Tim,
I rechecked using my tv as a monitor and speaking right into the at 897, and it worked just fine. I guess i was just wasnt sure what to expect because ive never used one of those mics before, but i definitely heard a good difference. Thanks for your input which propelled me to go back and try it out again. I am going to be shooting and recording sounds at windy baseball games. I purhased a rycote softie for the shotgun mic, do you have any other tips and suggestions. I will be attempting to pick up doc style dialogue as well as sounds from about 20-30 feet away. Is this feasible with the at-897?
thanks for your time and input again
-Anthony