Which Portable Field Recorder?

DarkEcho · 28th November 2007, 02:29 AM

Here are a few I found at zzounds... if anyone knows of another model I am missing please let me know! Has anyone had any experience with any of these?

Zoom H2 Portable 2-Track SD Recorder from zZounds.com!

Zoom H4 from zZounds.com!

Edirol R09 from zZounds.com!

Sony PCMD50 96kHz/24bit PCM Recorder With USB from zZounds.com!

what do you all think?

bcgood · 28th November 2007, 02:41 AM

Yea, your missing this one.

702 Portable Audio Recorder | Sound Devices, LLC

yoink · 28th November 2007, 03:42 AM

+1 on the Sound Devices

DarkEcho · 28th November 2007, 08:04 AM

Wont I need to buy/have a pair of mics for that unit?

bcgood · 28th November 2007, 08:07 AM

Depends if you want to record mono or stereo. If your budget allows a Sennheiser 416 gun mic with Rycote windshield and windjammer is industry standard.

vernier · 28th November 2007, 09:42 AM

I'd get a cassette recorder.

DarkEcho · 28th November 2007, 05:56 PM

I probably should have mentioned that I am trying to give my lady a list of potential christmas gifts for me, one of which is some sort of portable recording device (I like to sample things in my music) so the price would probably need to be below $500.00...

that big fluffy sennheiser is enticing though!

bdasilva · 28th November 2007, 07:01 PM

What are you recording? Music? ENG? Nature? 16 or 24 bit? With what mics? Do you need phantom power? Models you have listed will not give professional results. Most of what you buy as stock recording units have serious limits for most applications. Oade Bros has modified Marantz PMD-660 recorders that are modded and tailored to whatever you need at a third of the cost of the Sound Devices 722. The 722 would be my first choice if I had that budget. A trip to taperssection.com will give you answers on all of the portable recorders. A talk with Doug Oade will also shed light on what you need.

tnjazz · 28th November 2007, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkEcho

the price would probably need to be below $500.00...

No deck in that price range will have truly superior built in mics (you'll really need an external and a preamp to step up the quality) but I have heard good things about the built in mics on the Edirol R-09.

I had one for a while and it's very easy to use, but I never used the built in mics so I can't comment on those directly. I know a few people who have though, and they are quite satisfied with the results they're getting.

In the sub-$500 category that unit would be my choice.

DarkEcho · 28th November 2007, 10:33 PM

thanks tnjazz I was between that one and the sony,

bdasilva, I wanted to record noises from whatever, washing machine, cars, manufacturing plants, for use in my music to provide a textural backdrop. while quality is important to me, I am not sure if I need the industry standard.

I am not sure what results I would get with the >500$ devices.. Maybe I should just buy a collection of samples in the category of industrial from Sound Ideas Sound Effects, Royalty Free Music & Production Elements or something.

not sure...

gsilbers · 28th November 2007, 10:55 PM

well i have about a terabyte of sound effects and its cool if you know what you are looking for. if i need rain ambience i type rain in the finder and thats it.

but if i want to record something specific that inspires you like girls singing candyshop while jumproping or your cat doing wierd noises or an idea for a song then getting a portable recorder like the m-audio oe edirol are pretty cool. or a cassette one which are pretty cheap. if you see that u like using the tape recorder but dont likee the hiss then an upgrade to the ones you mentioned

diamondjim · 28th November 2007, 10:57 PM

For the money ($179) the Zoom H2 is pretty hard to beat. I like the variable patterns. The mics are also decent. The best thing is you can mount it on a mic stand using the adapter, or use the supplied tripod feet and set it on a table.

That plus a $40 card upgrade to 2 gig and you can do about 3 hours of 24 bit 44.1 khz wav's. Transferring to computer via USB was simple and fast.

DarkEcho · 29th November 2007, 12:02 AM

I am into heavy machinery noises and slowed down servos. that kind of thing that I would build into a percussion section.

I am thinking it would be hard for me to even sample these kinds of things if I did have a great setup, since no giant robots live near me.

maybe I should spend my 500 bucks on a sample library from soundideas... "The Works" is basically exactly what I want.

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28th November 2007, 02:29 AM	#1
DarkEcho Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: California Posts: 1,665	Which Portable Field Recorder? Here are a few I found at zzounds... if anyone knows of another model I am missing please let me know! Has anyone had any experience with any of these? Zoom H2 Portable 2-Track SD Recorder from zZounds.com! Zoom H4 from zZounds.com! Edirol R09 from zZounds.com! Sony PCMD50 96kHz/24bit PCM Recorder With USB from zZounds.com! what do you all think? __________________ //Hawk Duncan..."Will Mix for Food"... [2.4Ghz MacBook Pro: 4GB RAM, 160GB 7200RPM Hard Drive] [Logic Pro 8, Apogee Ensemble, SCA Preamplifiers]

