Advice needed urgently on sound recording equipment (1 Viewer)

Hi everyone,

I'm a research student working on bird vocalisations, and I am currently trying to purchase a recording unit and microphone for use in my fieldwork.

Previously I have used a Marantz PMD660, and got on with it quite well, so am considering buying the updated Marantz PMD661. I was wondering whether anyone had any opinions about this recording unit and whether there is anything else that I could look into instead of this particular make and model? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I also need to buy a very good quality microphone. My work involves recording bird vocalisations outdoors, often at a distance (generally between 10 and 25 metres, but sometimes closer) and in moderately windy conditions. Vegetation is generally sparse and low in height, so causes minimal problems with recording. The vocalisations of the birds I work on have a fundamental frequency range of between 1 and 6kHz, however harmonic overtones reach above 22kHz. My main requirement is to get clear sonograms at a distance with minimal background noise from the equipment or wind.

I have been looking into Sennheiser microphones, however these may be outside my price range. Any alternative makes/models or even suggestions of where to buy second hand microphones would be great.

Many thanks in advance for your help!

My experience is limited -- there are infinitely more qualified people than myself. I don't have a breadth of exposure as I've only used a PMD661 with both a Sennheiser ME67 and Telinga parabola. Spectrograms are absolutely workable with the shotgun mic, but are a bit clearer with a parabola.

If Sennheiser mics are out of your price range, but you are thinking of getting a PMD661, maybe consider how much you can spend on the whole package and get a decent mic with a lower priced recording unit?

I think the noise issue you'll likely face is ambient noise rather than equipment noise... especially down at 1k. I was certainly struck by background noise when I started.

Hopefully someone can chime in with real advice.

IMO I would spend more on a mic. What species are you recording? I would also consider EBay. I found a parabola for around 70 U.S. dollars and then you could spend the money on a really nice mic element. They also usually have Sennheiser mic on there as well. I got my LS-10 recorder from there and my mic. I do know that you get what you pay for. My recorder is good enough for what I use it for but I wish I had the money for a better mic.