iriver or what?
 

Hi, I'm getting ready to purchase a couple small portable recorders with lapel mic's for capturing audio at weddings. I thought maby one on the groom, one on the sound system, and my wireless for the pastor. Any thoughts? Also I have seen alot of people on this board use irivers and Giand Squids. I also have read there are several different configurations of mics (stereo, mono, etc.) and to get long recording times the recorder needs to record in mono and you have to use the appropriate mic to work. And which iriver, I see 700 and 800 series so any help there would be greatly appreciated. By chance is there another match that would be better for what I am trying to do like sony or something? Thanks again in advance for the help. TAG

I use an I-River iFP-795. It has 512MB of memory and records for several hours in stereo... double that in mono... close to 15-16 hours. I have a giant squid lav mic for ceremonies. I can clip it to groom/officiant or onto a podium for readings. At the reception I set the line in level around "40" and record right off of the DJ's board. Provides very good audio of the Bridal Party Intros, toasts, etc. when mixed with the live sound of the room from my camera mic. I can also add in applause effects in Soundtrack Pro if need be for the intros. This usually sounds really good.

There are no audio level meters on the iRivers... not that I have found anyway, so it makes them a little tricky to use... but you can get a good feel for what level settings work by playing around with it for a bit.

Good Luck!

I also have a 795 and I love it. I agree with everything Matt said.

One other piece of advice: always switch the hold/lock lever after you start recording - the buttons are pretty sensative and the hold lever allows the buttons to lock down.

Matt -- there is a level meter, but it's so small it's practically useless. Instead what I do is get a pair of small ear buds, plug them into the headphone jack while testing the Giant Squid levels according to the speaker. You can test the levels without recording, but you do have to be in the appropriate recording option to hear what the iRiver and mic are picking up. So far, I've been very satisfied with the iRiver, Giant Squid microphone combination. Very pleased!

Regards,
-Michael

Matt,
There is a level meter available to be used with the irver
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cg...item/ISI-RLM-1

Without a device like above, about the only semi-accurate way to adjust the record level is to test with the iRver in the recording process...i.e. if being used to mic a groom or officiant, place it on yourself at the approx location. Remember, with a digital recording, always set it a bit lower than what you may think or test at. This will give you plently of headroom in case the speaker has a somewhat louder voice than what you test at. It is always easier to raise the level in post than to have the recording clip and become unusable

Thanks Gents for the reply, I'm guessing that you wouldnt trade your iriver for anything else in its price range. Im working in waveland Miss. right know but I go home on the 14th. We are shooting a wedding on the 22nd so between those two dates we will head to hollywood and pick up a few things, some of those will be the irivers and giant squids. Any thoughts where to find them. I know we can get them online, we just like the chance to go. Thanks again TAG

Terry,

The IRivers you should be able to pick up at any Meijers, Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. I got mine at Meijers... you can get them alot cheaper on eBay.

The GiantSquid mics I think you'll need to order online. They are made by a small business out of Flint Michigan. Could even be a home based business... maybe?

Good Luck

Here's a link to Giant Squid and its microphone for iriver. It's not clear from the site, but you do not need a power supply for this mic.

http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/gs/gs-mono1.htm

The Giant Squid mic, by far is the best bang for the buck with the iRiver. Darren is a small businesman like ourselves and is a first-rate guy to deal with....

An advantage of the Giant Squid iriver mic is that it is especially wired for the iriver to recognize it as mono not stereo. With this mic, you can set the recording to mono and double the recording time. The iriver will detect other mono mics as stereo and not let you set mono recording. With the giant squid iriver mic, you're all set.

Do a search of dvi community for "iriver" and see other threads on this topic, including ones with settings to use.

I would recommend the "MicroTrack 24/96" for professional use. Irivers and the like are consumer grade products. I just got a notice it is in stock at B&H photo.

John

So are most of the cameras many of us use...so what is your point? :-)

I agree the MT is a professional product and mine will be delivered Monday or Tuesday. However, it currently does have some issues. The iRivers have been a welcome addition to many wedding videographers due to their small size, realiability and great voice recordings when good mics are attached. DOn't knock them until you tried them... :-)

Yep.. Put my i795 with a giant squid into service and it's been fantastic.. Just excellent for the price and value. Now if your needing perfect perfect quality then sure the professional route would be the way to go.. But if your a PD-150/PD-170 W&E kinda person.. Irivers are a welcomed investment.. Just ordered two more..;)

It's funny you say that, because I have tried them mark. The small record capacity, lack of 48khz recording, and overall cheap look/feel seperate them from a product like the MT. The only reason wedding videographers(professional and unprofessional) like them is cost. You get what you pay for.

John

I'm one of those who had trouble with my iriver 795 from the start, so if you do a search you'll find me agreeing with the notion that they are consumer gear--not up to level with pro gear. But, by golly, when you need something fast, something inconspicuous, and something that records darn good audio (especially for the price) the irivers and the Giant Squid mic are hard to beat.

Yesterday I had to hurry up and mic a ceremony. I quickly taped the mic halfway down on the arm and placed the little iriver on the floor at the base of the mic stand. I'm particular about my audio, and I have to say that what I heard when I got back blew me away. These little gadgets definitely have their place, and I think they're great! I got more than I paid for.