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#1
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using a voice recorder to record music
Hi,
I've recently started doing a bit of african drumming and I'd like to record some bits of group drumming so that i can practice at home i was wondering if a standard digital voice recorder that you can get on ebay for about £30 would be up to the job. are they only designed for talking straight into the machine or can they record sounds from further away (say normal talking 10 feet away)? if not, what should I use instead? Just to be clear, I'm not looking for something of sufficient quality to sample, or even to play back on the hi-fi and drum along to. I just want to be able to play it back and remember how the rhythm goes - preferably being able to hear what the teacher is saying my phone (sony w660i) has a voice record feature but that was not up to the task. I'd be prepared to spend up to £100 but not unless i have a high degree of confidence that the results would be better than this. Thanks for any advice Andy |
#2
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 03:18:44 -0800 (PST), Andy Fish
wrote: I've recently started doing a bit of african drumming and I'd like to record some bits of group drumming so that i can practice at home i was wondering if a standard digital voice recorder that you can get on ebay for about £30 would be up to the job. are they only designed for talking straight into the machine or can they record sounds from further away (say normal talking 10 feet away)? if not, what should I use instead? Just to be clear, I'm not looking for something of sufficient quality to sample, or even to play back on the hi-fi and drum along to. I just want to be able to play it back and remember how the rhythm goes - preferably being able to hear what the teacher is saying my phone (sony w660i) has a voice record feature but that was not up to the task. I'd be prepared to spend up to £100 but not unless i have a high degree of confidence that the results would be better than this. Up your budget a little and get the Zoom H2. |
#3
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
On Jan 18, 11:20*am, Laurence Payne wrote:
On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 03:18:44 -0800 (PST), Andy Fish wrote: I've recently started doing a bit of african drumming and I'd like to record some bits of group drumming so that i can practice at home i was wondering if a standard digital voice recorder that you can get on ebay for about £30 would be up to the job. are they only designed for talking straight into the machine or can they record sounds from further away (say normal talking 10 feet away)? if not, what should I use instead? Just to be clear, I'm not looking for something of sufficient quality to sample, or even to play back on the hi-fi and drum along to. I just want to be able to play it back and remember how the rhythm goes - preferably being able to hear what the teacher is saying my phone (sony w660i) has a voice record feature but that was not up to the task. I'd be prepared to spend up to £100 but not unless i have a high degree of confidence that the results would be better than this. Up your budget a little and get the Zoom H2.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Thanks for that advice - I hadn't spotted that one in my hunting round. I'm very tempted by the zoom because it's aimed directly at my requirements. It's definitely what I would go for if money wasn't an issue. However, it is 5 times the price of a simple voice recorder. Since i'm not after particularly high quality sound, would the cheaper option be an acceptable solution? |
#4
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
However, it is 5 times the price of a simple voice recorder. Since i'm not after particularly high quality sound, would the cheaper option be an acceptable solution? I don't think a cheap voice recorder is going to be any better than your mobile 'phone. |
#5
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
"Laurence Payne" wrote in message ... However, it is 5 times the price of a simple voice recorder. Since i'm not after particularly high quality sound, would the cheaper option be an acceptable solution? I don't think a cheap voice recorder is going to be any better than your mobile 'phone. Depends on the phone and the available storage, a voice recorder will hold a lot of hours of recordings even in high-quality mode. Either way would take a few practice goes to get the positioning correct and echo might affect the quality, but I reckon a voice recorder will do the job. |
#6
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
"Andy Fish" wrote ...
