TASCAM DR-07 Test

[furtwaengler]

I recently bought this relatively inexpensive recorder as an upgrade to the Olympus VN-4100PC voice recorder on which most of the material I've posted here is recorded. This is the first time I've used it, and it may not be the fairest representation of it for a few reasons: It mounts on a tripod, but without a tripod on this trip, I laid it on a table; the slightest bump or external irritation causes great noise and distortion, as you can hear in some places; it was recorded on the highest setting so there is some peaking; while there is a feature to record mp3 files of different quality, this I recorded as a WAV file, which I then converted after the easy transfer. All in all, there is a lot I'll have to learn about it, but this will give you some idea of it's sound.

This was recorded on the same Chickering in Colorado on which these improvisations were recorded with the Olympus:
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=37201.0
And both the same instrument and in the same location and position and location as the tape recorder which recorded this Faure Nocturne:
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=36657.0

There were two fans which were running not far from the piano, and they can be heard. There was also a window open right by the recorder, so some pleasant wind and outdoor noises can be heard (BTW...It feels AMAZING in CO). There is also my 7 year old cousin, Sutton, who is heard talking to me at the end. I name this for him. The original recording was about 18 minutes long. The first half was heavily effected with noise, so you get the latter half.

All right...tell me what you think!
  

[pianowolfi]

I think this device is definitely a significant improvement, even more so once you got fully used to it

Perhaps it would help to reduce distortions if you put it on a sponge or a littler rubber mat or so, if you have no tripod.

Your jive is so fascinating! Long sections in it seem fully concert-like to me, I feel a bit like listening to a complex Prokofiev- or Bartok performance

[furtwaengler]

Thanks Wolfi, It's definitely a jive and a summer diversion. I'll do more experimenting with the recorder soon. Next week I'll be in a different environment (makes me sad...except I'll have a tripod!)

[furtwaengler]

BTW, what do you guys think of my octave glissandi?

[goldentone]

It's better, Dave, yes.  Your Jive is cool.  Whereabouts is the octave glissandi?

[furtwaengler]

Whereabouts is the octave glissandi?

Starting about 6:17, RH descending.

[pianowolfi]

Yeah those glissandi rule 

[littletune]

Yes the glissandi are cool  they remind me of big waves in the sea, moving really fast!  
Are there birds singing in the recording? Cause I wasn't sure if I hear them from outside or from a recording but I think they're on a recording 
And I really like the end with your cousin Cause it's like you were in another world!  And then your cousin was calling you from this world into another and first you couldn't hear him and then after a while you heard him and then you came back to this world  

[quantum]

I am hearing some Ligeti influence in the first half.  

Definite improvement in the recorder.  If you need a shock absorbent device use a sweater, towel, seat cushion, or any readily available soft material.  Just fold it up so it supports the recorder.  I save those foam packaging inserts from electronic device packaging - not the white hard stuff, the squishy spongy kind.  They work quite well for recording sessions.  

Cool jive

[oxy60]

I like everything about recording except the compression engine to make the mp3. To get the full benefit find a compression program and lets you choose the level. Your wav file is about 11 megs a minute and your mp3 would be about 1 meg a minute. Making the mp3 file 10 percent bigger (1.1 verses 1.0)  will yield you a big improvement in quality.

[furtwaengler]

Yes the glissandi are cool  they remind me of big waves in the sea, moving really fast!  
Are there birds singing in the recording? Cause I wasn't sure if I hear them from outside or from a recording but I think they're on a recording 
And I really like the end with your cousin Cause it's like you were in another world!  And then your cousin was calling you from this world into another and first you couldn't hear him and then after a while you heard him and then you came back to this world  

I like your imagination, Littletune. 

I like everything about recording except the compression engine to make the mp3. To get the full benefit find a compression program and lets you choose the level. Your wav file is about 11 megs a minute and your mp3 would be about 1 meg a minute. Making the mp3 file 10 percent bigger (1.1 verses 1.0)  will yield you a big improvement in quality.

Thanks for the advice. I've a lot to learn as far as this goes, but I can tell a huge difference between FLAC's and mp3's.

I am hearing some Ligeti influence in the first half. 

Definite improvement in the recorder.  If you need a shock absorbent device use a sweater, towel, seat cushion, or any readily available soft material.  Just fold it up so it supports the recorder.  I save those foam packaging inserts from electronic device packaging - not the white hard stuff, the squishy spongy kind.  They work quite well for recording sessions. 

Cool jive

Thanks Quantum. It's hard to get away form Ligeti. I was improvising once and had someone stop to ask me which of Ligeti's etudes I was playing! (On a different note, I had a teach once ask what the Strauss I had been playing was, referring to some improvisation!)