Can I Play Too?

[Emcduck]

Hi everyone,

I haven't posted a whole lot since I've been around. I do enjoy looking at your work and choosing my music purchases from your lists.

I Know that did post a list of music that I collected from the Animal Kingdom's bone-yard last January. Kind of an amateur attempt made before I ever knew that this site existed. I used my cellphone with a built in music ID (Shazam I think) to ID tracks. I tried to get what I could from Old Key west, Buses, and various places. sad thing is that it leaves huge gaps as there is a lot it cannot identify. So I'm left with a Swiss cheese list, which is only a little bit useful. Plus it would get kinda awkward trying to write on my paper list in the dark on a moving bus.

I really enjoyed doing it. Even the funny looks were kind of fun. I'd like to do it again this year but I really want to take that next step and have a list to work from where I can finish it up over the next year until I can go back again.

This year, I'd like to do some basic recording. Nothing that is going to be earth shattering but something that will allow me to figure out what the tracks are, make a useful list and post it here. To give back for the fantastic info that you've been generous enough to share.

So, I am asking if someone would be willing to give me some suggestions on what I could use to make the basic recordings. Nothing as fancy as you have, with shotgun mikes and such. I'm hoping to stay under $150 Since I'm only going to be able to do this once a year. I leave for WDW next Friday 1/8/10 to be followed by a Disney Cruise (my reward for buying more DVC points) and I'm thinking that this is a great chance to get some good info.

Thank you!

Eirik

 

[eyore]

In all honesty, if you are just recording for general identification purposes, just choose something within budget that records. If you get more serious, you can always get something better.
I'm still very much a novice (compared to some here) but started out with one of those mini tape recorders that you use for taking notes. Quality terrible but enough to make a general ID of tracks played.
As it gets more serious (like making comparisons with waveforms etc) you'd need something better (or induction recordings) but you can do a lot with very basic stuff.
I then used a minidisc recorder.
I'm now using a Zoom H2 for basic live (and induction) recordings (it's directional so that helps). Reasonably good recordings will get ID'd by Shazam and Tunatic (still need checking though)and even bad ones sometimes come through.
The thing is to find a good place to record then something like a shotgun mic wouldn't be needed (sorry, generalization, of course).
It's the tracking down of the actual stuff used that's the hard part (some tracks have dozens of variants and you may have to wade through most of them and some can be very obscure. Those can be killers - you don't even know where to start looking sometimes.
I hope those more experienced will add their own thought as, for my part, I find it a really interesting and addictive thing to do.
Good luck.

 

[Emcduck]

Thanks Eyore,

I really want contribute to the site, instead of feeling like a leech. Besides It was kind of fun last year. I started looking for speakers and spent an entire day over at Animal Kingdom looking at where the speakers were. Being a newbie, I know I was finding the obvious ones, but even with just my cell, I found some good ones to try and ID music on the fly. So I have started putting the Radar up for that.

I think that it might be a good use of the next year to wade through some of the music and track it down. Since I go once a year, usually in January, I figure that even one good list contributed would be helpful.

I'll have a look online at what you mentioned. That is a starting point. Thank you for your help.

I'll be checking back in to see if there are more suggestions.

 

[Emcduck]

Hey, Eyore,

Another question for you. Had a quick peek at the flash memory recorders (looking at the title in the other page tab...) and the minidisk players. Is there a difference between the recording ease from the minidisk recorders versus the flash memory recorders? Without direct experience It seems that the SD cards are smaller and would require less frequent changes, versus the mini disks, plus it would seem that the SD cards are available pretty much everywhere, while I'm not as sure about the minidisks.

I looked at the Zoom that you mentioned and it seems to be in my price range. Do you know if it can use the SDHC cards? We bought several this year on discount on the day after Thanksgiving...

Again thank you!

 

[Emcduck]

OK. I have purchased the Zoom that you mentioned. I'll try and pick it up at the store tomorrow and get some time with it before I go.

Next I suppose would be choosing music to work on. I'll search a bit more and see what hasn't been done yet. I will be over at the tree houses so maybe I can spend some time on Saratoga Springs. Plus I'd like to see if I can get the music for Key West main entrance / Main pool area as well. Don't know what will be available on the Wonder, but I can keep an ear out. Same with Castaway Cay.

Any suggestions for settings so that I can get some assist from tunatic / Shazam ?

 

[SeaCastle]

If you're a Verizon user, the program "VCAST Music ID", available free, uses the same database as Shazam (for those of us without iPhones.) Regarding settings, it's your personal preference. If you want the recording to listen to at home you would probably want the recording to be at a high quality. If you don't plan on listening to the recording and are solely using the recording for Shazam/Tunatic, the quality does not matter too much. (In my opinion)

 

[eyore]

OK. I have purchased the Zoom that you mentioned. I'll try and pick it up at the store tomorrow and get some time with it before I go.

Next I suppose would be choosing music to work on. I'll search a bit more and see what hasn't been done yet. I will be over at the tree houses so maybe I can spend some time on Saratoga Springs. Plus I'd like to see if I can get the music for Key West main entrance / Main pool area as well. Don't know what will be available on the Wonder, but I can keep an ear out. Same with Castaway Cay.

Any suggestions for settings so that I can get some assist from tunatic / Shazam ?

A couple of things to remember about the Zoom.
Set the gain correctly depending how loud the music is (live or induction). It makes a big difference.
Secondly, (and there are a few of us been caught out by this) PRESS THE RECORD BUTTON TWICE TO RECORD. The first press puts it into record/pause (to set the recording level) and the second press starts the recording. You need to press it twice the next time you record as well and so on.
It's no fun sitting for an hour and then realize it was still on pause :blink:
Also remember it has no speaker so you need earphones to hear what you have recorded (and to set the level) or, get one of those little speakers for iPod/mp3 player etc (usually battery operated) so you can play it back in the hotel
Minidiscs are hard to get now - both the recorders and the actual discs. SD cards are much better IMHO.
Oh, do get a silicon cover for it. It really does cut down the sound of your hands moving on the recorder very well indeed. It's worth the extra.