my phone (sony w660i) has a voice record feature but that was not up to the task. It would be very helpful if you would disclose exactly what it was that you found "not up to the task"? |
#7
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:54:37 -0000, "Mentalguy2k8"
wrote: I don't think a cheap voice recorder is going to be any better than your mobile 'phone. Depends on the phone and the available storage, a voice recorder will hold a lot of hours of recordings even in high-quality mode. Either way would take a few practice goes to get the positioning correct and echo might affect the quality, but I reckon a voice recorder will do the job. Was the problem with the mobile lack of storage or lack of quality? |
#8
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
On Jan 18, 3:20*pm, Laurence Payne wrote:
On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:54:37 -0000, "Mentalguy2k8" wrote: I don't think a cheap voice recorder is going to be any better than your mobile 'phone. Depends on the phone and the available storage, a voice recorder will hold a lot of hours of recordings even in high-quality mode. Either way would take a few practice goes to get the positioning correct and echo might affect the quality, but I reckon a voice recorder will do the job. Was the problem with the mobile lack of storage or lack of quality? the problem was audio quality - there was a lot of background noise and the sound was just not clear - not much better than you would have got by just listening over the phone. I suspect a low quality microphone and limited frequency bandwidth were the cause. this is why i was a bit dubious about using something termed "voice recorder". |
#9
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
On Jan 18, 6:10*pm, Andy Fish wrote:
On Jan 18, 3:20*pm, Laurence Payne wrote: On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:54:37 -0000, "Mentalguy2k8" wrote: I don't think a cheap voice recorder is going to be any better than your mobile 'phone. Depends on the phone and the available storage, a voice recorder will hold a lot of hours of recordings even in high-quality mode. Either way would take a few practice goes to get the positioning correct and echo might affect the quality, but I reckon a voice recorder will do the job. Was the problem with the mobile lack of storage or lack of quality? the problem was audio quality - there was a lot of background noise and the sound was just not clear - not much better than you would have got by just listening over the phone. I suspect a low quality microphone and limited frequency bandwidth were the cause. this is why i was a bit dubious about using something termed "voice recorder". to clarify my requirement a bit more - i would be happy with the sound from the built in microphone on a cassette recorder like i used to have in the 70's, but the sound recorded from my phone was well short of this |
#10
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
"Andy Fish" wrote:
the problem was audio quality - there was a lot of background noise But that has much more to do with WHERE the microphone is than with the "quality" of the microphone. The best microphone ever made will pick up a lot of background noise if it isn't in the right place. Note that microphones often need to be closer to the sounds than our ears would need because microphones aren't hard-wired to brains. and the sound was just not clear - not much better than you would have got by just listening over the phone. So maybe limited frequency response. Although it still isn't clear why THAT would be a problem when capturing only the rhythm? Or maybe high distortion because what you are trying to record is much louder than typical close-up speech? I suspect a low quality microphone and limited frequency bandwidth were the cause. this is why i was a bit dubious about using something termed "voice recorder". Indeed, if it is those "voice recorder" characteristics that are making your recordings unsuitable, then it seems unlikely that any "voice recorder" will do what you are asking. |
#11
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:24:54 -0800, "Richard Crowley"
wrote: the problem was audio quality - there was a lot of background noise But that has much more to do with WHERE the microphone is than with the "quality" of the microphone. The best microphone ever made will pick up a lot of background noise if it isn't in the right place. Note that microphones often need to be closer to the sounds than our ears would need because microphones aren't hard-wired to brains. Maybe we should think less pedantically about what he might mean by "background noise". |
#12
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
"Laurence Payne" wrote ...
"Richard Crowley" wrote... But that has much more to do with WHERE the microphone is than with the "quality" of the microphone. The best microphone ever made will pick up a lot of background noise if it isn't in the right place. Note that microphones often need to be closer to the sounds than our ears would need because microphones aren't hard-wired to brains. Maybe we should think less pedantically about what he might mean by "background noise". In a sense, it doesn't matter if "background noise" means surf or traffic or audience or woodwind section in HIS (undisclosed) context. In any case, moving the microphone to a more suitable spot will mitigate any and all of those "problems". |
#13
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 12:56:30 -0800, "Richard Crowley"
wrote: But that has much more to do with WHERE the microphone is than with the "quality" of the microphone. The best microphone ever made will pick up a lot of background noise if it isn't in the right place. Note that microphones often need to be closer to the sounds than our ears would need because microphones aren't hard-wired to brains. Maybe we should think less pedantically about what he might mean by "background noise". In a sense, it doesn't matter if "background noise" means surf or traffic or audience or woodwind section in HIS (undisclosed) context. In any case, moving the microphone to a more suitable spot will mitigate any and all of those "problems". You're still thinking "in the box". A recording can be noisy. That noise didn't HAVE to come in through the microphone. |
#14
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
On Sun, 18 Jan 2009, Laurence Payne wrote:
