iRIVER H-140 SERIES LIVE RECORDING GUIDE V1.0
http://www.misticriver.net/boards/showthread.php?t=4980
Firstly, nods to Fishmonger for his original recording tips post for spurring me to throw this together. (Be warned, this is a loooong guide made up of several posts). As a taper of live music, the ability of the H Series to record was what first drew my attention to it when I was looking for my first ever DAP to take over from my old MD setup. Even though the Nomad Jukebox 3 is the gig tapers field recorder of choice, I think the iRiver gets a lot of brownie points for portability/stealthability, plus it's preamp option is handy if you're trying to go super- minimal. And its WAV recordings sound far better than MD. (Though the advent of Hi-MD now makes them fairly equal again). Having had it about 6 months now, Ive tried it out in various settings to see how it coped Its done pretty well in my opinion. Ive decided to put together a comprehensive guide for anyone who might be interested in using the record facility on the H Series to make decent live recordings you can listen to at home. Ill also discuss its shortcomings as a recorder and how best to deal with them. Main Topics: Restrictions Deck Settings File Format Microphones & Power Higher Budget Mics Soundboard Patching vs Mic Recording The Glitch (And How To Cope With It) Distortion
Check out the MisticRiver H Series Live Recording Guide v1.0 And listen to live music recorded using an H140 here at archive.org RESTRICTIONS Remember primarily the current recording restrictions: - Recording in WAV is limited to 795MB (~75min) - Recording in MP3 (any bitrate) is limited to 195MB (~3hr @ 128Kbps) - Total record time is limited to 5 hours (only attainable for low bitrate MP3s) - When the record limit is reached, the player goes back into record standby from where you can begin a new file It is recommended that you manually stop it before it gets there so it doesnt stop mid-song - The battery is usually good for up to 4 hours of stop-start WAV recording. It will stop, save the file and shut down when the battery becomes critical. DECK SETTINGS INT MIC - Really only useful for dictation etc. The noise of the HD spinning up will give you a headache pretty quickly when recording to WAV (every 30 secs or so) but for a 64Kbps mp3 (which is all you really need for note taking), this only happens around every 4 minutes, so its not so bad. Turning on the AGC cuts down the distortion levels pretty well, and helps to boost those more distant
sounds. All recordings are dual-channel mono. EXT MIC - Probably the most used setting. As the H Series currently lacks any record level indicator, it can be a little bit of trial and error getting it setup right to make good recordings. The gain applied depends very much on the sensitivity of the mic youre using (Ill discuss aftermarket mics later). In most cases, around would do, though for ambient sounds youd probably want to increase that, or lower it for loud music. Calibrating what gain level you need: the best method Ive found is to run a few tests with the mic you intend to use before you run it in the field. Set up at home, with an appropriate sound source (your stereo or whatever) set to an applicable level. Run three record tests, at a gain of 0, 8 and 15, and then hook up to your PC. Then use whatever editing software you prefer to have a look at the waveforms. Heres what youll probably see: Gain 0: Probably a little too quiet
Gain 8: Not bad, but clipping on some of the loud peaks
Gain 15: It hurts my eyes! Put it away!
So from those 3 tests, you may decide to run at about Gain 5, which produces:
a nice wave form with a bit of space to breathe around the peaks. Remember its always better to run too quiet than too loud when it comes to live recording. Hiss is easier to deal with than distortion Ill cover this later as well. Once you have the recording levels set the way you like, theres usually no need to use the AGC, as its compression effects can make your recordings sound a little uneven when theyre in any way dynamic. Note Changing the gain for EXT MIC and LINE IN on the player: Go into settings, scroll down to Record (you can't see it at the start) - Go to Ext Mic Volume - Move the gain slider between 0 & 20 (settings > record > ext. mic volume > slider between 0 & 20) For lectures or spoken voice you'd probably want to run that fairly high (15+) This will drastically improve the levels at which you're recording. For lectures, 64kbps is probably all you'll need. There is no gain for line-in. Recording on that setting usually means you need to have already amplified the source audio. Furthermore, there is no way to change the gain on the player for the INT. MIC

