Basic Recording Rig

For those of you who are serious amateurs, I have a suggestion for a relatively low cost, high quality (not studio quality) microphone and recorder for recording your quartet or other small group, afterglows, or chorus rehearsals. I am currently using a single stereo Sony MS 907 Electret Cardioid microphone. It has an off-on switch and adjustable pattern. It uses one AAA battery for phantom power. There are some negatives: Its output is through a single 1/8" male stereo plug. I haven't yet figured out how to use balanced cables. I use a converter, stereo-in to two mono-out jacks, and run two high quality, unbalanced cables to the recorder. This limits you, theoretically, to about 20 feet (enough to get off the afterglow small stage). For the recorder, I am using an older Sony Walkman Digital recorder, MZ R700. With headphones, the sound is great. Through an amplifier or computer, the sound is better (to my ears) than most .mp3s. One negative, the only output jack on the recorder is the headphone jack, but it seems to work fine with the line-in jacks on an amplifier or computer. To make copies or [CDs], I run it into "Cool Edit" in the computer and can change it to a .wav file for [CDs] or to an .mp3 for whatever. I hope I have followed correct procedure on this. If not, contact me and set me straight. Clare McCreary? : cmccrear@tampabay.rr.com