limitations of MD

[Kerim Friedman]

A couple of other points about digital recording in the field:

(1) Far more important than what you record ON TO is what you record WITH. The microphone you use will make a world of difference. Even standard audio tapes can sound pretty good if you have a good microphone.

(2) If you are working in the field then you should find out what medium is redily available in that area. DAT can be VERY hard to find in some places. (And expensive.)

(3) With new and smaller laptops and bigger hard drives, another possibility that one of my friends has been using is to record directly to your hard drive or laptop. The main problem is that even a 4lb. laptop weighs a lot more than a tiny MD player, and the batteries don't last very long. But if you are working in places where you can plug in to the wall then it has the advantage of allowing you to record to AIFF and then compress to MP3 and store on CD-R which can then be read on almost any computer with free MP3 software. Also, he says he likes the ability to take notes as well so he likes to have his laptop with him.

kerim
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P. KERIM FRIEDMAN
			Anthropology, Temple University
			<mailto:kerim.mail at oxus.net>
			<http://kerim.oxus.net>
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