I need a good, inexpensive digital stereo recorder

[CPTenorII]

I am a classical site recordist. I got an M-Audio Microtrack II for stereo site recordings. Three weeks ago the Microtrack froze just before a critical recording. After pressing every button and holding various combiantions, I got it unstuck and it worked fine. Then, a week after that, I had the recording going already and the microtrack stopped in the middle of an opera. Needless to say, this really sucked! Fortunately, I was helping friends at the time so there was no paying client. I would love if people could direct me to an appropriate recorder to replace the Microtrack II.

It must:
-be highly stable and responsive (no locks or freezes)
-record at 44.1/16, 44.1/24 and 88.2/24
-have a digital input (I prefer AES, but SPDIF would do)
-have USB or FireWire access to files
-record on stable HD or flash media
-have a small or medium form-factor (not a rack unit)

This seems like a lot to ask, but I'm sure other people have the same needs. The unit needs to be sub-$1000. If I had a real budget I would go for Sound devices or similar. Let me know what might work. Thanks.

[eoats]

My Tascam HD-P2 has been working fine for a few years & I bought it used.

Wish the Eco-Charge people were still around - having AA batteries has been great. Retail was 900ish now with their newer models it should be even better pricing.

[mllrtms]

How are the pres on the Tascam HD-P2? Can they be bypassed to use better pres?

[eoats]

The Tascam's pre-amps are marginal.

I have a Focusrite &/or Mackie 1402 that can feed the Tascam.
It will also take S/PDIF in.

Thinking about:
Upgrade your Digital Recorder

or maybe a used Black Lion Auteur - if I was was to spend any more it would be to go for a Sound Devices.

[SANDS]

I use the hell out of my Zoom H4. Probably the best investment I have ever made. I also have owned the Edirol r-09.

Like the zoom best because all of the usable features, fx, 4 track, usb interface, etc...

They have a newer h4n model now so they are going on ebay for cheap.

[Don S]

Originally Posted by CPTenorII

I am a classical site recordist. I got an M-Audio Microtrack II for stereo site recordings. Three weeks ago the Microtrack froze just before a critical recording. After pressing every button and holding various combiantions, I got it unstuck and it worked fine.

Did you update the firmware? I remember mine did that when I first bought it, then I updated the firmware. So far, no troubles. I use it as a backup for my Sound Devices 702 and feed it via the SPDIF input.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

This is what we are using...

Fostex FR2LE FR-2 Field Memory Recorder

It does not have a digital input but its bigger brother does but it is more expensive

FR-2 FR-2 Field Memory Recorder

Cost of the FR2LE is under $500.00 the FR2 is just under $800.00

Works GREAT, sounds GREAT and it is easy to download from the card to the PC. A typical concert downloads in less than two minutes.

Hope this helps...

[fifthcircle]

The FR2 is a great machine, but don't let it loose power while it is recording. You *will* loose everything recorded since the last time you completely stopped. Use a battery backup like an APC or similar (issues with internal batteries and power). And change out that stupid power conector for a TA-4 or something similar. I had that done at Location Sound to mine and it didn't cost much at all.

Getting rid of the Microtrack would be a good thing- I had tons of issues with mine and when the battery finally died, I decided it wasn't good for much other than the landfill.

Marantz makes some slick recorders as well. I have the rackmount CF recorder (PMD 580) and I've been very pleased with it. Doesn't do hi-res, but I don't really care so much about that. What is really nice is that every time you place a track, you get a new audio file. Line them all up and you have your full session without a dropped sample. Means that if you loose power for any reason, you're not screwed. I don't have a whole lot of experience with the Marantz portables, but the experience I have had has been very positive in terms of sound and reliability.

--Ben

[John Willett]

For small and portable the Olympus LS-10 and LS-11 are nice.

But you may like the Edirol R-09HR - very slightly larger, but unique in that it has a "repair" function. If you lose power and it lock, the "repair" function will find the file and then write the TOC so you can access it - without this function it would have been lost.

I hope this helps.

Yes - the HD-P2 and FR-2LE are nice machines, but are a lot larger and more "professional".

I used the original FR-2 for a few years until I upgraded to the Nagra a year ago.

[CPTenorII]

Originally Posted by Don S

Did you update the firmware? I remember mine did that when I first bought it, then I updated the firmware. So far, no troubles. I use it as a backup for my Sound Devices 702 and feed it via the SPDIF input.

