Re: [ARSCLIST] Mic Pre-Amps for Field Recording?

[Ed and Emily Moser <emnem@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At the risk of getting tomatoes thrown at me, I'll tell you what I think. At
the low end, Mackie pres are better. So I'd look at a 1202 mixer if I were
in that situation. I don't think it's cost effective to upgrade the pres
from there until you have at least $1200 to $1400 piled up.

Also, it depends a hell of a lot whether you're recording analog or digital.
If it's digital, and you haven't bought the deck yet, you've got to consider
whether the money would be better spent on the converters-- which in the
world of mobile recording usually means a better deck than you'd otherwise
get. I mean, I can see how it might be better if you mixed through the cheap
Mackie mixer w/it's pres and recorded digital with half decent clocking, as
opposed to dropping bucks on some pres but the deck makes it sound like an
MP3, or worse.

OTOH, mobile recording usually means that you're not lugging rackmount
channel strips around anyway, so I'm not sure how practical all this really
is. Looking at the web site, I see all kinds of stuff listed (and rated)
that I'd steer clear of in terms of travelworthiness and cost effectiveness.
Anyway, if you've got a working mobile setup and you have $400 or so and
you're thinking about upgrading the sound and you're thinking about your
pres, then the odds are that the best place to put the money is upgrading
the mic.

In the "consider your converter quality" vein, I can't agree with your minor
mention of Nagra products, although I've never handled an RCX220 myself. I
only know from the Nagra IVS or the Nagra V. Now that's a lot more deck than
most of the products listed on your page, suitable for film production with
sync. But since your asking about pres, I assume we're talking about sound
quality, and that's what you'd want to aim for. IMHO.

Hope this helps!

--Ed

----- Original Message -----
From: "andy kolovos" <akolovos@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 2:15 PM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Mic Pre-Amps for Field Recording?


> Folks,
>
> Just wanted to tap the collective skills of those list members engaged
> in field recording.  I'm interested in hearing what mobile mic pre-amps
> people recommend for interview and music field recording.  Stand alone
> boxes, in-line doo-dads and field mixers are all of interest.  Price
> ranges from around $1,000 to two bits are appropriate, but my main
> interest is in learning about decent stuff in the $50 to $450 range.
>
> This is something I've been thinking about personally, but I also want
> to expand the discussion of portable mic pre-amps on the field recording
> webpage I maintain for the job:
>
> www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/res_audioequip.htm
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> andy
>
> --
> *********************************
> Andy Kolovos
> Archivist/Folklorist
> Vermont Folklife Center
> P.O. Box 442
> Middlebury, VT 05753
> (802) 388-4964
> akolovos @ vermontfolklifecenter.org
> http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org