[janmulder]

Hi Chris,

Originally Posted by alohachris

Aloha Jan,

I still think that if you want to move beyond simple, one-touch recording of any kind, that small recorders like the Zoom's are a step backward for what you've stated you're trying to accomplish.

There are much, much better professional grade, portable recorders out there that allow you to accomplish pro-level tasks & editing without the limitations of the small recorders & "more cables" of a laptop, DAW, interface set-up.

Sound Devices is the king, IMO, of the best quality, more inclusive live remote recorders.

When I discovered the Zooms (and their limitations) I looked at the Sound Devices equipment but although I have no issue with the price difference between an H4nPro, H5 or H6 it was a too far ahead of my budget. I have to remember that in the end this is just my hobby .. not my wife's or kid's ... so just one of many in the household. I don't want to end up sleeping in the garden

I'm not looking for pro level recordings (although that would be nice) and I have to remember that I already have an array of DAW solutions. So this is a solution to run in parallel to these for when I can't or don't want to take a laptop/DAW.

Originally Posted by alohachris

"but all in a small package"

There's the rub, Jan. Though designers are getting closer, when it comes to audio electronic engineering, smaller is never better. Again, as much as we want it to be, SMALLER IS NEVER BETTER.

Small speakers can never sound as complete as large speakers. Relatively cheap, small Zoom recorders will always have the problems associated w/ their small designs - cross-talk, noise, poor interfaces & EQ, noisy onboard mic's, tiny menu's that are difficult to read on the fly & features that don't work well together at the same time. Cellphone recording will always have limitations, even in the digital age. It's an engineering dilemma, Jan. Size does matter in this case.

You're right that at any given time smaller is rarely better - camera's is another good example of this. But compared to the past ... and it doesn't have to be very far in the past ... small technology is getting better. And so small equipment is getting very close to what bigger equipment was like only a few years ago.

When I look at much of my 'smaller' electronic equipment, non of it was around 20 years ago, I would have been very happy with the performance back then ... even in the bigger equipment of the time.

I looked into all this about 15 years ago and back then the technology was not ready. The difference was too big for me. However, listening to results that Fran and others have had I decided it was time to retry and give it another chance ... and I have to say 2017 is a very different landscape from 2000.

When computers were still relatively new there was a large move by many to try to do everything on a computer, like listening to music collection, listening to radio, making music, watching TV, reading books .... (some even use a computer to run effects in their amps loop ) ... the computer became the magical multipurpose tool of choice.

Personally, I prefer devices that are built to do one thing ... but do it well. Maybe I'm just old fashioned ... I have a radio, LPs and CDs, a TV set, proper valve amps that only do one sound and loads of single purpose effects pedals.

Originally Posted by alohachris

Doug was right in writing that if you try to do anything more than one-button recording, then the small recorders become something less than positive & more of a PIA. You can't ask them to do what they can't do very well, And they do an amazing amount of cool things for their size & at such a low price. But not all very well.

I agree there ... doing anything like setting levels through a menu is fiddly and annoying but starting recording from midway through a track is implemented in a very simple way ... just tab forward with the forward buttons before you press record.

Originally Posted by alohachris

Good luck on your journey, Jan. We're all on the same path to find easier & more efficient ways to record the sounds we love, without compromises in sound. I've learned a lot through your thread here.

All the best,
alohachris

Thanks. I've also learnt a lot.