Just bought an Olympus LS-10...........any advice

[rbrown]

I just bought an Olumpus LS-10 and I am stoked.  Anyone have one an advice on using it???????????????

[limnephilidae]

I just bought an Olumpus LS-10 and I am stoked.  Anyone have one an advice on using it???????????????

Yes, I've had one for a few weeks now. It's a great simple recorder if you don't need XLR or phantom power. I've just been using the unit itself (no extra mics) and I've been very pleased with the results.

Here are some rough guidelines to recording acoustic guitar tracks (no vocals):
- Read the guide on the Olympus website (pdf) for the LS-10, it has great guidelines for recording
- Turn the limiter off
- When recording dreadnoughts use a low mic sense with a manual recording level (you set the recording level to manual in the menu) of about 7-9 when about 3-5 feet away from your guitar, with the LS-10 aimed at the soundhole and roughly at the same elevation
- Place the recorder flat on the edge of book with the speakers hanging over edge to get the best aura; alternatively use a tripod to position it
- For a rougher, more intimate recording (think Elliot Smith's tracks where you can hear the finger move along the bass strings during chord switchovers) then you can turn the mic sense to high, the level to 4, and aim it at the 9-12 fret on your guitar. I usually use this setting for fingerpicking or softer chords.
- Whatever recording settings you end up using, keep it on manual. Also, make sure you test your recording level with the hard and soft points of your piece before you record; you can press the record button once to enter the standby mode and see your sample levels. Look for the red light indicating a peak and turn the recording level (dial) down 1/2 level until you don't see it anymore when you play.
- Use 48Khz / 24bit PCM (or lower quality) if you plan to use it in Mac's GarageBand; the 96khz imports in slow-mo

I've also used this thing to capture some hard rain and and other natural ambient noises to layer with some of my tracks. The device is great because it's small and you can bring it anywhere. Even a crowded cafe can be an nice intro or fade for your song.

Please let me know if you figure out any clever tricks with it.

Cheers,

Adam