recording sound

Sound is everywhere. Whether it's someone who knows something and is speaking, or whether it's a musically talented gem crooning away in the Subway, you never know when you'll want to grab a high quality audio recording of something you came across in your environment to listen to later and share with the world.

I don't know legally the issues involved in walking around a city park with a high quality boom mic and recording people making music in the park (with a basic video camera attached to said boom) and then uploading to youtube later, but I always wish I had a better audio recording of whatever music I really liked that I discovered in the park or subway or on the street. Somehow finding a performer's professional live recordings on their website never comes close to reliving something I recorded myself with my crappy iPhone. Street performers never care if you record them with your iPhone, but would they care if I recorded them with a high quality boom mic? Maybe some of them would even pay me a small fee to send them the high quality recording? (to help offset the expense of buying high tech gear).

What is a good mic in the $200-$500 range? (or less). I guess it should be a boom mic? Then there's the logistical issues of carrying around a boom mic while hoping to happen upon some great music. I guess I could harness it to my back and have it sticking up behind me. Or maybe a shotgun mic would do? Too bad the iPhone doesn't have a mic input. Maybe there's an outfit in New York that would hire me to collect good quality video/audio recordings of live performers around the city to display on their website. Thoughts? Advice? thanks. :)

Well, I don't know in NYC, but here is completely legal (AFAIK) to record whatever you want in public space. Of course, if somebody asks you not to record them, or if we talk about children, for example, there could be some trouble. And of course, you can't record private property, even from outside.

Hellbent said:

What is a good mic in the $200-$500 range? (or less). I guess it should be a boom mic? Then there's the logistical issues of carrying around a boom mic while hoping to happen upon some great music. I guess I could harness it to my back and have it sticking up behind me. Or maybe a shotgun mic would do? Too bad the iPhone doesn't have a mic input. Maybe there's an outfit in New York that would hire me to collect good quality video/audio recordings of live performers around the city to display on their website. Thoughts? Advice? thanks. :)

I guess the type of mic depends on how much you'll use it, for example. Everyday, once a week, every once in a while? I don't know about prices, but there are people dedicated to record, for example birds, where they can't get too close, obviously, so they normally use the type of mics you may be looking for. Hope this helps.

Well, at times I can get pretty close, as I did here in this video:

I guess my concern with coming in with a good mic is that the musicians I would be recording might be concerned what I am going to do with the audio/video. I don't see why they would mind the high quality promotion if I were to upload the video to youtube or a blog or a website or some such, but maybe there is something I am not seeing....

I mean, I could use the mic for making documentary film as well, which I have supposed to have been working on for the last few years but haven't because I don't have a good mic. But my real interest in buying a mic right now is to capture high quality recordings of live music that I stumble upon all over NYC or Boston.

Use any shitty mic, and audacity's 'noise reduction' will make it sound clear/great. My usb mic was like 2 dollars, by labtec.. looks like a small grey pacman ghost or something with 2 sets of 3 lines, works great.

Audacity crashes when I try to open the video of Moon Hooch that I recorded on my iPhone.

Hellbent said:

Video

Lol, that little kid jumping around in the background was cute.

Hellbent said:

Audacity crashes when I try to open the video of Moon Hooch that I recorded on my iPhone.

What's the format of your Moon Hooch file?

.MOV