• Review Megavox Pro

What’s New, Pussycat?

Here’s a quick rundown on some of the physical changes in the new models. Both M-Audio and Edirol continue to upgrade their products via free firmware updates. Visit their sites (M-Audio; Edirol/Roland) to make sure you have the latest.

MicroTrack II vs. MicroTrack

• New color: Black
• 48V phantom power
• Analog limiter
• Improved battery with longer life and faster charging
• Selectable One Touch or Record Ready/Record operation
• Extended input range
• Records files larger than 2GB
• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed transfer
• Monitor S/PDIF input via headphones while recording
• Add markers while recording

Edirol replaced the rickety battery door on the original R-09 with a sturdier hatch.

Read the whole review here

Just like with audio recording, there is a trade-off between money, the amount of time you are willing to devote to processing the video, and the quality of the resultant video.  Finally, consider your final product.  If the target is just a youtube clip, then lower quality will probably be fine.  If you intend to produce DVDs then higher quality is a must.

Quick and Easy

A new camcorder format has recently picked up in popularity.  These are typified by the Flip Video series ($130-$180). It is very small, the quality isn’t perfect but is good enough, and records in a format that is suitable for uploading to youtube.  Most people do not edit the content produced by this recorder. 

The New York Times has a great review of this unit.  This would be great to grab clips of your harinam party, temple kirtans, and other events where a short clip is sufficient. 

Since it is flash based, copying the video to your computer is faster than real-time — a big problem with tape-based camcorders. 

DV Camcorder

The next step up is a mini-DV tape based camcorder.  These camcorders have been around for years and are very reliable.  The quality should be better than the flip, but not as good as an HD camcorder.  Price should be in the $250-$500 range.  In general I don’t recommend these anymore.  Technology is moving forward to the next generation of camcorders.  On the other side, if you are on a budget, you might be able to pick up a used one cheap at a garage sale, Craigslist, or eBay.  You’ll also need some video editing software and a firewire connector on your computer.  A decent model would be the Canon ZR950 ($250).

Do not buy any DVD based camcorder.  The quality is substandard and the media is pricey.  I’d only recommend one for someone that has no intention of editing the video after recording. 

HD Camcorder

The next step up is an HD camcorder.  I shoot all my current video using a Sony HDR-SR11 ($1100).  This records in full HD (1920x1080i) to a 60gig hard drive (or to a memory stick if you want).  The low-light performance is fairly good.  You can also manually adjust the exposure to increase the brightness in a darker space.  The camcorder also has the option of using an external mic, a headphone jack, and an external zoom control.  I’ve been very pleased with this camcorder.  The only thing I don’t like about this camcorder (and is common with the last Sony HD camcorder I used) is that it is slow to focus in low light.  This can be frustrating when out on a night harinam. Oh, and there is no native progressive recording mode so I have to convert to progressive as part of the editing process.  But, for 90% of what I record, this camera is perfect. 

Flash HD Camcorder

I mentioned above that Canon makes a very good competitor to the Sony including better low-light performance.  The Canon Vixia HF10 ($820).  This is a flash based camcorder with 16Gig built-in and a expansion SDHC slot for additional space.  I used to use a flash based Sony camcorder (Sony HDR-CX7) and definitely appreciated the small size and low weight.  The drawback is that if the class goes long and you are recording at high quality, then you have to stop and change the flash card  part-way through the class.  The CX7 used 8gig cards — perhaps the 16gig cards reduce the possibility of running out during a long class, kirtan or other performance.  The flash memory would still be limiting for all-day events like Rathayatra or Janmastami. 

Semi-Pro Camcorders

The next step up from the regular HD camcorders are the semi-pro HD camcorders.  Most are tape-based and record to HDV which is a variant of mini-DV.  These camcorders tend to be physically larger and perform VERY good in low-light conditions. 

No matter which camcorder you are interested in, research the camera online.  A very good website for camcorder reviews is at camcorderinfo.com. 

Also remember that each step up in quality requires a more powerful computer to edit and render the final video with the exception of HDV.  Computer resources go up from flip->minidv->HDV->AVCHD (flash and hard drive based HD).  If you do not have access to a high performance PC or Mac, then stick with the flip or minidv type camcorders.

Next week?  Lighting.

I usually have my bhajans setup with 1 mono vocal mic, 1 harmonium mic, 2 drum mics and perhaps a backup vocal mic.  I also use a stereo room microphone.  All but the room mic are then mixed down to two channels and recorded to my digital recorder.  The stereo room mic is recorded on my camcorder. 