LINE IN Line In (Optical or Analog) will be used most often when transferring music from vinyl, MD, etc. but it could certainly be used in other situations such as: - When youre recording VERY loud music, when even Gain 0 is at risk of clipping (Note that at these sort of levels, your mics will probably be approaching their dynamic limit, so you may want to consider increasing the power to them Again Ill cover this later). - When you have a more professional recording setup, with a mic preamp with either an optical or analog out to run to the line in. These often have a sound level indicator built-in, which will allow you to monitor and control the feed into your deck nicely. Several preamp options are available from soundprofessionals.com, ranging from about $150 and up. Top of the line portable preamps include the Core Sound MIC 2496. If you have one of these though (or the money to buy one), youre more likely to be running into a DAT or a JB3. Another little tip If you want to run a really stealthy setup, keep the remote (sans earphones) plugged in as your control interface. That way you can keep the deck with and battery box/preamp stashed in your pocket/bag. Now you can stop and start the system with the minimal amount of disturbance to your mics and without drawing too much attention to yourself. FILE FORMAT Whenever possible, record to WAV, even if you intend to distribute your recordings as MP3s later. This will enable you to carry out lossless editing on your master recording before doing what you want with. MP3 encodings that are upsampled to WAV for editing and reencoded to MP3 will not sound as good as your source recording. However, encoding direct to MP3 is fine if youre just taking notes for playback on the iRiver itself, as mentioned earlier. MICROPHONES & POWER Power: The H-series can provide Plug-In Power to condenser electret mics, feeding 2.5V to the mic (this is 1V more than most MD decks etc) in the EXT MIC setting. Power is very important regarding mics like this, as the more voltage you can get to them, the more their dynamic range will be. Therefore if you see yourself recording loud stuff, you may want to consider and extra power option for the mics as opposed to just the plug-in feed. Ill come back to this when discussing higher range mics. Supplied external mic: The mic that comes with the deck is pretty much the same as a standard desktop PC mic, supplying a dual-channel mono signal to the deck. Useful for low-fi home recordings (again, like dictations or lectures) with the added bonus that you dont pick up the HD noise. However, if you want to make more professional recordings, youll probably want to pick up a third party aftermarket mic. Anything would do the job if you just want to match the quality of the supplied mic, just make sure it has a stereo jack, or you will probably only record the signal to one channel. What kind of mic you buy depends on what you want to use it for. Certainly go for a stereo electret condenser mic if you want something with a wider array of uses.

Here are some small mics I have experience of: I highly recommend as a budget option the Skytronic 173.623 lapel mic, also sold under other names such as the YOGA EM-8 from Maplins. I know of several gigs that have been recorded on these that sound just as good as the higher-end stuff. These are certainly easy to find in the UK and Ireland, but may be trickier to track down elsewhere:
The Skytronic comes with a box for an AA battery, to power the mics, though it will work without the box if you like and the sound quality is very good for such a budget option. This comes in about 20, so very affordable. I have even seen the m used with their power box to run line-in on an MD without a plug-in power jack, which worked surprisingly well. Next up would be one of Sonys ECM range: I've used the Sony ECM-717:
.and I know a few people who've tried out the ECM-DS70P:
Though not exactly the same, they're close cousins. The 717 can be powered with its own watch battery should you need to use it, while the DS70 is set up to jack straight into your deck without any excess wires. Both use cardiod elements for uni-directional recording. I found the 717 pretty handy for recording gigs to MD, though its main problem was its dynamic range when using plug-in power of only 1.5V. Very loud music (especially bass heavy) would overload it with ugly results. The 2.5V from the iRiver may improve things. Again, the 717 could be run line-in to an MD using its own battery. However, Ive heard the sensitivity of the DS70 is very low to avoid distortion in loud situations, so even with a gain of 20 it struggled to pick up distant quiet sounds. If you plan just to record music, itll pro bably be fine. Note also with a direct plug like on the DS70 that you risk picking up the sound of the HD, so you may choose to use the extension lead it comes with anyway. Sound Professionals do a very similar T-mic at a lower price The SP-SPSM1. The 717's now been replaced by the 719 I think.
which has slightly better stereo imaging I believe. Question: I have an old Sony, ECM-727P. It uses plug-in power and works great with my Sony MD. However on the H140 I find the level too low, even with ext. mic volume set to 20. The supplied external mic (which I've lost, any offers?) was more sensitive although mono and poor quality.
