Dear Rob and all
My thoughts, here, are not attempts to change your mind about
reverb, or about the model; but during this discussion, we are all
considering our own options.
Personally, I would like to avoid artificial reverb for the reasons,
you yourself suggest; but I am wondering whether the H2 has allowed
you to test the mike orientation and distance variations suggested by
DvO.
I am thinking that while the H2 is a very convenient pocket solution,
it might also be part of the problem. If you are hoping to control
the recording, and play at the same time, you probably want the recorder
at arms length, but is this far enough away from you?
As far as I can make out from reviews, the H2 does not have a remote,
so if you want to have the machine at a distance, you would have to
start it, sit down and play, but you would no longer see the signal
meters.
One solution would be exterior mikes. You can have the machine near
you, and the mikes at the ideal distance; but you lose the
convenience of internal mikes.
I notice that the Edirol R-09HR does have a remote (but is it just
for playback?), but it is about $200 more than the H2. The Edirol
also has a built in speaker, while I am not sure about the H2.
I found this comparative page:
http://www.wingfieldaudio.com/compare-portable-recorders.html
Looking through various reviews, it seems that three players stand
out in terms of solidity, the Sony, the Marantz and the Olympus,
which all have some metal in their cases.
I also found these comparative recordings. I was very struck by the
difference between the Marantz, and all the others when listening to
the cello:
http://www.wingfieldaudio.com/portable-recorder-sound-samples.html
The difference is probably mainly due to the mikes. However, it does
sound as though the Marantz might have some high frequency filtering
that might result in a sound that needs less reverb.
Although, it might not be so neutral. This is what the comparative
says about sound quality and Mikes:
Marantz PMD620: Very good. To our ears, the Marantz PMD620 sounds a
bit rounder and sweeter than the other products in its class. Very
flattering to acoustic instruments.
H2 : The sound quality is good, incredibly good for the price, but to
my ears it sounds a bit "colored" like the Zoom H4.
Sony PCM-D50 : Sound quality is very good. To our ears, the Sony PCM-
D50 is clean and detailed, but a bit edgy in moments that would be
taken in stride by the smooth and confident PCM-D1.
Nonetheless, it sounds better than most other handheld recorders on
the market and its price is nearly 70% less than the PCM-D1.
Olympus LS-10 : Very good. Check out our sound samples and compare
the LS-10 to the others. The LS-10 has an impressively low noise
floor too. Quite extraordinary for such a little device.
Edirol R-09HR: Good. To our ears, the R-09HR sounds more neutral and
"laid back" than the R-09.
The review says the H2 is incredible value, so I am not trying to
change your mind, I quite understand what you want it for. I am just
wondering whether owners of these other machines might like to comment.
Sorry if I am hijacking the thread a little.
Anthony
Le 22 nov. 08 à 10:58, Rob MacKillop a écrit :
OK - my final tests!
[1]http://www.songoftherose.co.uk/test2
A few from David Tayler (various 'anonimous' settings) and a few
samples from the free Glaceverb.
Time to revise what I am trying to do here. If the result is that a
4,000 dollar piece of kit sounds better than a freebie - well,
we could
have guessed that from the outset. I'm not trying to get 'as
good as a
CD' on my laptop for minimal outlay. I'm just trying to make
decent mp3
files for my website. The question then is, should I go for a
straight
recording with no added reverb? Some of you obviously favour that.
However, to me it sounds dry. There is no bleeding between
notes, no
subtle overlap of resonance, which I alsways look for in a
venue. This
helps me phrase better. The problem with trying to recreate that
ambience is that by adding electronic reverb, the reverberation
is done
after the performance and cannot influence the performance. So
there is
much to weigh up.
All your comments and soundfiles have been useful, so many
thanks, but
ultimately I'll go with what feels right for me. The great
positive is
that I can do this sitting at home for almost no cash outlay.
Booking
someone to record and Master a disc would cost as much as buying
the
instrument in the first place. I think I can make better recordings
than I have done before now, and I hope all this has been of use to
some of you.
Rob MacKillop
--
References
1. http://www.songoftherose.co.uk/test2
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