So, what mixer to use?  Mackie makes some of the best mixers — if a bit pricey.  I like the Mackie VLZ3 series of mixers.  Pick the one that has the right number of XLR connectors for your expected count of microphones.  A good size model in that series is the 1402-VLZ3.  This has 6 XLR connectors for future growth, very good quality pre-amps, and nice controls.  If you are always recording bhajans in the temple room, this would also make a great mixer for the temple PA system.

There are smaller mixers in the VLZ3 series which might be better suited to your budget.

If you looked at my equipment list, you’ll notice that I don’t use this mixer for my own recordings.  Since I record at many different locations (home programs, indoors, outdoors, etc) I cannot always rely on power being available so I needed a mixer that could be battery powered.  Other than the Behringer that I ended up purchasing, I could only find very expensive field mixers in the $2500+ range (eg: Sound Devices 442).

The mixer I use is a Behringer Eurorack UBB1002 portable mixer ($99).  Behringer doesn’t generally get very good reviews for the quality of their pre-amps.   Behringer claims that (at least) for the first 2 channels on the mixer the quality is very good.  My experience is that for recording bhajans it has been good enough.  If someone can show me an alternative to this I’d appreciate it. 

The unit itself works as expected.  It is powered either an AC adaptor or by 2 9-volt batteries that last about 4hours.  The phantom power is provided by a third 9-volt battery.  I use rechargeable batteries so I don’t keep throwing away batteries.  The battery compartment is a pain to deal with.  It is a metal plate that is screwed on.  The opening for the 9v batteries is cramped.  It works, but could be better designed.  It has 5 XLR connectors which is just right for my normal setup. 

Like any decent mixer, you adjust the initial volume using the gain knobs at the top.  You can then do fine tuning adjustments using the faders.  You can also adjust the pan (left/right mix) of each channel.  There is a 3 channel EQ as well.  There are 4 outputs — each using standard 1/4″ jacks.  A stereo out which I feed into my digital recorder.  There is a mono monitor jack which I feed to my powered PA speaker if we’re at a home program and using amplification.  A mono FX jack — I don’t use it.  And a stereo headphone jack which can be used to monitor your mix.  I generally monitor at the recorder not the mixer so…  that is not used either.

Each channel has a clip light so you can see if any particular instrument’s gain is too high.  And there is a overall level meter for the final output mix. 

I’ve been pleased with this mixer.  Nothing fancy and gets the job done.

Next week?  I’ll start covering video equipment starting with camcorders…

First some basic terminology.  There is a great article on microhones on Wikipedia. 

There are two basic types of microphones.  Dynamic and Condenser.  Most temples use dynamic microphones for the PA system.  These microphones are generally very durable — a quality that is very important for a temple microphone.  Dynamic microphones are generally less responsive than a condenser microphone.  A Condenser microphone generally has better quality but are delicate.  Condenser microphones also require a power source — either provided by a built-in battery or through phantom power provided by your pre-amp. 

Another characteristic that is important to consider is the pickup pattern of the microphone.  A cardoid microphone is directional — it’ll pick up what you point at and will not pick up sound that is coming from a different direction.  An omnidirection microphone is just that — it’ll pick up sound from any direction. 

Lecture microphones

The Audio-Technica Pro-70 ($99) is a great cardoid condenser microphone.  The length of the cord is 6 feet (1.8m).  This is just right to put the microphone right next to the main temple microphone and have the battery box sit on the floor.  The cable is not removable so you can’t easily extend the cable.  If you are handy with a soldering iron, you could cut the cable and extend it yourself with the appropriate cable.  The box includes an XLR connector to connect to a microphone cable to your recording equipment.  The box also has a ‘low-cut’ roll-of switch which, when enabled, should minimize the handling noise when the speaker adjusts the microphone or accidentally touches the microphone or cord.

Normally I use my wireless recording equipment for lectures.  This minimizes the time to setup/tear down and also gives me more flexibility in where to place my equipment.  I’ll do a full review of the wireless equipment I use (Audio-Technica 1800 Series) in a later article. The microphone I use is the Audio Technica 831cW ($75).  This microphone is the wireless (rough) equivalent of the Pro-70 mentioned above.  It is a cardoid condenser microphone.  It comes with a very nice tie-clip — nicer than the one that comes with the Pro-70.

Kirtan microphone

I have been very pleased with the Sony ECM-MS957 ($190) Stereo microphone.  This is a condenser “Mid-Side” microphone.  It handles loud kirtans well and has a switch that converts between a 90 degree pattern (narrow) and a 120 degree pattern (wide).  The microphone can also be rotated up and down so you can point the mic properly.  The microphone does not use phantom power.  Instead it uses a single AA battery to provide power.  I’ve not had to replace the battery in the last year (but keep a spare anyway!).  It comes with two cables.  One is a 5pin XLR -> 1/8″ mini jack.  This would be used with the cheaper recorders that do not have XLR connectors.  The other is a 5pin XLR -> 2 3pin XLRs.  It is a pigtail cable so it is fairly short.  If you want to run the cable some distance, then either use 2 regular XLR cables, or you can purchase a 5pin XLR cable of the appropriate length.  They are fairly expensive though, about $50 for a 25 foot cable.  Sony also makes a lower end version of this microphone that only terminates in a 1/8″ mini jack.

