Tascam DR-03 or H-2 ?

[mercy]

Wanting a recorder for acoustic guitar. I was thinking about getting a Blue Snowball but I am not very tec savy so these seem simpler to use at about the same price as the Blue.

[StringFive]

I have a Tascam 2488neo that is very easy to use and makes great sounding recordings. Highly recommended....

[mercy]

Hey Stringfive, at $1400 it ought to sound good and cook breakfast. Im in the $100 price range. To rephrase the question, stand alone or USB at $100?

[walternewton]

You might want to ask in the Recording subforum.

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by mercy

Hey Stringfive, at $1400 it ought to sound good and cook breakfast. Im in the $100 price range. To rephrase the question, stand alone or USB at $100?

The H2 can be used as a USB mic, so it serves both purposes. Having a portable recorder allows you to record in different locations, which can be a big help. You can find the best sounding and/or quietest location for your recordings.

Fran

[mercy]

thanks for the input Fran. I am still thinking thru it. There are so many options but for me it has to be simple plug and play.

[Fran Guidry]

I can't be sure how simple "simple plug and play" needs to be. If you want to use any kind of computer connected device you'll need to deal with the recording software. There are issues of selecting input and output devices and a bit of terminology to learn in any case.

Learning about recording is just as frustrating as learning anything else, and like anything else it's a process of making mistakes, being frustrated, finding solutions, repeat until you've learned enough to accomplish your goal. But when you get frustrated, just remember that you're part of a vast brotherhood who have shared the experience and gotten through it. And keep in mind that the _real_ frustration starts _after_ you get the recording system working and you start trying to create compelling tracks.

Fran

[walternewton]

Agreed - even with the simpler handheld recorders, you're going to have to navigate menus and settings on their little screens with a bunch of little buttons in order to make recordings, get them off the device and onto a computer, etc.

[mercy]

I think that I can handle the buttons on the device, transfer to the computer and manipulation on the computer. In reading thru this area it seems that it can get a lot more complicated than that though. All I want to do is to use it to critique my arrangements. They sound great to me but do they? I am not trying to make anything to sell or distribute in any way so sound quality is a relatively minor issue. For a hundred bucks how good can it get really.

[walternewton]

The portable recorders can sound pretty good - you can hear some examples here - and being able to set up in a nice quiet spot is a big advantage, even noise from a computer's fan can be a pain to deal with.

[Shadowraptor]

The H2 is a great little device that works well. And, even I can figure out how to use it

PS - I just picked up an Audio Technica PRO 70 mic to try on my Classical.

[guitararmy]

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com...der?sku=580037

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by walternewton

Agreed - even with the simpler handheld recorders, you're going to have to navigate menus and settings on their little screens with a bunch of little buttons in order to make recordings, get them off the device and onto a computer, etc.

Sorry, this just isn't the case with an H2.

Turn on power
Press the red button - you're in standby
Press the red button - you're recording
Press the red button - you've stopped recording

Turn off power
Remove SD card
Place in card reader
Transfer files using your computer file browser

There are lots of things you can do, but this is all you have to do. All the settings and configuration can be done in advance, wearing reading glasses, in bright light, with no pressure. Once it's set, forget. The routine is similar with the H4n and I'm betting the H1 is equally simple.

Fran

[GuitarObsession]

I was literally in the same position as you a week ago. I first tried a cheap interface...one of the Tascam's I believe, but I didn't like it at all. The levels were jut EXTREMELY low. It had a preamp in it, but it didn't seem to be doing a whole lot.

I took it back and ended up getting the Blue Yeti USB mic on Sunday. I went to pricegrabber.com and found it cheaper than most places were selling the snowball mic you are looking at. Also, the Yeti is THX certified and does a phenomenal job of recording...with 4 different modes (including stereo) it is extremely versatile.

I would probably suggest the USB mic for the ultimate in simplicity. I'm assuming your using GarageBand as your editing software (that's what I'm using and I'm working with a MacBook Pro). I'm totally new to this and I also had a $100 price limit. I'm extremely happy with my purchase and I would highly recommend it as a great way to introduce yourself to recording.

Just my opinion...and I'm a noob at recording, but check the reviews on the Blue Yeti mic.

Jonathan

[Jerrysimon]

I recently purchased a Zoom H1.

Things really don't get much simpler

Regards

Jerry