Well, it has been months now, and I am very impressed. What started out as just a crazy idea became a profitable one.
It all started back in March of this year (2006) when I first heard of these devices which could digitally record audio, and were very transportable. I had a few friends in a band, so decided to give it a try. At that time, all I had was one microphone, the Sony ECM-MS907, small but effective.
I learned that if I plugged in headphones, I could actually hear what I was recording in real-time, this helped me because the audio levels were too high. Once I set the audio, I found a good place to start recording, and began.
I recorded the entire band's session on one disc with excellent quality, even though I only used one microphone. The audio I had recorded literally sounded as good as I heard while recording it. I went to my laptop, plugged in the Minidisc via USB cables, then transferred the recordings to CD all within 10 minutes of them finishing their half hour set.
The results blew everyone away, the next day, we decided to plug the Minidisc recorder into a mixer, this time, the line in on the Minidisc was used, not the Microphone (red) jack. The recording was even better than the first one I tried, the bands CD would come out of that second recording.
I decided to expand my hardware and bought a Sony ECM-MS957, which was meant for better vocal and instrumental range. Everything has exceeded my expectations. I have been very pleased with the combination of the Sony ECM-MS957 and the Minidisc recorder. The 957 model is better than the 907, but both are great to use.
Other things I have recorded are interviews, traffic, nature, wildlife, birds, water, etc. There really is no limit in what you can record, and when it is transferred to CD, you have as good a recording as any professional, sometimes, better.
It's really up to the user, what do you want to record? Do you really want to spend $5000 for professional recording equipment, or would you rather buy a Minidisc recorder from Sony, a microphone or two, and a mixing board for under $500? The decision is yours, but remember one thing, a minidisc is portable, a DAT Deck is not.
I will post more experiences as time goes on. Bookmark this page as it may prove interesting in the coming months.
