Your favorite field recorder for your instruments and why

[steelvibe]

The only one I’ve ever had was the Zoom H2n and I liked it pretty well . I’m leaning toward another Zoom product because I like their stuff but thought I’d seek the opinions of the wise first.

Thoughts?

[buzzardwhiskey]

I have the Zoom H4n and love it. I've used it a ton, for remote recording electric bass (straight in while tracking to a pre-recorded acoustic guitar on another channel), to grand piano, to whole choirs.

For the price, it's crazy useful.

[Rudy4]

I have a few different recorders for various uses. My small "field recorder" is a Tascam DR-05 which is small enough to carry in a shirt pocket, sounds good, and is very solid and well built.

I had the Zoom equivalent, the H1, prior to purchasing the DR-05 and disliked it. It felt cheap and had controls on the sides which were extremely difficult to use. Owner feedback for the original H1 must have been bad, as they re-designed it to make it much more user-friendly.

[lkingston]

I kind of love my MixerFace R4. It's small like a Zoom recorder but the sound quality is much better, like the Sound Devices stuff. This is important for me because I like to mic from a little distance (for a natural sound) with dynamic mics (for room rejection). I also have a Zoom H6, but I have to use a FetHead to get clean gain with that recorder.

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

My small "field recorder" is a Tascam DR-05....

Same here. It works.

[Cuki79]

I have the ZOOM H2 and H4n pro.

I love both. H2 for simplicity, H4n pro for combo jacks (exerfect for making acoutic guitar IRs).

[westview]

My only field recorder is a Tascam DR-40. I like it for its versatility.
Such as using either internal or external mics. I'm not saying its be all end all.
But, I do have other Tascam/Teac products, so it was a maker that I was comfortable with. Also, living close to their western head quarters, I"ve been able to get parts from their service department.

[Jack Orion]

I have a Tascam DR40x which is fine for putting down quick demos and ideas etc but the preamps are a bit noisy for 'release quality' stuff (although I have released some material recorded with it)...

I really like the ease of use and lack of fuss that using a field/handheld recorder gives me, and I'd love to record an album of instrumental music in different/unusual places (in the woods, in my campervan, in old buildings etc) so I'd really like to get hold of a recorder with built in mics that was seriously quiet (no background hiss) to use in these situations without external mics - any ideas?

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Jack Orion

I have a Tascam DR40x which is fine for putting down quick demos and ideas etc but the preamps are a bit noisy for 'release quality' stuff (although I have released some material recorded with it)...

I really like the ease of use and lack of fuss that using a field/handheld recorder gives me, and I'd love to record an album of instrumental music in different/unusual places (in the woods, in my campervan, in old buildings etc) so I'd really like to get hold of a recorder with built in mics that was seriously quiet (no background hiss) to use in these situations without external mics - any ideas?

Built in mics can sound fine, but it's often difficult to get good placement options and still be able to operate your recorder controls.

If I were going to do a project like that I'd use external condenser mics or even a stereo condenser mic, a set of good headphones for monitoring, and a recorder like the Zoom R series. I've used my R24 to make field recordings with only battery power and they have turned out well. If you only need 2 track simultanious recording even the R8 will produce good recordings if you set your recorder for 24 bit recording.

If money is a concern I can highly recommend the AKG P-170 sdcs. These mics are reliable and sound really good considering their low cost.

The newer Zoom Livetrak L8 is reported to have much better preamps and is a good inexpensive option. The Livetrak L8 has a lot to offer as a field recorder.

[Jack Orion]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

Built in mics can sound fine, but it's often difficult to get good placement options and still be able to operate your recorder controls.

If I were going to do a project like that I'd use external condenser mics or even a stereo condenser mic, a set of good headphones for monitoring, and a recorder like the Zoom R series. I've used my R24 to make field recordings with only battery power and they have turned out well. If you only need 2 track simultanious recording even the R8 will produce good recordings if you set your recorder for 24 bit recording.

If money is a concern I can highly recommend the AKG P-170 sdcs. These mics are reliable and sound really good considering their low cost.

The newer Zoom Livetrak L8 is reported to have much better preamps and is a good inexpensive option. The Livetrak L8 has a lot to offer as a field recorder.

Well I already have some decent mics for recording but the appeal of something like this would be the 'hit record and play' aspect of using a field recorder - it wouldn't be an album where the audio quality of the guitar was paramount, more something like an ambient album with guitar...

[Daniel Grenier]

Zoom H2n. Simple, reasonably priced, tons of possibilities (with surprisingly good mid-side and 4channel options) and no one will steal something that looks like an electric razor.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Daniel Grenier

Zoom H2n. Simple, reasonably priced, tons of possibilities (with surprisingly good mid-side and 4channel options) and no one will steal something that looks like an electric razor.

Love the electric razor reference. I've thought they looked liked that myself and wondered if anyone else thought the same thing. Now I know!

Zoom seems to be progressing from bad design to hideous as they release new models.

Anyone doubting this simply needs to look at the new Zoom H8.

What were they thinking?

[lppier]

It was precisely the looks that stopped me from buying the h8 lol..

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by Cuki79

I have the ZOOM H2 and H4n pro.

I love both. H2 for simplicity, H4n pro for combo jacks (exerfect for making acoutic guitar IRs).

I didn't hate the H2n but it seemed just a bit too noisy- maybe it was the application I was using it for. I've always liked the sound of the H4 on YouTube videos- even the old one. Not sure if the same mics and mic pres are used or not.

Originally Posted by westview

My only field recorder is a Tascam DR-40. I like it for its versatility.
Such as using either internal or external mics. I'm not saying its be all end all.
But, I do have other Tascam/Teac products, so it was a maker that I was comfortable with. Also, living close to their western head quarters, I"ve been able to get parts from their service department.

It's on my short list.

Originally Posted by Jack Orion

I have a Tascam DR40x which is fine for putting down quick demos and ideas etc but the preamps are a bit noisy for 'release quality' stuff (although I have released some material recorded with it)...

I really like the ease of use and lack of fuss that using a field/handheld recorder gives me, and I'd love to record an album of instrumental music in different/unusual places (in the woods, in my campervan, in old buildings etc) so I'd really like to get hold of a recorder with built in mics that was seriously quiet (no background hiss) to use in these situations without external mics - any ideas?

The H4n PRO gets great reviews and not just from guitar junkies. There are some good reviews on YouTube demonstrating both video and audio references of the noise floor in comparison to it's predecessors. It's pretty quiet for the price.

Originally Posted by Daniel Grenier

Zoom H2n. Simple, reasonably priced, tons of possibilities (with surprisingly good mid-side and 4channel options) and no one will steal something that looks like an electric razor.

Never thought of it like that but you are right. I liked it pretty well too- certainly better than using a phone, but it had too many features I didn't use and I felt like it could be cheaper if simplified.

Originally Posted by Rudy4

Love the electric razor reference. I've thought they looked liked that myself and wondered if anyone else thought the same thing. Now I know!

Zoom seems to be progressing from bad design to hideous as they release new models.

Anyone doubting this simply needs to look at the new Zoom H8.

What were they thinking?

Just add some legs to it for real creep factor. I find black jumping spiders that are super quick and look almost just like that. LOL!

[Jack Orion]

I'm kinda lusting over a Sony PCM-D100 at the moment...

No XLR inputs but, apparently, the built-in mics and preamps are really good and also very quiet - I love the idea of having a high quality recording setup that doesn't involve setting up cables and mic stands, just putting the recorder in a space and playing...