28th November 2007, 02:41 AM	#2
bcgood Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: West Coast Posts: 3,123	Yea, your missing this one. 702 Portable Audio Recorder \| Sound Devices, LLC __________________ bcgood

28th November 2007, 03:42 AM	#3
yoink Gear maniac Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 257	+1 on the Sound Devices __________________ "The only intuitive interface is the nipple. After that, it's all learned." - Bruce Ediger

28th November 2007, 08:04 AM	#4
DarkEcho Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: California Posts: 1,665	Wont I need to buy/have a pair of mics for that unit? __________________ //Hawk Duncan..."Will Mix for Food"... [2.4Ghz MacBook Pro: 4GB RAM, 160GB 7200RPM Hard Drive] [Logic Pro 8, Apogee Ensemble, SCA Preamplifiers]

28th November 2007, 08:07 AM	#5
bcgood Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: West Coast Posts: 3,123	Depends if you want to record mono or stereo. If your budget allows a Sennheiser 416 gun mic with Rycote windshield and windjammer is industry standard. __________________ bcgood

28th November 2007, 09:42 AM	#6
vernier Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 3,674	I'd get a cassette recorder. __________________ http://www.myspace.com/learstevens

28th November 2007, 05:56 PM	#7
DarkEcho Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: California Posts: 1,665	I probably should have mentioned that I am trying to give my lady a list of potential christmas gifts for me, one of which is some sort of portable recording device (I like to sample things in my music) so the price would probably need to be below $500.00... that big fluffy sennheiser is enticing though! __________________ //Hawk Duncan..."Will Mix for Food"... [2.4Ghz MacBook Pro: 4GB RAM, 160GB 7200RPM Hard Drive] [Logic Pro 8, Apogee Ensemble, SCA Preamplifiers]

28th November 2007, 07:01 PM	#8
bdasilva Gear Head Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Phoenix Posts: 31	What are you recording? Music? ENG? Nature? 16 or 24 bit? With what mics? Do you need phantom power? Models you have listed will not give professional results. Most of what you buy as stock recording units have serious limits for most applications. Oade Bros has modified Marantz PMD-660 recorders that are modded and tailored to whatever you need at a third of the cost of the Sound Devices 722. The 722 would be my first choice if I had that budget. A trip to taperssection.com will give you answers on all of the portable recorders. A talk with Doug Oade will also shed light on what you need.

28th November 2007, 10:33 PM	#10
DarkEcho Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: California Posts: 1,665	thanks tnjazz I was between that one and the sony, bdasilva, I wanted to record noises from whatever, washing machine, cars, manufacturing plants, for use in my music to provide a textural backdrop. while quality is important to me, I am not sure if I need the industry standard. I am not sure what results I would get with the >500$ devices.. Maybe I should just buy a collection of samples in the category of industrial from Sound Ideas Sound Effects, Royalty Free Music & Production Elements or something. not sure... __________________ //Hawk Duncan..."Will Mix for Food"... [2.4Ghz MacBook Pro: 4GB RAM, 160GB 7200RPM Hard Drive] [Logic Pro 8, Apogee Ensemble, SCA Preamplifiers]

28th November 2007, 10:55 PM	#11
gsilbers Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,365	well i have about a terabyte of sound effects and its cool if you know what you are looking for. if i need rain ambience i type rain in the finder and thats it. but if i want to record something specific that inspires you like girls singing candyshop while jumproping or your cat doing wierd noises or an idea for a song then getting a portable recorder like the m-audio oe edirol are pretty cool. or a cassette one which are pretty cheap. if you see that u like using the tape recorder but dont likee the hiss then an upgrade to the ones you mentioned __________________ MY MUSIC HERE: GJ http://www.myspace.com/gjsilberstein

28th November 2007, 10:57 PM	#12
diamondjim Gear addict Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Oracle Arizona Posts: 411	For the money ($179) the Zoom H2 is pretty hard to beat. I like the variable patterns. The mics are also decent. The best thing is you can mount it on a mic stand using the adapter, or use the supplied tripod feet and set it on a table. That plus a $40 card upgrade to 2 gig and you can do about 3 hours of 24 bit 44.1 khz wav's. Transferring to computer via USB was simple and fast. __________________ Jim Hewitt Barn Jazz Music Productions Oracle, AZ www.barnjazz.com

29th November 2007, 12:02 AM	#13
DarkEcho Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: California Posts: 1,665	I am into heavy machinery noises and slowed down servos. that kind of thing that I would build into a percussion section. I am thinking it would be hard for me to even sample these kinds of things if I did have a great setup, since no giant robots live near me. maybe I should spend my 500 bucks on a sample library from soundideas... "The Works" is basically exactly what I want. __________________ //Hawk Duncan..."Will Mix for Food"... [2.4Ghz MacBook Pro: 4GB RAM, 160GB 7200RPM Hard Drive] [Logic Pro 8, Apogee Ensemble, SCA Preamplifiers]

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