Which box to record 2 audio tracks with the quality of my daw?

[RobKay]

Is there a small, portable and compact standalone recorder out there that will record a couple of high quality audio tracks from my own mics or pickup outputs without spending an absolute fortune? I have a full blown daw setup but have new neighbours and don't want to upset them, so the thinking was i could record in other rooms places
Rob(uk)

[runamuck]

I suggest you look into the Zoom handheld recorders.

[Wrighty]

I use a Zoom H5 and either record with the internal mics (pretty good) when I am looking for max portability, or with my 2 AT2020’s when I am looking for the best sound. I then send the file to my DAW and edit/mix it. I am very pleased with the set up.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by RobKay

Is then anything small and compact out there that will record a couple of high quality audio tracks from my own mics or pickup outputs without spending an absolute fortune? I have a full blown daw setup but have new neighbours and don't want to upset them, so the thinking was i could record in other rooms places
Rob(uk)

If you only want to do two tracks at a time then I'd suggest a Zoom R8.

Using a set of headphones you can throw some batteries in and record anywhere you want, preferably with a couple of condenser mics, although you can even track with the built-in mics if you want something uber-simple. If you record 24 bit 41K audio then it's simple to dump the tracks to your DAW later for editing.

You can check the results out in the "Quick n' dirty" topic I recently posted. It was done exactly in that manner, just using a Zoom R24 to capture more simultaneous tracks.

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=504635

[rockabilly69]

Buy a used original RME babyface! They are incredibly good sounding interfaces that come with great stable drivers for both windows and mac, and great operating software (on board phantom power, EQ, reverb, echo, etc). They have two mic inputs, and one line input.

[rockabilly69]

Here's one I just found on Reverb used (I have no affiliation to the seller)...

https://reverb.com/item/11061255-rme...ce-blue-silver

[RobKay]

Thanks....... looking into the zoom and the tascams......
Rob(uk)

[Karel]

This was recorded with a zoom R16: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cMT0OodUMjY

[ChuckS]

This thread is named "Which box to record 2 audio tracks with the quality of my daw?" The quality of what you refer to as "the quality of my daw" is determined by things such as your room, mics, preamps, and A/D converters (preamps and AD converters may be in your audio interface). It's hard to know what portable device will meet your quality requirement unless we know what your current system is.

[Brent Hahn]

If a small interface plus a laptop or iPad is portable enough, there are lots of 2-channel choices. I have an Apogee One, which is sort-of 2 channel, and I can record to my phone with it.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

If a small interface plus a laptop or iPad is portable enough, there are lots of 2-channel choices. I have an Apogee One, which is sort-of 2 channel, and I can record to my phone with it.

Another vote for the Apogee One, I love it! And it charges the ipad while recording, A BIG PLUS!

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

Another vote for the Apogee One, I love it! And it charges the ipad while recording, A BIG PLUS!

Since we're still on it, I said the One is "sort of 2-channel" because it's got a mic input with phantom power and an instrument input with no phantom. The gain structure and impedance of the two channels are slightly different. And the instrument input isn't balanced, of course. But the preamp circuitry is exactly the same, so with a $50 external phantom power unit and an XLR-to-TS adapter, you've got two channels that both work with phantom powered condenser mics and, to my ear, sound exactly the same not counting the slight gain difference.

[DupleMeter]

I don't know how good your DAW setup is, but the Zoom would certainly be far inferior to my DAW setup.

I would suggest looking at a SoundDevices MixPre. I think the MixPre 3 is the entry level box. They're inexpensive for high quality portable recorders...but maybe more than you were thinking. I don't know. Quality is an odd thing. What I look at as low-quality someone else may think is absolutely fine (and it probably is for their needs). It's all relative.

[RobKay]

Thanks all for your thoughts and ideas, i have a reasonable spec daw and some quite good quality preamps........i'm not sure if a lower end recorder would produce the results i was after. After a lot of thought i was wondering if it would be worth building a dedicated extension on the end of the house away from the neighbours......although electric guitar this was recorded on my daw direct via a compressor and preamp, this sort of sound maybe achievable on a stand alone unit?https://youtu.be/5ODh9_ab8pc
Rob(uk,)