Recording equipment

This probably has been posted before, but what kind of recording equipment did you use to record sound samples for the SD-buses?

Greetings, Cas

Just a video camcorder with a good microphone - that's it! But of course you need good conditions: e.g. no or silent passengers on the trip...

Marcel Kuhnt schrieb:

Just a video camcorder with a good microphone - that's it! But of course you need good conditions: e.g. no or silent passengers on the trip...

Nice! What camcorder you've used. Please tell me. I want to make a bus for OMSI with good sounds, so I need a good camcorder!

A camecorder with a good microphon
That is the same answer like in the German section.

No, no, I meant what model and make!

Why should I advertise a special camcorder? I don't really know which could be the best. Also there might be better methods doing that, e.g. a digital audio player with a good mic. Just make your own experiences!

If you're going to buy a special bit of equipment to record bus sounds, you really shouldn't buy a camcorder. That is a very expensive way of portably recording sound, as it also of course records the video image that you won't need. I think the developers probably used the camcorder because they had it around to videotape the route. If you don't already own a digital camcorder with a stereo microphone and want to purchase a piece of equipment to record bus sounds, there are many options out there that will produce better results for much less money. A digital sound recorder is the most natural way to go here, here are a few options for you to consider:

Yamaha - they have a line of very compact and very high-quality recorders, they are also currently quite cheap for some reason - the W24 or C24 are probably your best choices right now, if you can find them.
http://usa.yamaha.com/products/music-production/recorders/

Roland - They only have one recorder, the Edirol R-09, but it provides very good quality. The downside is that it's bulkier than the Yamahas and - for some reason - more expensive, even though it's not in any way better.
http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=757

ZOOM - They offer a line of very competent field recorders. The H4n, even though it's quite bulky, is a beast. It has amazing expandability options - like two XLR plugs to connect external condenser microphones. It provides an insane set of features for an affordable price, but still it is not cheap. The H2 on the other hand is dirt cheap and offers great value for money.
http://www.zoomh4.net/

All of the above will record high-quality sound to a memory card, to WAV of MP3 format depending on your choice. Most will record high-resolution, studio-grade 96Khz 24bit WAVs.

Small bump: my Zoom H1 arrived today, I'll be testing it on some buses next week

Cas schrieb:

Small bump: my Zoom H1 arrived today, I'll be testing it on some buses next week

Great, have fun with it

jay_zhead schrieb:

Cas schrieb:

Small bump: my Zoom H1 arrived today, I'll be testing it on some buses next week

Great, have fun with it

Will do, thanks for your pointers!

G'day all,

I have been recording bus sounds for nearly a decade now.

My current equipment consist of:-

a) Olympus LS-10 PCM recorder

b) Genuine Sony ECM-DS70P stereo microphone

A sample of the quality of this combination can be found here:-

http://www.mediafire.com/?4hbc7hvbzecsl34

Sounds great! What kind of busses have you been recording?

Basically all types of buses in the Transperth fleet.

Here's one of my all-time favourite recordings:

http://www.mediafire.com/?c1mjb0z230l
Mercedes-Benz O 305, Mercedes-Benz OM 407 h engine, Mercedes-Benz W 3 D 080/2.2R gearbox, 5.2:1 final drive.

jay_zhead schrieb:

ZOOM - They offer a line of very competent field recorders. The H4n, even though it's quite bulky, is a beast. It has amazing expandability options - like two XLR plugs to connect external condenser microphones. It provides an insane set of features for an affordable price, but still it is not cheap. The H2 on the other hand is dirt cheap and offers great value for money.
http://www.zoomh4.net/

All of the above will record high-quality sound to a memory card, to WAV of MP3 format depending on your choice. Most will record high-resolution, studio-grade 96Khz 24bit WAVs.

I use ZOOM Q3HD, it's quite good if you want to have hi-quality sound and moderate to high quality of video.

These are some samples which I recorded in PCM 44100Hz 16bit strero, but converted as MP3 (320kbps) due to file size issue.

HZ590@682 NWFB | Dennis Trident 12m with ALX500 bodywork
?@798 | Volvo Super Olympian 12m with ALX500 bodywork
GA1468@93A | Dennis Dragon 9.9m(?) Non-A/C