Zoom Q3HD for $200 today on HelloMusic.com

[ferg]

No affiliation here. I've bought 2 things from HelloMusic and not had a problem. They DO often take a long time to ship (last time it was nearly 3 weeks), but if you've been considering buying a Q3HD, this is a good deal. In fact, I just recently sold mine USED on ebay for more than this.

Again, no affiliation - it's just that these are often a topic of discussion around here and I know there's lots of interest.

For me, though, I sold it because I thought the video just plain stinks. My Kodak Zi8 and Zx5 cameras were head and shoulders above this, and you can get a Zx5 + Zoom H2 for around $200 if you look around.

That said - if you don't mind mediocre video and you want the convenience of pairing that with good sound without doing anything in post, maybe the Q3HD is for you.

[wcap]

Thanks for the tip!

[ferg]

I've considered the exact same thing you're describing. I don't really have a fan noise issue, but the room that my recording computer is in isn't very recording-friendly.

I almost pulled the trigger on a Zoom R16. They go about $400, but I've seen them used around $200. If I were in a band and wanted to do all-at-once multitracking, I'd probably get one.

However, given that I have a Mac with a Apogee Duet 2, I wasn't willing to take the step down in preamps and recording quality (I think the R16 only does 44/16) that I would assume would accompany it. That said, I've done lots of 44/16 recording in the past and been pretty satisfied with the results.

I still keep my eye on the recorder. I think it would be really nice to have. It also can run on batteries, which is cool.

[wcap]

I think ferg's helpful response was to a post I accidentally made above (but intended to have as a separate thread). I deleted my post right away and put it in a separate thread ( http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=234171 ) but it looks like ferg saw it and replied before I deleted it from here!

Anyway, thanks ferg for the advice!

Originally Posted by ferg

I've considered the exact same thing you're describing. I don't really have a fan noise issue, but the room that my recording computer is in isn't very recording-friendly.

I almost pulled the trigger on a Zoom R16. They go about $400, but I've seen them used around $200. If I were in a band and wanted to do all-at-once multitracking, I'd probably get one.

However, given that I have a Mac with a Apogee Duet 2, I wasn't willing to take the step down in preamps and recording quality (I think the R16 only does 44/16) that I would assume would accompany it. That said, I've done lots of 44/16 recording in the past and been pretty satisfied with the results.

I still keep my eye on the recorder. I think it would be really nice to have. It also can run on batteries, which is cool.

[GibbyPrague]

I own one and agree with your description. Great audio, mediocre video. But given we use it mostly to get a good sound im stickign with it and can deal with compromising on the video.

[ferg]

Right, Gibby...

I think for recording live performances, the sound is more critical than the appearance. However, since I already have a H2 and and H4n, I have other ways to get the audio and merge the two.

The sound is good on the Q3HD - as good as the H4n with the built-in mics.