Bob wrote:

The Sharp 821 has a noisy microphone preamp at low levels. I was
going to buy a $300+ preamp (Denecke AD-20) to help fix that, but had
second thoughts and now I'm leaning toward a Sony PCMM1 Portable DAT
Recorder.

How soon do you need it? http://www.sounddevices.com/products/7.htm

I have a PCM-M1, and I also have a AT-822, and they work well together. The only
time I run into trouble is if I'm recording a particularly loud rock band, and
the pre-amp overloads even with the -20 pad on. I've also tried using the mic on
'line-in' setting, but then the level isn't high enough, so there can be a grey
area in the gain stage where no setting is quite right. But for recording nature
sounds, it should be just fine.

Here's a link to the official Sony site about it -
http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Professiona...sp=78&id=12449

-Neb

"Bob" wrote in message
...
Howdy,

I currently use a Sharp MD-MT821-S Minidisc recorder with an Audio
Technica AT822 stereo microphone to record nature sounds like bird
calls, lightning, rainfall, etc., then burn CD's for friends and it's
been a big hit.

The Sharp 821 has a noisy microphone preamp at low levels. I was
going to buy a $300+ preamp (Denecke AD-20) to help fix that, but had
second thoughts and now I'm leaning toward a Sony PCMM1 Portable DAT
Recorder.

Is the Sony PCMM1clean enough that I wont need a preamp for my Audio
Technica AT822? They claim it has the same preamp as the Sony's SBM1.

Any help, comments, or advise would be greatly appreciated,
including where to buy a PCMM1 for the best price. I'm also looking
for a PDF manual for the PCMM1 if anyone knows where to download one.
I've done extensive Googling with no joy.

TIA,
Bob

Oade brothers have a mic pre upgrade to fill that gap (www.oade.com).
Another option is an external pre, but then you end up with more gear.

I had an M1 for a couple of years and it was a great recorder. I decided to
sell it while folks still pay a mint for DAT recorders. I'm now just using a
Nomad JB3 as my recorder and it seems to work well. I have to use an
external pre (it only has line in) but it does pretty well as both my
recorder and MP3 player. The input circuitry of the M1 was far superior, but
I don't get out to tape like I used to and the JB3 is good enough for now.

Matt


"clamnebula" wrote in message
...
I have a PCM-M1, and I also have a AT-822, and they work well together.
The only
time I run into trouble is if I'm recording a particularly loud rock band,
and
the pre-amp overloads even with the -20 pad on. I've also tried using the
mic on
'line-in' setting, but then the level isn't high enough, so there can be a
grey
area in the gain stage where no setting is quite right. But for recording
nature
sounds, it should be just fine.

Here's a link to the official Sony site about it -

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Professiona...sp=78&id=12449

-Neb

"Bob" wrote in message
...
Howdy,

I currently use a Sharp MD-MT821-S Minidisc recorder with an Audio
Technica AT822 stereo microphone to record nature sounds like bird
calls, lightning, rainfall, etc., then burn CD's for friends and it's
been a big hit.

The Sharp 821 has a noisy microphone preamp at low levels. I was
going to buy a $300+ preamp (Denecke AD-20) to help fix that, but had
second thoughts and now I'm leaning toward a Sony PCMM1 Portable DAT
Recorder.

Is the Sony PCMM1clean enough that I wont need a preamp for my Audio
Technica AT822? They claim it has the same preamp as the Sony's SBM1.

Any help, comments, or advise would be greatly appreciated,
including where to buy a PCMM1 for the best price. I'm also looking
for a PDF manual for the PCMM1 if anyone knows where to download one.
I've done extensive Googling with no joy.

TIA,
Bob