[Dixielandjazz] Re:Sony walkman minidisc recorders

[Patrick Cooke]

I have recorded a lot of stuff on one of these while playing with Don 
Gumpert's band.  Here are a few things I've learned.
   Don't use the AC power adapter.  It's a cheap powser supply with very 
little filtering and will put a terrible hum on your recordings.  Also don't 
use the charging stand when making recordings.  Use batteries.  I was using 
lithium batteries, as they last a lot longer than a charge on rechargeables. 
Lithium batteries are more expensive, but worth it.
    I used the little stereo mike that Sony makes (about $75)...this is a 
good condenser mike, better than a lot of the cheap dynamic mikes available. 
I just taped it to the mike stand just below the regular PA mike.  Don't 
plug it directly into the recorder...you can pick up motor noise from the 
recorder.  I used a 20' cable back to the recorder, which was next to me on 
a chair or table.
     You can use a mixer, but if you're playing in the band, best get some 
other knowledgeable person to operate the mixer and recorder, while you 
concentrate on your playing.  I would not place the recorder on the floor, 
especially on a bandstand where there are amps and/or speakers on the floor. 
Hanging from the mike stand???  I don't know how you do this, but it would 
seem to be difficult to start and stop the recorder between tunes to 
separate the tracks. Just recording the whole session on one continuous 
track seems like a nightmare when you go to put the separate tracks on CD.
       Pat Cooke

.