Note that I'm not rec ording rock concerts, but quieter events. Do you think my mic is just rather low output, or has the supplied mic got particularly high output? I was thinking of buying the Skytronic/Yoga as a substitute - does this give equivalent levels to the supplied mic? I think the problem with Sony mics is that they make them with fairly low sensitivity so that they can be used in conjunction with the 'Auto Record Level' setting on minidisc decks - Anyone who's used an MD will testify how easy it was to get overload distortion on the auto setting - A 'hot' preamp if you will. The iRiver is clearly better suited to higher sensitivity/self-powering mics. The Skytronic/Yoga one would give you much improved results I'm sure. Question: I've bought a H340 and a Mic Sony ECM-719. I'm going to a concert on wed night, and I have tried to test it a bit at home. So, just played a song on the stereo (not too high, it's true) and started to record using ext -mic as source, leaving the volume at 16. Well I tried, and it looked for me like if the sound was ok but too low. I tried again, with the mic off, and it sounds the same for me (no lower). So I don't know, I thought with the mic "on", there should be any difference, a higher volume. maybe the battery is empty? I have just bought it, but when I turn on the mic, the led switches on but immediately switches off. Any suggestions, please.? The built-in power option on the 719 is used for recording decks that don't have 'plug-in power'. As the iRiver on ext. mic setting applies 2.5V of plug-in power, you won't notice any difference whether the mic is on or off. However, the mic's own power would give you a tiny bit of signal if you were using the line-in option. Probably hardly audible though for most quiet situations though. And I would recommend taping your first concert at a fairly low volume level, just to be safe. Information on several more budget options such as the Reactive Sounds mics (which I have no experience of) are available at http://www.minidisco.com:

You could also go for these:
http://www.microphonemadness.com/pr.mminbinster.htm (seperate mics so more flexible in their application) or these:
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/c.item/SP-SPSM-15 or, for a budget option, the Skytronic mic referred to above. HIGHER BUDGET MICS Firstly, I have most experience with cardiod mics, so Ill mostly cover them. First in the list of the more expensive mics are the Giant Squid Cardiod Mics: http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.co.rdbattery1.html
$90 with a 9V battery box - Nice and small for what you want to use them for, also great if you want stealth record live music too. They'll probably put out enough juice to go line-in too. * NOTE - With all of these higher end mics, it is recommended that you always use at least a 9V battery box to maximise the dynamic range on the mics. 9V is the maximum voltage you can feed to a mic through the 3.5mm jack Various higher-end preamps like the Core MIC 2496 can supply 48V Phantom Power to a mic, but the connectors must be modified in order to support this voltage:
You will usually have the option of having this modification done when you order. The very top-of-the-line mics like AKGs, Neumanns, DPAs and Schoeps usually only run on 48V, but I wont discuss them here as Ive never had the capital to invest in mothers like those). The guys over on taperssection.com would be more help to you there than me. Up another step in price, and youre into the Audio Technica modified mics available from Sound Professionals: http://www.soundprofessionals.com/c.d/item/SP-CMC-2
Or the custom-built ones from Core Sound: http://www.core-sound.com/cardioid.html
A set of these kind of mics with a 9V power box will set you back about $250, but their small size (stealthability I suppose), wide dynamic range and fidelity to the source sound make them worth their money. I would recommend the mics I use (Sound Pro modified Shure MX185s), but they dont sell them anymore.
The benefit of all these styles of mics is that the two mics that make up the stereo feed are free of each other, meaning you can mount them in a myriad of ways. Many people clip them to their glasses, hat, headband, shoulders and so on. Omni mics, which these c ompanies also sell, can be used to make binaural recordings, where mounting the mics in or beside your ears can produce very realistic, almost 3D recordings. Audio Technica AT822
The AT822 is a very adaptable mic, certainly, but at 20cm long, I wouldn't call it the most portable of solutions, and obviously couldn't be used as a stealthing option. It does save you the hassle of pointing your mics correctly though, and it has its own built-in bass roll-off. However it can't quite reach the maximum sound input level of the mics running on 9V battery boxes (due to the 1.5V AA power) - But I would certainly recommend it for stand/clamp recording in a taping section. I can see why it would turn heads, that's for sure. Note: The max voltage a 3.5mm jack can handle is about 10V - That's why phantom 48V powered mics have a different kind of socket. So I wouldn't go running anything that might have over that amount of juice to the player. A voltage attenuator would the best option when running to line outs that clip, or just avoid using the line outs and switch to the headphone out of your amp or source audio, which would at least give you the option of adjusting the volume. Comment (February 8, 2005): Just wanted to report that I returned last week from a major music festival in Scotland, where I recorded dozens of hours of WAV files on my H140. The results are, in a word, astonishing. I used the custom-made eyeglass "Croakie" mount available from www.soundprofessionals.com It uses a pair of Audio Technica AT350 omni-directional microphones. I had the mics tucked just in front of my ears (as opposed to all the way up to the lenses), so they're essentially unnoticable. Setting the mic level midway at 10 was fine for most all types of venues except churches (actually a cathedral), where I bumped it up to 12. Beautiful stereo, very clear recordings. I'll never settle for less now? SOUNDBOARD PATCHING vs MICS Some bands allow members of the audience to patch into the soundboard and record a concert. If the soundboard is putting out a genuine line level, then you should have no clipping running to linein on the iRiver. The only big issue you will have is finding a good time somewhere around 60-70 minutes to stop it and