Thanks. If the firmware update did the job, I should consider keeping it going. The issue is that I don't use it as backup. Due to the lack of paying clients and income, it is my primary recorder. Despite my age, I have been doing this a while. I would think I could have graduated to something higher-end, but the money is not there. Also, the Microtrack has the advantage of a tiny form factor. It's no sweat to take it with me on the subway, etc. If only my sytek and Mytek got that small!

[CPTenorII]

Originally Posted by Thomas W. Bethe

This is what we are using...

Fostex FR2LE FR-2 Field Memory Recorder

It does not have a digital input but its bigger brother does but it is more expensive

FR-2 FR-2 Field Memory Recorder

Cost of the FR2LE is under $500.00 the FR2 is just under $800.00

Works GREAT, sounds GREAT and it is easy to download from the card to the PC. A typical concert downloads in less than two minutes.

Hope this helps...

I have only found the FR-2 on ebay, and it's over $2000. Do you know where to get one used for a lot less?

[chris319]

I am going to retire my FR-2LE. It's OK for recording but the output section is for s**t. In addition to the well-known hiss, the output clips if you turn the level control up too high. This is a definite impediment to accurate monitoring.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

Originally Posted by CPTenorII

I have only found the FR-2 on ebay, and it's over $2000. Do you know where to get one used for a lot less?

Here it is for $800 Buy Fostex FR-2 Portable 2-Track Memory Recorder | Professional | Musician's Friend

and here for $1300 Fostex FR-2 | Sweetwater.com

Not sure why the one is so cheap but most places have it for about $1200.

You may want to contact Musician's Friend and ask them to confirm the lower price.

Good shopping!

[Don S]

FWIW - I do believe that both Fostex FR machines are currently discontinued. Maybe that explains the price difference?
At NPR, the Marantz recorders are preferred. The 661 is a pretty nice bang for the buck and uses the SD card media.

[piano]

Your biggest problem is the digital input.

Most 'Pocket Style' recorders do not have one.

I believe the M-Audio is the ONLY one under $500 that has a digital input.

Hey, what else is out there under $500 that has digital inputs? Nothing.......

[Don S]

Originally Posted by piano

Your biggest problem is the digital input.

Most 'Pocket Style' recorders do not have one.

I believe the M-Audio is the ONLY one under $500 that has a digital input.

Hey, what else is out there under $500 that has digital inputs? Nothing.......

Yes, this is correct! And the only reason that I use it. Even the Korg DSD machines are void of this feature. Go figure!

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by piano

Your biggest problem is the digital input.

Most 'Pocket Style' recorders do not have one.

I believe the M-Audio is the ONLY one under $500 that has a digital input.

Hey, what else is out there under $500 that has digital inputs? Nothing.......

The Sony PCM-D50 has a digital input - but I don't know the $ price, so I can't say if it's in budget or not.

[CPTenorII]

Is the Sony a reliable unit? The price is right at about $450. Also, it looks better built than the M-audio.

[Jay Kahrs]

The Marantz 661 has a digital input... I picked up a Fostex FR2LE last year & other then the weakass headphone output its been pretty stellar. I love the autosave feature... it saves once a minute so if the power goes it won't drop the whole recording. Its also impossible to accidentally delete something with the machine... fool proof & doesn't sound like much of anything which is just what I wanted.

[uosdwis]

The digital input on the D50 has been known to be incompatible with some equipment. Perhaps the issue has been resolved since I read about a while back, but from what I remember the Sony was very picky about the type of signal it requires (consumer stuff worked better than pro gear).

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by Jay Kahrs

... I picked up a Fostex FR2LE last year & other then the weakass headphone output its been pretty stellar.

The "weakass headphone output" is to preserve battery life and not to eat them up too quickly (as told to me by Fostex when I reviewed the original FR-2 and mentioned this to them).

But I found that the 120dB efficient HD 25-1 worked perfectly with it.

So, you really need to look at low-impedance and very efficient headphones - or use a battery headphone amp. like the Graham Slee Voyager.

I hope this helps.

[skiltrip]

I have the Zoom H4n, and I love it. It's a swiss army knife recording tool. It also works nice as a headphone amp. for $299, It's kind of one of those can't go wrong things.