On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 12:56:30 -0800, "Richard Crowley" wrote: But that has much more to do with WHERE the microphone is than with the "quality" of the microphone. The best microphone ever made will pick up a lot of background noise if it isn't in the right place. Note that microphones often need to be closer to the sounds than our ears would need because microphones aren't hard-wired to brains. Maybe we should think less pedantically about what he might mean by "background noise". In a sense, it doesn't matter if "background noise" means surf or traffic or audience or woodwind section in HIS (undisclosed) context. In any case, moving the microphone to a more suitable spot will mitigate any and all of those "problems". You're still thinking "in the box". A recording can be noisy. That noise didn't HAVE to come in through the microphone. Then it's not "background noise". Michael |
#15
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
On Jan 18, 7:54*am, Andy Fish wrote:
On Jan 18, 11:20*am, Laurence Payne wrote: On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 03:18:44 -0800 (PST), Andy Fish wrote: I've recently started doing a bit of african drumming and I'd like to record some bits of group drumming so that i can practice at home i was wondering if a standard digital voice recorder that you can get on ebay for about £30 would be up to the job. are they only designed for talking straight into the machine or can they record sounds from further away (say normal talking 10 feet away)? if not, what should I use instead? Just to be clear, I'm not looking for something of sufficient quality to sample, or even to play back on the hi-fi and drum along to. I just want to be able to play it back and remember how the rhythm goes - preferably being able to hear what the teacher is saying my phone (sony w660i) has a voice record feature but that was not up to the task. I'd be prepared to spend up to £100 but not unless i have a high degree of confidence that the results would be better than this. Up your budget a little and get the Zoom H2.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Thanks for that advice - I hadn't spotted that one in my hunting round. I'm very tempted by the zoom because it's aimed directly at my requirements. It's definitely what I would go for if money wasn't an issue. However, it is 5 times the price of a simple voice recorder. Since i'm not after particularly high quality sound, would the cheaper option be an acceptable solution? All IMHO, The mic in these "voice' recorders is equal to a phone mic...If that quality is ok for you then Yes...otherwise, obviously the answer is No...it won't do. These cheap units are meant for close source, no background noise (and even if you get some, it doesn't matter 'cuz your secretary can bail you out). They are good for directly talking into the unit...do you follow? I you want anything even close to "fidelity" at a live (remote source) venue, you will "need" at least the Zoom or some equivalent (Sony, Presonus, Nagra, name your price point...this is what you can get for a high bit/high bitrate stereo condensers in a known configuration with credible storage). Quality costs...that's the bottom line. Five times the price...get over it...5x "close to nothing" is still not a bad price (currently under 2K for a decent location Sony PCM-D1, 1/4 that for a MZ-R900...1/8th for the Samson Zoom, you can also look at Neuros, iRiver, iAudio, Marantz, Edirol or M-Audio offerings for equivalent quality remote portable recorders at similar price points).Keep in mind, 10 years ago, it would have costs you 80 times what these units cost for the way lower quality. If you need real directional (got yourself bad seats) recording with a low noise floor, then try begging a stereo feed from the main board. You get what you pay for...this last option can grab you a Grammy. -CS |
#16
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
On Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:26:27 -0500, Michael Black
wrote: You're still thinking "in the box". A recording can be noisy. That noise didn't HAVE to come in through the microphone. Then it's not "background noise". It's noise in the background of the recording. Maybe that's what he meant. 20 points to us for insisting on the correct terminology. Minus 500 points for not looking beyond the wording to maybe discover the real problem. |
#17
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
Andy Fish wrote:
I'm very tempted by the zoom because it's aimed directly at my requirements. It's definitely what I would go for if money wasn't an issue. However, it is 5 times the price of a simple voice recorder. Since i'm not after particularly high quality sound, would the cheaper option be an acceptable solution? You pays yer money and makes yer choice. Voice recorders are liley to be similar quality to your phone. Do you havew a laptop by any chance ? geoff |
#18
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
"Laurence Payne" wrote ...
Michael Black wrote: You're still thinking "in the box". A recording can be noisy. That noise didn't HAVE to come in through the microphone. Then it's not "background noise". It's noise in the background of the recording. Maybe that's what he meant. 20 points to us for insisting on the correct terminology. Minus 500 points for not looking beyond the wording to maybe discover the real problem. This is always an issue. Unless we know who we're dealing with words like "noise" are effectively undefined. +200 points for at least making an educated asumption to keep the dialog moving along. |
#19
Posted to rec.audio.tech,alt.music.home-studio
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using a voice recorder to record music
Richard Crowley wrote:
+200 points for at least making an educated asumption to keep the dialog moving along. Indeed, keeping the ball rolling until it gets clear what it is about can be a tough chore. For serious sound recording, ie. ""usable"", the initial contraption today is kinda like a H2 or H4 from Zoom. If whatever it is/was the OP tried to use is cheaper than the cheapest of those, then it is likely to be money wasted. As for using a mobile phone .... the wordlength reduction, whatever it may be ... may provide something that is akin to 8 bits actual resolution. Kind regards Peter Larsen |
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