Ableton Forum

Hi all,

I'm looking for an audio field recorder to take to SE Asia with me to capture some sounds of local life. Can anyone recommend one? Looking to spend no more then £150 ideally. I hear the Zoom H1 is pretty good? Or the Tascam DR-40?

Cheers!

Paul

used to have the zoom 4n or h4 something like that but sold it as it wasnt realy pocket size. recently bought one of these bad boys and couldnt be happier

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00361MZF8/? ... B00361MZF8

I've recently been using the Zoom H2N, and it's been great. Sound quality is excellent, build quality is reasonable, file management is pretty straightforward (could be more robust, but it works fine for what it is).

I also use the Zoom H4n. For a recorder that is in its price its pretty good. The only real complaint I have is the mic preamps on the XLR inputs produce a bit of hiss which requires an external mixer to boost the input on quiet sounds. I mainly do SFX gathering with it and it's done a fantastic job for that so far but it's something you may have in your camera bag, not pocket.

We like the Edirol R-09. It's very simple to operate if you need to grab a sound in a hurry, it's robust, and the mics are pretty good. Downside - no XLR input, may be a little above your price range (but should be cheaper than a H4N). If you want/need XLR then H4N is probably the way to go.

I say either the Zoom with the audio input (you may realize a shotgun mic is great for field recording, depending on what you're doing) or the Vestax FR2LE if you don't care about size.

i endorse the zoom h4n. it sounds pretty great to me. it IS definitely big though, a lot bigger in real life, than it looks on a web site. my girl uses it for sound for her dslr camera. we like the option of the extra inputs (though we haven't used them yet) seems pretty easy to use too.

Mr Man> +1

I have a Yamha CX which is the model before the Yamaha C24. The battery life is great, one AA sized rechargable and I can get at least 20hrs recording.

It is really easy to use.

Thanks al. Gonna check out that Yamaha recorder - looks a really good size for travelling

Another compact and budget-friendly option is the Tascam DR-05.

I use the Edirol R-09 replacement, the Roland R-05 and I'm very happy with it. The accompanying CS-10EM binaural in-ears are great and very convenient. All in all I feel the R-05 is one of the best buys given size/features/quality to price

another item to consider (if you have an iPhone/iPad) is RØDE's new iXY http://www.ixymic.com, I've always liked RØDE mics and this is selling for $200. I plan on picking one up whenever they're back in stock so that I always have a recorder on hand

I also have to attest to the Rode mics (partly because I am Australian and these are a great Aussie made mic too) but their price point is pretty good for the quality you get.

I have both the XY NT4 Stereo Mic and NTG3 shotgun mic. These connect to a SoundDevices Mixpre mixer to boost and control the levels and then into the XLR of the Zoom h4n. This setup works for everything from catching crickets and birds to thunder to on-set dialogue. When I got the zoom I thought the mics inbuilt were pretty good (and they are - I have used it to catch sounds on planes, in bars, shopping centers etc where you need covert recording) but the Rode NT4 catches so much more (I have to hold my breath when doing really sensitive stuff as I can hear my nose whistle if I am close).

All depends on budget and needs.