording, the Archnos at $220 looks pretty good.

Are you certain the 1/8-inch cable connect allows for "real" stereo mic inputs?

The Archos jukebox would need a preamp between Mic and Line in to operate properly. It has no 'Mic' port, so to speak. The difference in voltage between Mic and line can be on the magnitude of 1000X (if I remember correctly). So you would hear little, if anything, coming into the recorder by directly jacking in the mic.

The best mic preamps can run as much as 1000$! But even you're common battery box (which would only work optimally in loud conditions) would cost upwards of 80$, and a good preamp (which would allow you to record from Line under any condition) would cost 120$+. Sorry, harddrive recorders were not meant to record from Mic's, rather from CD players and other music sources.

Anita, I'm sorry.. but at this point you really have only 2 options for MP3 digital recorders, that come to my mind.

Either #1 Preamp + Mic + Archos. The Archos and a good quality preamp would set you back 350$.

Or #2 The stupid voice pen thingeys that record at 32Kbps and sound like utter crap.

My strong suggestion would be to look into minidisc. Uploading through the line out of the mindisc player to your line in, while slow, gives astonishingly good results, and an MD recorder with a decent internal preamp (Sharp, and to a lesser extent, sony) would cost you under 200$.

Not to mention Sharp Minidisc recorders have something even Sony and Panasonic (As well as the entirety of all MP3 recorders known to man, if My memory serves me correctly) is sensitivy (volume) adjustments, on the fly.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

OK, MiniDisc it is, then...

You see, my concern is that in order to go from MD to computer (for CD mastering) I'd have to go through analog connections, since I don't think any portable comes with optical output... so isn't this eliminating the sound advantages of the MD ?

 

[Mingon]

Ignore this if I am barking up the wrong tree but could you not use a boostaroo? if you could change the plugs around and get it to work in reverse it would be OK I think.

 

[tgscordv6]

Originally posted by: AnitaPeterson
OK, MiniDisc it is, then...

You see, my concern is that in order to go from MD to computer (for CD mastering) I'd have to go through analog connections, since I don't think any portable comes with optical output... so isn't this eliminating the sound advantages of the MD ?

I have to sign up for this board just to tell you that most MD players (at least not Sony) allow you to "upload" tracks to the computer. Please check with people from www.minidisct.com

 

[onelin]

I am pretty sure minidiscs can have optical, but unsure. Anyways, I know these exist as my friend has a keychain sized mp3 voice recorder...if it's stereo, that I'm unsure of. I won't question what your use is, I'll post w/ the name of the product if I find out.

 

[SexyK]

For the record, iRiver's new series of flash portables have a line-in port and real time MP3 encoding.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

tgscordv6, I went to that site, but I've not been able to find the info regarding transfer to computer... are you talking about NetMD?

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: tgscordv6

Originally posted by: AnitaPeterson
OK, MiniDisc it is, then...

You see, my concern is that in order to go from MD to computer (for CD mastering) I'd have to go through analog connections, since I don't think any portable comes with optical output... so isn't this eliminating the sound advantages of the MD ?

I have to sign up for this board just to tell you that most MD players (at least not Sony) allow you to "upload" tracks to the computer. Please check with people from www.minidisct.com

Welcome!