Can I hook up an OST 802 directly to a recorder like h4n or DR40?

FiddlerMD

FiddlerMD

Well-known member
I ordered the ost 802 today and am about to order a recorder. i was first looking at the cheaper ones with the 3.5mm jacks but now am considering something bigger with xlr. My question is, can that 802 with 3.5mm mono jack be plugged directly into one of those (with adapter, i guess)?
 
comon people, a simple "yes you can with a 1/8 to 1/4 adapter" or a "no, you need some sort of $100 gizmo" would suffice - please chime in
 
so something like a zoom h1 or a DR-07 would actually work out more cost effectively eh? I thought the xlr recorders could consume these types of mics since they provide power. I ordered it terminted in a mono 3.5mm jack
 
The H1, definitely, not sure about the DR-07 but I suspect it would work. Check the manual online to see if it provides plug-in power to it's 3.5mm jack (likely switchable from a menu).
 
The DR40 DOES NOT have a 3.5mm jack. The DR40 can supply 'Phantom Power' to the XLR. 3.5mm jacks usually supply 'Plug-in power', which is a totally different configuration and voltage. To use the OST mic with the DR40, you would need an XLR Phantom Power adapter. OST sells the "Power supply-XLR" for less than $100. It used to be about $40usd. I don't have the current price list. Contact OST
 
thanks. so now the decision comes down to - do i get a recorder with xlr and supply an adapter for 3.5mm mics or do i get a recorder with 3.5mm only and if I need to do xlr, get a pre-amp or whatever will supply phantom power.
the former costs more up front and is bulkier (with worse battery life especially if using phantom). the latter is smaller/cheaper but will be more expensive (i think)if I need to run xlr mics... any advice?
 
Sounds like youve reached the point where you have to make the decission to stay small or go pro. to go pro will be more expensive, however it will be more flexible with other pro gear, to stay small limits your choises considerably.

My advice is to go the XLR route and future-proof but be aware its a more complicated more expensive route but ultimately more flexible and acctualy has growth potential, with the XLR recorder you need an adapter but in the long run, any other pro XLR mic will just plug right in no worries.
 
yeah I realized that it's more flexible down the line.. it's figuring out whether I'll need that kind of flexibility down the line that's the problem :) Also, something like a zoom h4n has both a 3.5mm and xlr ins.. is that the only device with that spec in the price range?
 
Rick R said:
The DR40 DOES NOT have a 3.5mm jack. The DR40 can supply 'Phantom Power' to the XLR. 3.5mm jacks usually supply 'Plug-in power', which is a totally different configuration and voltage. To use the OST mic with the DR40, you would need an XLR Phantom Power adapter. OST sells the "Power supply-XLR" for less than $100. It used to be about $40usd. I don't have the current price list. Contact OST
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$60 as if March 2011
 
The Sony PCM-10 is what you need. Much better noise floor than any of the other recorders you have mentioned. Very clean line-in too. Most "tapers" (concert tapers) love it for this reason. The Sony will provide plug-in power. The H4N has crap pre-amps anyhow, avoid it. Minimum go with the Tascam DR100MII, but the Sony will still beat it - just no XLR's.. We don't know yet all the info on the Olympus LS100, promises to have XLR's and a good noise floor too though.

You can always use it as a good recorder later if you decide to buy a mixer, a pre-amp or a passive XLR adapter.
 
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the problem with the tr100 and the upcoming olympus is the price. If price wasnt an issue, i'd go for the sony d50
 
FiddlerMD said:
the problem with the tr100 and the upcoming olympus is the price. If price wasnt an issue, i'd go for the sony d50
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I have the D50 and I love it. Great noise floor, really balanced sound. The tapers say that the line-in on the PCM-10 is even better though and it is half the price of the D50. I strongly suggest you try it out.
 
I'm curious how good these various recorders are as on-camera mics. Meaning you're likely to be 10ft+ from talent. I'm guessing that in this type of situation the X/Y hypers (like the tascam dr40) will be better than something like the sony omni mics?
 
FiddlerMD said:
I'm curious how good these various recorders are as on-camera mics. Meaning you're likely to be 10ft+ from talent. I'm guessing that in this type of situation the X/Y hypers (like the tascam dr40) will be better than something like the sony omni mics?
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It depends on the type of "talent" you're recording. If it's a band performing, 10 feet might be okay. But if it's a person speaking in a normal or even loud conversational voice, no mic or recorder using its internal mics at any price is going to be worth a damn from 10 feet away. Mother Nature insists on the upper hand and there's no way around it.
 
well thus far i've been using a camera-mount oktava. this isnt for like broadcast work or anything, just for 'better than on-camera' -- the oktava is good enough for this but i find it picks up too much handling noise and other 'behind the camera' stuff that I would rather it not capture - i realize it's not a shotgun .. but let's say versus a camera-mounted Oktava 012 - how would it compare
 
If the recorder is at the camera position it might as well be on-camera, whether it's actually physically mounted on the camera itself or not. What matters is the mic-subject distance. As for how the recorders mentioned in the thread would compare to your Oktava under your shooting conditions I don't know - someone who's used both needs to field that one for you. My gut feeling is it wouldn't make much difference.

The Oktava is known to be sensitive to wind and handling noise to begin with - all hypers are and the Oktava is especially sensitive. What's happening is with having it 10 feet from the subject, the sound of interest is at a relatively low level viz a viz the extraneous noises. When you crank up the gain to get an acceptable level on the sound you're interested in, everything else gets cranked up too. The only solution is to get the mic closer to the source so the source gets louder in proportion to the surrounding noises.
 
right - that all makes sense.. Do you think at that distance an XY config would offer a significant different in the directionality of the sound vs omnis? Meaning, does an XY camera-mount mic offer some sort of preference towards the center of the action and somewhat rejects side/behind?
 
10 ft is enormous, at that distance you are even at the limits of the longest shotguns. In terms of on camera recording with either the Oktava or a recorder I only use Rycote Lyre suspensions for the handling noise and a serious wind gag for the mko12. But neither of those is going to be of much help for the poor S/n ratio you are describing. Lavs are your only alternative then...
 
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