On Thu, 06 Dec 2001 23:49:16 GMT, "TheKeith" wrote:

>I have the Sony DCR-PC9 and was wondering what a good external mic would be
>to use with this camera for recording a concert and getting the best
>possible sound - within practical means of course? Should it be a stereo mic
>or a mono? I have some really good Led Zeppelin bootlegs that were recorded
>from the audience and not the soundboard (of course there was no camera
>involved). What did those bootleggers use to do theirs? Any tips would be
>appreciated - thanks.

If you are willing to EQ the results, the best cheap music
mics I've found are the little lavaliers from Azden ($25 each).
Plug two into a Radio Shack dual-mono-to-stereo
mini-plug adapter (about $4), and mount them with as much
spacing between them as you can manage (RS sells sheilded
mini-plug extension cords). These are wide-range and smooth
in frequency response, but sloped high at the bass end,
down at the top end - a little experimenting with smooth
reshaping of the response with EQ, and the sound can be
quite good (careful noise-reduction in Cool Edit
[www.syntrillium.com] helps - these are not the quietest
mics around, but for cheaps, the sound is good...;-).
Alternatively, try the Sony 908c - limited range stereo
mic, but OK if not too critical (about $90?).