smallest recorder with lavalier input

[Ty Ford]

Zoom H2?

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Bob Cole]

Very cool, Ty, and it makes the H4 look huge.

But I’d prefer something that has more positive action on the switches. You can’t monitor these devices (or you’d be using wireless anyway), so I want to turn it on, put it into the talent’s pocket, and be SURE that it won’t be turned off if he brushes against a table or sits down in a racecar, etc. I don’t mind the lack of XLR, because that obviously just isn’t very likely!

Good try, though, Ty. Please sit down at the drawing board and make a new schematic. You have until… Tuesday.

Bob C

[Ty Ford]

Bob,

With those stipulations, I got nothin’.

No, wait! One of the Zaxcom wireless xmitters records to a chip in the xmitter while it’s transmitting to the receiver. If there’s a dropout, you don’t lose the take.

Season’s Best,

Ty

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[Bob Cole]

Extremely cool idea, Ty, to have digital recording inside a transmitter. I’m going to hold off on spending that kind of dough — I’m thinking that in a couple years this sort of thing may be standard for transmitters, or at least available in a cheaper model.

I really believe that with all of the tiny digital recorders around, there is something great available for cheap.

I have an old iPod Touch (1st generation). My research indicates that if I had a 2nd generation or newer iPod Touch, I could use the earphone jack as a mic input. Do you audio pro’s know about using an iPod as a digital audio recorder, or should I mosey on over to the iPod Forum?

Thanks!

Bob C

[Terry Mikkelsen]

“But I’d prefer something that has more positive action on the switches. You can’t monitor these devices (or you’d be using wireless anyway), so I want to turn it on, put it into the talent’s pocket, and be SURE that it won’t be turned off if he brushes against a table or sits down in a racecar, etc. I don’t mind the lack of XLR, because that obviously just isn’t very likely!”

I think this applies to iPod as well.

Tech-T Productions
http://www.technical-t.com

ps-None of my comments are meant to be gospel. Otherwise, I would write a book that provided all the cold, hard, fast answers that everyone assumes are out there. These are the things that I have found to work well with my shooting habits and workflow. Always try things out for yourself and deduce the best workflow for you.

[Ty Ford]

mosey, pard.

Ty

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[Bob Cole]

Luckily, there are cases for the iPod which protect the screen from accidental touches.

Okay, I’ll mosey on over to iPod land. Thanks!

Bob C

[Ty Ford]

Bob,

The presumption being that there’s a professional quality lav that’ll interface with an iPod. Please let us know what you find.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Sam Mallery]

I wouldn’t put a whole lot of faith into an iPod. The microphone connector that’s integrated into the headphone jack isn’t the most reliable. The mic connection is just one thin ring on an 1/8″ plug.

Another question is what lav mic to you plan on using? Is that lav going to require power from its input? Is that lav going to have sufficient protection from wind? When a helmet cam is involved, it leads one to believe that wind is going to be a factor.

I would check out the Yamaha Pocketrak CX. It’s really small and it has a dedicated mini-plug mic input. A lav you can use for that is the Sony ECM-CS10.

Any lav mic is going to require wind protection. You’re likely going to need a Rycote Lavalier Windjammer:
https://www.rycote.com/products/families/personal-microphone-solutions/

Another recorder/mic option you have is using a M-Audio MicroTrack II recorder and a professional wired lav mic. The MicroTrack has balanced TRS inputs that supply full 48V of phantom power. This means that you could use two pro-level lavalier microphones. Both the Yamaha CX and MicroTrack have a “hold” switch that disables all of the controls to prevent accidental commands.

[Bob Cole]

Thanks Sam. Great ideas for the digital recorder. The “hold” switch makes all the difference.

Bob C