Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic

Subject: Tech: Olympus LS 11 & External Mic
From: Deskjet
Date: 14 Jun 10 - 07:31 PM

Getting to know my Olympus LS 11 recorder and I am impressed. However, as an experiment in how it goes with an external mic , I hooked it up to a Sony ECM- MS957 mic that I had used with my Sony minidisc.
I found the resulting levels to be very low in comparison to what the LS 11 produces with it's own internal mics.
Does this fit, or am I doing something wrong? - Can anyone can advise the technically very average here?

Subject: RE: Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic
From: GUEST,guest mattkeen
Date: 15 Jun 10 - 04:30 AM

The line ins are professional mic/line level perhaps they weren't on the mini disc?

Does your mic require phantom power or does it use batteries and if yes are they charged ok?

The Olympus is a great piece of kit by the way
I use it as a notebook and also as a back up recorder on jobs when recordong classical and folk concerts

Subject: RE: Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic
From: Deskjet
Date: 15 Jun 10 - 03:33 PM

Thanks for the reply mattkeen.
The mic requires batteries, which are new, so I don't think they are an issue - just might be the Olympus doesn't like the Sony mic!-
But yes, the Olympus is a great recorder and much more user-friendly than the Sony minidisc.
My use is mainly for close-mic demoing of songs (vocal and guitar together). Saves a trip to a recording studio!

Subject: RE: Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic
From: Leadfingers
Date: 15 Jun 10 - 03:50 PM

IF its for close up work , why do you want a Mic at a distance ? Are the Built in Mics not good enough for you ??

Subject: RE: Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic
From: Deskjet
Date: 15 Jun 10 - 04:47 PM

Just looking to hear what an Olympus LS11 sounds like using an external mic Leadfingers,close up.

Subject: RE: Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic
From: GUEST,High Society Orchestra
Date: 15 Feb 11 - 05:19 PM

I am looking at replacing my sony minidisc with something like this. Its for recording samples of strings in an orchestra context to be used for promotional material - website etc... It sounds like it would work well for this purpose?

Subject: RE: Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic
From: GUEST,mattkeen
Date: 16 Feb 11 - 04:42 AM

Yes it would

The mics on it are really pretty good - they are certainly better than the Sony ECM mic mentioned earlier but obviously not as good as Schoeps or Neumanns!

Subject: RE: Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic
From: Bernard
Date: 16 Feb 11 - 06:51 AM

If a mic has batteries it doesn't need phantom. If the batteries are low, or there is no phantom, the mic just will not work at all, you won't get low level.

It's more likely to be the input you are using, as GUEST,mattkeen has already observed.

A Line Level input (so called because the original technology was 'borrowed' from telephony) does not suit a microphone without some sort of level raising amplifier or mixer.

Similarly, if you try to shove line level into a mic input, it will distort horribly because there is too much signal for the input to handle.

So you need to make sure you're using the correct input - a microphone goes into a mic input, but a mixer, CD player, MP3 (etc) are the devices that would go into a line level input.

As I'm not familiar with the Olympus, I can only go off what I see on reviews on the net - but it seems you have both line and mic level inputs on the LS 11. It may, then, be simply a matter of making sure you are using the correct input, and going through the setup to make sure the input gain is set correctly. Your manual should explain how to do this...!

This website has some info and an audio review on it...

Subject: RE: Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 16 Feb 11 - 08:41 AM

High Society Orchestra, I'll have to trust Matt Keen with the answer to your question but I'm just noting there seem to be a few of these personal recorders around these days.

My own is a (now superseded) Zoom H4 (which incidentally has 2 combined XLR/TRS inputs and can provide phantom power). As far as I can make out, the whole Zoom range is generally liked by those that have them.

One I spotted yesterday while browsing was a Thomann own brand, a Swissonic. I don't know what it's like but the price seems quite attractive.

Subject: RE: Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic
From: GUEST,mattkeen
Date: 16 Feb 11 - 10:58 AM

There is nothing wrong with the Zooms, but I wouldn't go any cheaper

Basically the Olympus is better built, and better mics and pres than the Zooms and was worth the extra to me - especially as I was quite often working in places with stone floors (recitals in churches) and I drop things!

You pay ur money .......

Subject: RE: Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Feb 11 - 11:09 AM

Actually at the first few sites I see, the Zoom H4n (replacement for mine) is more expensive than the LS 11 - say arround £250 cf £200.

I'm not arguing with how you have found the different ones you have looked at though and as well as giving good sound, I'm glad your is robust. I know what it's like to be good at dropping things...

Subject: RE: Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 16 Feb 11 - 11:12 AM

Blimey, what's the matter with me and forgetting my name today - I'm not busy now...? Sorry again.

Subject: RE: Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Feb 11 - 03:23 PM

Thanks Mattkeen. I'm sure they are good on the olympus but just wondered about the frequency range. I'm not a tech buff (I'm a classically trained musician) but is the range of the Sony ECMMS907.CE7 Microphone better than the Olympus range (20Khz - 60/70Khz)?
Will I pick up more with the mic that has the biggest range and what if anything - bass / treble will I loose? or is this such a minute difference that you really cant tell the difference?

One other thing - Is there much difference in the freq range of the LS 10 (70Khz - 20Khz) and LS 11 (60Khz - 20Khz)?
Hope that makes sense!

Subject: RE: Tech: Olypmus LS 11 & External Mic
From: Bernard
Date: 16 Feb 11 - 05:30 PM

Quite often, differences in budget microphones such as these are very slight - and one person thinks it's dreadful, yet another thinks it's wonderful!

You need to listen for yourself, somehow, and decide what you prefer, not what someone else tells you you should prefer!

As a classically trained musician (so am I), your judgement is possibly impaired by memory... you're not listening to the recording, but remembering what it sounded like!

It's worth remembering that the frequency range of the human ear doesn't really match that of the microphones, particularly as we grow older...!

The higher end of the frequency range, and its faithful capture of midrange, is much more important.