Bhajan microphones

You can certainly use the above Sony microphone to record a bhajan.  You’ll eventually find that the vocals are quiet compared to the instruments or the drums are not crisp and clear.  The next step is to use separate microphones for the different instruments and record each on a separate track (ideal) or use a mixer to mix the microphone levels live and then record to your 2-track recorder.

I currently use a  Sennheiser e825S ($80) Vocal cardoid dynamic microphone.  It is fairly low end and will be replaced at sometime with something better but has served me well.  It has a on/off switch which the leader will probably appreciate.

For the drums, I use a pair of Audix i5 ($100) microphones.  One for the small head and one for the big head.  These are also cardoid dynamic microphones that can handle significant volumes (what you need for a drum).  Be careful not to put them too close to the large head though.  Even these will distort at high volume.

For the harmonium, I use the Audio Technica Pro-70 listed above.  I affix the microphone using either the tie clip or the (included) guitar clip.  Just find a place that gets it close to the reeds and then affix it so that the microphone will be steady. 

Finally, I use the Sony microphone listed in the Kirtan section to capture a stereo “room” mix.  I record this separately from the instrument/vocal mix.  In my case, the camcorder accepts a microphone input, so I feed the signal to the camcorder.

Alternatives

For lectures, the key is use a microphone.  It can by any microphone, but lapel or lavalier microphones are the easiest to place close to the speaker.   Be sure to get a cardoid or directional microphone.  This will ensure that room noise will be ignored.  Unfortunately, it will also make recording the questions difficult — I’ll cover possible solutions in a future article for dealing with that.

For bhajans and kirtans, again, most good microphones will do.  Just be sure to choose cardoid (directional) microphones for your instrument mics so that you only pick up that instrument and not the rest of the room.  For recording the overall sound mix of the bhajan or kirtan, use a stereo microphone.  These are either Mid Side (like the sony above) or XY microphones.  Eit
her will do, though XY will generally be in a fixed pattern and so can’t be adjusted to capture just the sound of the bhajan party.

Next week?  I’ll cover mixers.

First, what I like about the recorder:

• Records to Compact Flash
• XLR Inputs
• Analog level adjustments
• Powered by AA batteries
• Bright LED level meters

What I don’t like about the recorder:

• A bit bulky
• Record time could be longer
• Built-in Microphones are useless
• Left and Right levels are hard to adjust independently.

This recorder has very good quality MIC Pre-amplifiers through the XLR inputs.  I hear very little noise when the levels are cranked way up.  I will go into more detail on XLR inputs when I cover microphones, but almost all good microphones use XLR connectors.  You can convert to mini-jacks used by other recorders, but the resulting quality probably is not as good as using a good pre-amplifier like one that is built into the Marantz.  The recorder also supports built-in phantom power which can be used to power condenser microphones.

You can also record line-in through a 1/8″ jack — might be useful if you want to hook up through the temple’s PA system or a mixing board. 

The analog level adjustment feature is very important.  Most recorders (including this one) support some sort of automatic gain control.  This feature will allow the recorder automatically adjust the levels as the speaker or bhajan becomes louder and softer.  This may seem like a good feature at first, but the end result will often end up with a recording that is not natural sounding.  Instead, one should disable the automatic gain control and use the manual control.  Many of the smaller recorders bury the level controls pretty deep in the menu system.  Better recorders provide a nice analog knob or slider that can be used to adjust the level.  In combination with the bright LED level meters, one can ensure that the recording isn’t too loud (distortion) or too quiet.  This unit allows you to adjust the left/right levels independently.  This is useful to record the speaker with one microphone and to have another microphone for recording questions from the audience.

The recorder has many options that I really don’t bother using.  I always record in WAV format at 48Khz (to match the sampling done by my video camera).  This gives me about 6 hours on a 4 gig card if recording in stereo or 12 hours if recording in mono.  It does support recording as MP3, but only at 128Kbps.  If you plan on doing any post processing of the audio, just record in WAV format.

Record time is about 4 hours on 4 AA batteries.  I use rechargeable and tend to change them out at the 3hr mark.  One severe flaw in this device is that if you are actively recording and the battery runs out then it is likely that the track that is being recorded will be lost.  This hasn’t been an issue since I normally recharge after every use and don’t generally record for longer than 2hrs at a run anyway.

