MBR mic

[jjl5590]

Hiya,

I sometimes use my MBR with it's built-in mic to record my band practice. We play loud rock music, and even though i have the mic sensitivity way down, the input level down, and the limiter on, it still distorts really badly if the band's volume gets to high (which it always does)!

Basically, will buying one of those small condenser mics to plug into it solve my problem? This one, for example: http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product.asp?id=10984

But at £60, it sure aint cheap. Is there a cheaper alternative to get better quality recordings?



Cheers for your help 

[JavaBean]

Hi,

I have one of the Sony ECM-DS70P mics http://www.sony.co.uk/product/pam-music/ecm-ds70p
which I have found to be OK. 

I have used it to record band practices and normal acoustic guitar / vocals without any problems.   It does need to have the MBR's plug in power on.

I bought mine (new) on Ebay, complete with an extension cable for £10 but beware of counterfeit models.  I do recall there was an Ebay article about this particular item.  (Found it - http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/Fake-SONY-ECM-DS70P-Microphones_W0QQugidZ10000000001653017 ). They are £36 on Amazon.

I have not A-B tested against the Boss, so I am not able to say which is the best.

Dave

[longjourneyhome]

Have you had a chance to play around with placement of the MBR?  Wonder if that would significantly help? Does the MBR have an insert effect on the mic input?  This is merely a guess (sorry, dont have experience with it) but it is my impression the MBR mic is not unusually sensitive.   It would be a shame to get a new mic and still have the same distortion problems.

I use a BR-600 weekly to record band rehearsals and have not had problem with overloading the mics. Once I get the placement and levels set.  But even in the smaller rooms with Marshall half stacks, no problem. This is with 2 guitars, bass, drums and with vocals though a PA.. but maybe we're not as loud as you! 

What I do wish is for a way to make the foot switch do a PAUSE rather than stop. After each stop I have to re-arm by pressing record button on the transport.    Easier to just let it record for 3 hours and spend the time editing/chopping later.

Good luck!

[launched]

Basically, will buying one of those small condenser mics to plug into it solve my problem? This one, for example: http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product.asp?id=10984

If you are recording with a condenser mic and it isn't working out, I wouldn't recommend replacing it with another one. I have seen countless posts here regarding loud bands recording with condenser mics and having poor results. Heck, I even tried it once and it didn't work out.

If you want to stick a microphone in the middle of the room to record an extremely loud band, maybe an omnidirectional dynamic mic would be a better choice. And a Lo-Z adapter will match the impedance for use with your MBR.

Hope this makes sense!

Peace,

Mark