The "what portable recording device should I buy?" thread

[theowlbox]

Hi Vurki

My experience with the preamps on the Fostex FR2 is that they're not as quiet as the ones on the Zoom H4n.
I haven't done hundreds of tests, but that's my experience so far.
The built in mics on the Zoom are ok too (though you'll need windshields to use them outdoors)

Good luck!

Ps. That Zoom H1 looks futuristic.

[Vurki]

Hi Vurki

My experience with the preamps on the Fostex FR2 is that they're not as quiet as the ones on the Zoom H4n.
I haven't done hundreds of tests, but that's my experience so far.
The built in mics on the Zoom are ok too (though you'll need windshields to use them outdoors)

Good luck!

Ps. That Zoom H1 looks futuristic.

Thanks for the advice, though it took too long so I have bought Fostex ages ago. And got to say... it's amazingly quiet. Would fit for Bruce Swedien. I have to say that there's no way Zoom would be quieter! All people say Zoom is very noisy and that Fostex is very quiet, I've read tests and reviews and they agree with that. I have recorded quiet summerdays etc. and the noise is absolutely inaudible. I have recorded extremely quiet sounds in nature with maximum gain and the noise is still not intrusive, it's audible only if you pay attention to it.

[Phijel]

I need to replace my Korg MR-1 with its ridiculously short battery life....
Anyone with opinions about the sony PCM-M10 ? I've read tons of amazingly good reviews of it,
just curious if somebody here owns it, and has something to say about it...

looks like it even surpasses its bigger brother, the PCM-D50 with some features

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-audio/resource.latest.bbsccms-assets-cat-audio-solutions-pcmm10.shtml
http://broadcastengineering.com/audio/in-review-sonys-pc-m10-handheld-digital-recorder-1120/

thanks,

Ph

[Daizok]

I'm really satisfied with my PCM-D50. I think the build-in mic's are pretty good (but use a windscreen ) , the device is very easy to use and has some nice addon recording features. The hours it works on a single set of batteries is impressive! Only 'con' is it has no phantom power or XLR inputs, but my contact mic and hydrophone work decent enough on the 2v for what i do. The PP/XLR addon module that is offered online is quite expensive  . All in all, i wouldn't easily switch this recorder for another.

Best,
Roel

[muncky]

hope I'm not going to get shot for restarting two slightly old threads in succession - I'm looking to get a pocketable portable recorder to move on from using minidisc, and on a budget... ideally, something that'd could be carried everyday, be able record with with contact mics, field recordings with onboard or external mics, and general rehearsal/acoustic room recordings on the fly.

primary reference points, as well as this forum have been Sound on Sound reviews, and Transom (http://transom.org/?page_id=7514)

been considering the Zoom H2, but wary of not being able to plug in mics without an additional preamp.

Reading about the Tascams, seems that their hiss levels are more acceptable than on other budget recorders - has anyone any experience of the Tascam DR 2D? looks like a nice compact, well built unit, although lacks x/y mic configuration (seems to be set at 105 degrees - is this a problem/concern?), and figured the external inputs may be consistent with their other models (like DR07, DR1, etc).

sadly, the Zoom H4n and Sony PCM10 is out of my budget at the moment

[kristofferlislegaard]

I have been thinking about buying myself a h4n myself, and if h2 is on your budget, then I would strongly consider going for the h4n. It is really not that difference in prices. (at least not here in Norway)

[muncky]

[mac]

it's round 300-320 EUR here in Poland.

[seaworthy]

Ok, time to revisit all this debate/info again...my minidisc is finished and I need to move on. I'm hoping there can be some more sharing of experiences with these various recorders, particularly things that have been unexpectedly good or bad.

While I'm generally confident I'm getting comparable audio quality within my target price range for units, I'd be interested to hear thoughts on other aspects of useability, things like file naming/sorting, downloading etc. I am not the most organised individual, I need a unit that does most of the work for me!

I know there has been plenty of Zoom H4n love here, I'm not sure why I'm less interested in that unit, perhaps a few less favourable comments by those I know who've used one. Anyway, here is where I'm at. Tossing up between Sony PCM-50 and Tascam DR-100 (but I'm not opposed to units like Olympus LS-10 or Marantz PMD 661 or Edirol R9HR).

I like the idea of having the XLR inputs on the DR-100 as I'm going to upgrade some mics. However, I already have a few minijack mics, including my beloved hydrophone, so I'd need to get an adaptor for that (no big deal right?). Similarly, I would need adaptors for XLR for the PCM-50.

Despite the slightly higher price tag on the PCM-50, I must say I like the idea of a (more?) solid build compared to DR-100.

I'd appreciate any new/renewed thoughts you may have.

Here are some links to comparisons I've dug up: (any more recent charts would be appreciated)

http://www.wingfieldaudio.com/compare-portable-recorders.html

http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/audio/portable-recorder-comparison/

[kristofferlislegaard]

i just want to add that you hydrophone might be using 5v and not phantom. so you need a minijack input with plug i power.
there is a plug like this on most of the recorders on the marked today.

[Kane solo andata]

If you can hold out, may be a good idea to wait till musikmesse in april. could be some new gear coming out. Most of the competitors on the market have been out since 2008/2009...

[billygomberg]

wow the Tascam DR100 is hovering around $300 at US online retailers.

I still swear by my D50, but if you definitely need XLR inputs, I don't think you can go wrong at that price.

anyone here used the Tascam?

[Phijel]

So, since my last post in august, I got the sony PCM-M10 and can't rave enough about it !!
It's ultra portable, has a otherworldly battery life. I'm using my *second* set of AA batteries since august, and recorded more than 8Gb of material with it at the best quality settings, with (almost always) monitoring  and re-listening the recordings sometimes several times - it is just unbelievable !

Sound quality is top notch, it compares easily with or even surpasses my previous korg MR-1, and I can use either the built-in mics (pretty good but very wind-sensitive) or plug directly my self-powered rode NT4, or my binaural in-ears mic (with plug-in power). No need for XLR in my case.

Before buying, I was also tempted by the Tascam DR-100 as well, but the sound samples I found on the net were nowhere close to those from the sony, with a LOT more floor noise. The Sony is crystal clear. I was also a bit discouraged by some bad reviews of the Tascam, but I can't put my hand on these links right now, I'll post these if I find them back.

The PCM-M10 also has a very cool 5 sec pre-rec buffer function. That means, with this activated, the recording starts actually 5 sec *before* the moment you press the button. Cool for recording intermittent noises.

I also used the links you posted, but they haven't been updated for a while.

For my researches, I found the taperssection forums have a lot of useful info about everything related to field recording : http://www.taperssection.com/

hope that helps a bit

philippe

[seaworthy]

Thanks for that philippe, some great posts/threads on that board, very helpful.

Could I ask why you went for the PCM-10 over the PCM-50, was it simply an issue of price? More I read, more I'm tending towards the PCM-50 but my budget can stretch that far so price isn't *too* much of an issue.

[Kane solo andata]

Thanks for that philippe, some great posts/threads on that board, very helpful.

Could I ask why you went for the PCM-10 over the PCM-50, was it simply an issue of price? More I read, more I'm tending towards the PCM-50 but my budget can stretch that far so price isn't *too* much of an issue.

I'm curious on this too, aren't the built in mics on the pcm-10 omni directional? I really want to grab the pcm-50 and play around with the (albeit limited) mic positioning... unfortunately my budget is a bit more of an issue, AU prices are way higher than US despite our dollar being at parity for ages now... unless someone wants to be my US address, unbox a recorder, wrap it in a crap load of bubble wrap and send it in a smaller package

Group buy anyone?