Alternatives:

I highly recommend this Marantz PMD660, but it is a bit bulky compared to some other recorders.  If you are looking for something smaller and are not going to use nice microphones, there are other alternatives.

I have generally recommended the Roland R-09HR ($350).  This is a small recorder that has good built-in microphones.  You can also use an external microphone that uses 1/8″ jacks. 

Another recorder that looks promising is the Tascam DR-1 ($250).  A friend of mine just took it to the New York Rathayatra and it seems to have worked out for him.

If you need something that supports more than two tracks, Roland just came out with the Roland R-44 ($895).  It can be linked with another unit for synchronized 8 track recording.  This would be great for recording live bhajans.

Next week?  A quick review of microphones.

The table could be unreadable. So here you can download the pdf.

Recorder	Price*	Pros	Cons	Bonus Coolness Factor
Edirol R-09	$450 Get current price on Amazon	Easy to use Good onboard mics Good menu & interface	Windscreen not included Tripod adaptor is optional	Optional case & tripod are terrific
Korg MR-1	$899.99 Get current price on Amazon	Outstanding audio quality 40 gig hard drive Rugged metal housing with leather case Universal power supply	No hardware rec level control Internal battery Hard to set recording levels	1-bit audio is a huge improvement over PCM
M-Audio Microtrack 24/96	$499 Get current price on Amazon	Easy to use Audio quality 1/4″ TRS mic inputs with phantom power	Internal battery Potential damage from phantom power & TRS jacks	Smallest recorder with 1/4” inputs and phantom power
Marantz PMD620	$499 Get current price on Amazon	One-touch recording Mics well shielded from wind Sharp OLED display	Awkward menu interface Flimsy covers for USB port & SD card slot	Mono recording useful for broadcasters
Olympus LS-10	$399 Get current price on Amazon	Size Easy to use Audio quality 2 gig internal memory + SD card slot	Zoom mic effects color sound AC power supply not included	Outstanding battery life and great audio in a tiny package
Sony PCM-D50	$599.95 Get current price on Amazon	Rugged and ergonomic Very high audio quality 4 gig internal memory + removable memory	Heavier than the competition Cannot record MP3s Optional windscreen is expensive	Outstanding limiter means worry-free live recording
Zoom H2	$199 Get current price on Amazon	Front & rear stereo mics Inexpensive Doubles as USB audio interface	Feels flimsy Not exactly stellar audio	Records 4-channel “surround”
Zoom H4	$494.94 Get current price on Amazon	3 devices in 1: recorder, 4-track recorder & audio interface 1/4” & XLR combo-connectors with phantom power	Tiny display Confusing interface It’s big, Jim	It’s a portable USB audio interface with effects

Included in the package are this nice recorder, 2GB internal memory, bag, 2 AA batteries and even Cubase LE4!!. The recorder sports a mic-in, line-in, 2 speakers and a headphones output. The display is backlit so you can read in in the dark. Connected to a computer with USB2.0 it mounts as a external harddisk so transferring your recordings is easy.

Mark Nelson (O’Reilly.com) made an excellent in-depth review. I recommend reading it. 

Review of the Olympus LS-10

And the Winner Is…
I think the LS-10 does as good a job recording music and voice as some recorders costing quite a bit more.
I like the Olympus LS-10 a lot. I’m tickled with the design, ergonomics, audio quality, and the rugged aluminum case. I even like the little carrying case; it’s just big enough for the recorder and a mini tripod.
 

I think this recorder is a direct competitor of the Edirol R-09HR, but with a retal price of $399 i would go for the edirol instead. Lets see if Olympus will decrease the price any time soon.

Related Articles

• Review Edirol R-09HR
• Review Zoom H2
• Review of Marantz PMD-620

• Good review at oreilly.com
• Reader comments on the H2 at oreilly.com

I have said it before and it bears repeating: if you want professional features, prepare to pay professional prices. If you want a dandy little recorder that won’t break the bank, fits in your pocket, and does a fine job, then get this H2.

• Short review at stinkfight.com

I’ve wanted something like this my whole life, and this thing delivers. I give it a ten out of ten for performance and price.
The H2 is my little friend. I’ll whisper my secrets to him and he’ll paint my thoughts on the ether. IT SOUNDS GREAT!

• Wiki page at wikipedia.com
• Product page at Zoom (Samsontech.com)
• Latest firmware (1.30) at zoom.co.jp
• Find and buy it at google  (around $180)

 Nice to know

1. Records in WAV and MP3
2. Runs on 2 AA Batteries
3. USB connection is the older 1.1version (so 12 MB/s)
4. Connected to the computer, can be used as a audio capturing device.
5. Is very cheap
6. Has not 1, 2, 3 but 4 internal microphones…
7. Uses a SD/SDHC Memory card.

Still i prefer the Edirol R-09HR