Posted by Sean Chisham on June 24, 2003 at 17:01:12:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Any DAT's fs? posted by Mary Ann on June 24, 2003 at 12:42:55:
If the recording sounds dead and you can't tell the difference between the minidisc and the DAT then I would 1st get a good set of microphones like AKG C-1000's. They are not expensive at around $200 each. You will need 2 of them. Not a bad price for a lifelong investment. The better microphones start well over $1000 each.
The other typical weak links in recording yourself is playback. A good set of headphones like Sennheiser 580's are well worth the $200 they cost. These headphones are possibly the best you can buy for accurate reproduction of sound in that price range. Lastly a good headphone preamp like the Total Airhead will be needed to properly power the Sennheisers with portable devices. There are more expensive headphone amps, but this one is adequate.
All of these items together total around $1000. Add another $800 or so for the portable DAT and you will have no problem getting VERY accurate representations of what you sound like. The most limiting item in this particular chain is the microphones. The mics are potentially the most expensive items and affect the accuracy the most. You can spend a lifetime hunting for the perfect mics. The C1000S's are about as cheap as I have seen and still get decent sounding recordings. The other mic menationed is also not bad, but not as good as the C1000S's in my opinion.
When spending nearly $20,000 on tubas and many tens of thousands on tuition, another $1800-$2000 lifetime investment in recording equipment is well worth it in my opinion. Especially when considerring the quality.