Radio College

Resource Guide | Audio Equipment & Technology

BUY, RENT & SERVICE + SUPPLIES

B&H Photo/Video/Audio

New York City's audio/video/photo supermarket featuring (almost) everything under the sun.
closes at sundown on Friday and reopens Sunday, following the sabbath.
FYI: show up early in the day to avoid the crowds and receive more personalized attention.

Bradley Broadcast

for audio broadcasting equipment.

BSW /Broadcast Supply Worldwide

for pro audio equipment.

Core Sound

microphones and other equipment for digital enthusiasts.

Full Compass

mainly for musicians but also featuring general audio and video equipment.

Gearslutz

a forum for sharing techie information.

Giant Squid Audio

mics & cables.

site mainly for consumer audio equipment and supplies.

MacFixIt

you definitely need this to stay on top of troubleshooting Macs.

Markertek

broadcast supplies.

Pro Digital

DAT, CD and MiniDisc repairs.

Pro Sound Services

rentals, sales and service
my personal choice for audio & video rentals in New York City; call Ross and tell him I sent you.

Minidisco

site for mini disc recorders and supplies.

Sound Professionals
Sweetwater

mainly for musicians but also featuring general audio equipment and supplies.

Tapes.com

my recommendation for digital and analog recording supplies.

Tekserve

one of the two best Mac stores in New York City -- the other, of course, is Apple Soho -- when it comes to buying and repairing your computer, and receiving free seminar tutorials on just about anything digital for the Mac: Pro Tools, Final Cut Pro, Avid.
the least expensive Pro Tools set-up is now $410 which includes the latest software and the Mbox hardware interface -- compact, portable and simple to use.
sells LaCie and Glyph drives; I recommend Glyph as the quieter of these drives.

Tensimount … inexpensive mic isolators.

FIELD RECORDERS & MICROPHONES

Recorders…

AudioTalk< … minidisc forum.
The BBC's 5 Minute Minidisc Guide to the Sony MZ-R55.
Marantz field recorders

PMD660 compact flash; mic pre-amp modifications from Oade Brothers.
PMD670 compact flash.
PMD671 compact flash.
Transom review of PMD-660 by Jeff Towne.

Minidisc

an open forum web community where info on mini disc technology is shared, including what to buy and usage tips.

Recommended field recorders and mics by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Macauley Library.
Recommended field recording equipment by the Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics.

although this addresses documenting nature, the technological tips are applicable to all audio production.

Sony TC-D5 cassette recorder< … old reliable.

Sound Devices … all-digital recorders.

a personal favorite: the 702 and 722 models offer file-based recording plus compact flash.

Transom

the journalists' first stop for technology recommendations.

Microphones

Audio Technica mics

microphone manufacturer's site which provides detailed information on how they work — from pickup patterns to proximity effect ((also see their glossary link)).

Electrovoice mics
find that mic…
HHB FlashMic ((1)) and ((2)) … self-contained and ready for travel.
K-TEK … mic boom poles and windshields.
mics … addresses music recording but fully applicable to all audio recording; by Pete Thomas.
mics for podcasting … at the NAMM show.
Rycote softie covers and windshields
Sennheiser mics
Shure … mic selection guide; mics for podcasting.
Studio Projects microphones

PORTABLE DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATION SETUP

see Transom and their Gear Guide
Jay Allison's recommendations … ((1)) and ((2))
the National Radio Project recommends…
my addendum:

to get audio into and out of a Mac or PC laptop, a USB interface is needed. For Pro Tools, the Mbox is just one portable option. Unfortunately, you cannot run Pro Tools -- even for simple field editing -- without an interface. So, instead of lugging the Mbox around as a rather absurdist dongle, try the smaller M-Audio Transit which runs with Pro Tools M-Powered v7 software. Or try one of the other software recommendations above that do not require proprietary connections.
you should opt for an extra drive exclusively for audio unless you're doing the most bare bones, basic — and short — production work. You can have one installed directly into a new laptop OR buy an external drive optimized for such use ((such as those made by Glyph or LaCie)).