Gear notes: my sound recording equipment

I'll be posting a number of gear/HOWTO items on this blog, but I'll start with the hardware that makes these radio pieces possible. When I go out in the field to record sound for NPR "Day to Day," or for online audio features, I carry four things:

(1) Minidisc recorder SONY MZB100. I don't even know if they're still being made, but this is the model I've always used -- and Sony has others. Bought mine on eBay, and you shouldn't pay more than $250 for them. As Day to Day's Chip Grabow told me when I was first asking him for gear advice, if you're on a budget -- save your money for a good mic which would be from $150-250.

(2) and (3): I use two mics. Unidirectional: AT835b Line + Gradient Condenser Mic (audio-technica), Link, about $225-250 from various online stores. Ombidirectional: EV Model RE50/B Omnidirectional Dynamic mic. Link. About $150-175.

(4) Shure Model A96F Line Matching Transformer (PDF link).

I'm going to switch to an all-digital recording device soon. I've been reluctant to make the jump until now because (a) minidiscs have never failed me in the field, and (b) the digital devices small and affordable enough to be useful for freelancers who tool around in rough places are not always reliable. Your gear -- and your ability to use it properly -- should never get in the way of telling a story. But the reliability of digital devices is improving as the technology matures, and I'd love to ditch minidiscs. The rest of the staff on NPR "Day to Day" are migrating to digital devices in the near future. Maybe I'll wait to see how their choice works out for them, and follow.

Make sure to carry good wind protection thingies for your mics if you're recording sound out in the world. I brought some high-quality, high-wind protection "socks" for Tibet from an audiovisual pro gear shop in LA. They saved my sound in windy, mountaintop spots.

When I was traveling inside urban Tibet, and trying to maintain a low profile in the presence of authorities, I sometimes placed other things around my mic so they wouldn't look so -- well, journalist-y. The disguise that seemed to work best was a neon-lime-green iPod sock. Lime green never looks serious. I slipped it over the mic, then tucked it under my shawl when gathering sound in situations that required discretion (for instance: inside larger temples or historic sites where there are many guards). The sock was thin enough that it didn't muffle sound, and thick enough that it did protect from wind.

Some good audio gear links: Transom's page on minidiscs, minidisc.org, planetminidisc.com., minidisco.com.

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