#664

i use panasonic BK-3MCCE (aka Eneloop), so i can finally stop having to charge batteries at the latest the day before i will use them. This plus green (charged) and red (used) powerpax battery holders make it manageable in the field. For the Mix Pre D i bring 8 batteries (plus a few non-rechargeable in the trunk just in case) for a day of work (powering two mics with ~3 mA consumption each).

#665

I use eneloop pro and fujitsu (I think they’re literally the same with different branding in disguise) on my Mixpre-6.

#666

These look like what I need, it’s not holding the charge when not in use which becomes a pain. I’ll give them a go. :+1:

#668

it’s theoretically extremely cool, but the mic is no bueno in my opinion. great for monitoring/acquiring bioacoustic data, but not so much for generating high-quality recordings. (it does record at 384, but the mic quality is subpar.) i had very high hopes. the ability to set timers, the size, the portability, etc, are great for a good portion of the work i’m doing at the moment. no externals; only writes to SD card (not to the usb port). but watch this company, as i’m sure all of the above will improve dramatically over time. i’m a big supporter of the product. if you would be interested i can sell you mine - I’ve used only twice, and in interior settings. DM me and we can work out a price.

#669

i suggest putting them on the ends of a coat hanger - this is a little wider than our ear distance, but it produces an interesting quasi-binaural effect, albeit without elevation cues.

edited just to clarify that the coat hanger is a chris watson technique, not my own.

#670

How is the signal to noise ratio?

#671

Hello, does anybody has some experiences with the Roland R-07 ? I’m thinking to take one or something as small !

#672

I was going to get one, until i listened to some audio exsamples. Did not like the sound of those mics. Went with an Olympus LS-P4 instead and couldnt be happier!

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#673

Thanks. It seems to be great too and the ability to read FLAC… !

#674

Sharing my first impression on Sony PCM D10:

I’ve been seeking for a replacement for my Tascam DR-100 MkIII, the top candidates are H4n Pro and LS-100, since XLR input is necessary to me so that PCM D100 is not a choice. Last week I went to my local Sony Shop to test this newly release recorder, and brought a NT4, a hydrophone and Shure headphones for the testing.

When I saw the specs online it seems it is equally the same as Tascam DR-100 MkIII in advertising perspective: 192kHz, dual ADCs, etc… the street price is okay (approx… USD459). What I really consider is the noise floor of the pre amp (XLR input operation). I first set it to MIC in and record, gain it to max, surprisingly the noise floor is very present if compare to my Tascam. when the analog trim is sat at 5 the noise became acceptable, but still noticeable. I take out my NT4 and did a brief test, seems the low end is a bit quieter to my ears, and I had checked the filter is off. Surely this is not a precise test I know, more of my personal feeling.

When I was doing the recording I found that the twin analog gain trims roll dials, the numbers that printed on them are not totally align, i.e 1-1 is align, but at the 4-4 position, print on one another roll dial is slightly off, I don’t know if every unit of this device is like this, but this is the second deal breaker to me, ‘cos I am a bit OCD for alignment.

I thought I would spent the money I was prepared but at the end I wasn’t.

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#675

Just got out with my Tascam DR-100 mkII yesterday. Does anyone have recommendations on mallets or other tools to coax sound out of found objects? Tried drum sticks last year but they made everything sound like drum sticks! A friend suggested packing a bow.

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#676

Maybe a repurposed piano hammer for smaller/more resonant objects?

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#677

You need a collection of beaters… but a bouncy ball on a stick would be my recommendation.

Hex bugs are great as ultra portable vibrators but they do hum. sound good in resonant spaces.use wire or elastic bands to get things shaking. Never taken a bow into the field but maybe a strip of wet rubbery plastic might work on some things.

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#678

Any thoughts on this parabola dish- fairly cheap on ebay

some comments on a facebook group about swapping out the mic.

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#679

Did you have anything connected to the XLRs for this test?

Apparently you can’t test pre-amp noise without a load attached (i.e. something connected to the XLR).

https://www.sounddevices.com/tech-notes/microphone-preamp-noise

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#680

Yes, that’s a good point–I wouldn’t write off the Sony just yet. It would also be helpful to hear a noise floor test with a good microphone recording quiet ambient sound. The D10 has digital limiters, but it looks like the recorder has a buffer recording the input at a lower level, and replaces distorted signal with the buffer. Would be interested to hear how it sounds in practice. On a recorder this expensive, the on-board mics should be excellent quality–otherwise, why not use something like a MixPre?

You can find a bunch of different inexpensive mallets on ebay. Would recommend getting both hard rubber, and felt heads. Also bought a cheap bow, but unsurprisingly–it’s not easy finding objects that bow well.

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#681

Thanks @sam, the link is great, I learn it now. No, on the first test I didn’t plug anything to it.

On the second test I plugged in a NT4.

Forgot to mention, its related bluetooth app is very good.

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#682

How do you select a cheap but decent bow? I’ve always considered it but don’t know how to weed out the utterly crap ones.

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#683

Good question. I picked out a random cheap violin bow, and figured it would be fine for bowing things like street signs and metal rods. My main complaint is, the bow is strung with horse hair, and I imagine it’s from and old and tired horse. If I use it indoors, visitors may ask, “Where are you hiding the horse, sir?” A decent violin bow usually costs in the neighborhood of $100, and mine was $5. I do wonder if the $20 bows would be appreciably better for my purposes, but have yet to buy one.

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#684

probably worth picking up some rosin before going and buying another bow

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