begin a new file before it stops itself (possibly midsong) at about 75 mins. It helps if youre familiar with the band youre taping so you know when theyre likely to take a little longer between songs to switch guitars, etc. Note that though a soundboard patch can sound great (especially for the removal of the crowd noise), you will be recording the mix that sounds best for the venue acoustics. In some cases this may sound AWFUL when recorded, with the drums being way too quiet and the vocals being way too loud. Audience mic recordings can often be much more realistic and pleasing to the ear. THE GLITCH As has been documented elsewhere, the H-series will drop a few samples every 30 seconds or so when recording to WAV (less often when going to MP3) as the HD spins up and flushes the buffer. These are often inaudible, but can and do make themselves known as a distinctive click on the recorded track. There is nothing that can be done on the player to avoid this as yet. However, Cool Edit Pro, now Adobe Audition (and probably Soundforge I presume) has a Pop and Click remover, which can scan your file and remove them for you automatically. It's very slow though so I upgraded to the ClickFix plugin, which does the same job a lot quicker - It can't rid you of the click altogether, but it comes damn close. A single pass with this filter makes them inaudible to my ears. We still don't know if the glitch is to be dealt with firmware updates time will tell I suppose. Update: The click is still an issue with optical, as it involves the buffer flushing, and has nothing to do with the ADC. I think most people would agree though that true audio fidelity isn't one of the iRiver's strong points. However, loss of bass in a live recording situation isn't always a bad thing - A lot of the venues I've taped in are bass-heavy, requiring me to turn up the bass roll-off on my mics. A dip off in bass response by the iRiver allows me to run my mics 'flatter', and most live recordings need some equalising in post anyway. However, this ain't so good if you're taping live DJ sets from the desk or something like that. Cool Edit's 'Pop and Click Remover', or the commercial plugin for it - 'ClickFix'. The latter is much quicker, but both do a good job at making the click inaudible. DISTORTION Many people starting out in taping suffer from the dreaded distortion that has ruined a perfectly good recording of a great gig. Note there are two distortion types you can have issues with: 1. Overloading your mic at very high sound pressures (+120dB etc) 2. Electronic clipping, when your deck receives too high a signal from the mics to record within the amplitude parameters (ie you should turn down your gain) The best way to avoid distortion when you are say, recording a gig from the audience is thus: - Use cardiod mics which will eliminate much of the noise of the crowd behind you - Power your mics as best you can (Like Ive already said, plug-in power on the iRiver will only be able to give you some of the max dynamic range of the mics. Adding a 9V battery box is probably the way to go for a small-size, low budget

solution. - Dont get too close to the venue amplifiers where sound pressure is high (but dont stand right at the back where you will get mostly audience chatter) - Run line-in when it's REALLY loud to avoid clipping that may be introduced by the gain when running mic -in - Most importantly though, like Ive said, if you want good sound, get good mics. Binaural Microphones: Sound Pro In-Ears: http://www.soundprofessionals.com/c.d/item/SP-TFB-2
Soundman OKM's: http://www.dacs-audio.com/Distribut.undman_main.htm (I don't know if this site sells to the public, but it is UK-based.)
Microphone Madness In-Ears: http://www.microphonemadness.com/pr.mtrunathook.htm
Preamps: Sound Pro: http://www.soundprofessionals.com/c./item/SP-PREAMP
Microphone Madness: http://www.microphonemadness.com/ca.ers_stereo.html
Reactive Sounds: http://www.minidisco.com/spa-1.html
The Core Sound ones aren't really designed for portability, so I'll leave them off here.
Show taped with H140 - Download from the Live Music Archive
Alright children, over the past few months since I posted the Live Recording Guide many people have requested some audio samples which would be indicative of what the H Series can achieve in a live taping situation. Well I finally gotten a chance to upload a show to archive.org for you all to have a listen to if you so choose. The show is by an artist called Paul Casey from Northern Ireland, who plays the usual singer-songwriter type stuff but with a really nice bluesy edge (I can't describe it any better than that - you'll have to listen to get it.) The details of how to download the show (in Shorten format) are available here: http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-.db.php?id=21992 If you don't have the time or the bandwidth to pull down the whole show, I suggest you just download 'Far' or 'We Will Sing' as these really show Paul at his best. I hope you all enjoy it and that it gives a good impression of what the iRiver can do when you pair it with a good set of microphones. Feel free to leave a review on the archive.org page too if you want.
For those that don't use shorten file format, here is a link to get software: http://research.umbc.edu/~hamilton/shnfaq.html#pcplay SHNamp for winamp is great for just playing back the files. I use MKWact for converting to WAV, and there's also a Nero plugin for burning CDs direct from the Shorten files. Question: I can play on pc no problems, but how do i convert.shn to mp3. I looked online but no real joy. tried to get mkw to work but nothing. How else can I listen to these files on the h140? There is a free beta programme which is very good - you just drag and drop files onto a window and it converts for you. It will convert SHN to WAV and then you can convert WAV to MP3 if you want with it. SHN is a HIGH quality format which is why these guys use it. (Amazing isn't it?). Do a search for 'MKW Audio Compression Tool.' It's free and works well. (PCWorld.com may have it) Just get the shorten plugin for dBPowerAmp to convert straight to LAME mp3.

By FRAMESAVER Live Recording Oracle 2004-2005