Portable Recorders ?

headquest · Post by **headquest** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:36 pm

Just timed Microtrack II for you. From switching on to recording starting took around 10 seconds. However it also has a standby mode which is faster (although I've not tested that, and only got the thing very recently).

kaffein · Post by **kaffein** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:36 pm

prebentious wrote:A quick question to you lucky field recorder owners:
I live in San Francisco, a town full of colorful, loud people. Everyday I walk the streets and hear things that make me say, "Oh man! If only I could record that guy!" The problem is, my crappy old Iriver recorder takes about 60 seconds to turn on and start recording. By then the moment is gone.
Do any of the new generation of recorders have extremely fast startup times (under ten seconds). I'm especially interested in the Sony PCM-D50 and the Marantz PMD-620

Thanks much!

Most portable field recorders start in 5-10 seconds.

I've started to put to together a spec sheet spreadsheet, and all I can say is stay away from the Marantz... The specs are worse off than some of the $300 units.

sans soleil · Post by **sans soleil** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:45 pm

prebentious wrote:Do any of the new generation of recorders have extremely fast startup times (under ten seconds)

the R09 is quick...i'd say about 5 seconds and you're recording.

dn83 · Post by **dn83** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:17 pm

Yeah, I'm planning to get the Zoom H2 pretty soon. But I wonder, how pronounced is the stereo image that it records; can you really tell a difference from a mono recording? Cheers.

Timur · Post by **Timur** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:25 am

After being torn apart for using 8 KHz mobile phone recording I'm looking into portable recorders, too. One question to those using the PCM-D50: Is it small enough to be put into a jacket pocket or do you need to put it into a bag? The Zoom H2 looks small enough to be taken everywhere just like a mobile phone which is an important criteria for me. I also like the idea of the Yamaha Pocketrak 2G, slim as slim can be.

BTW, this looks funky as hell!

Sales Dude McBoob · Post by **Sales Dude McBoob** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 2:05 pm

Timur wrote:One question to those using the PCM-D50: Is it small enough to be put into a jacket pocket or do you need to put it into a bag? The Zoom H2 looks small enough to be taken everywhere just like a mobile phone which is an important criteria for me. I also like the idea of the Yamaha Pocketrak 2G, slim as slim can be.

BTW, this looks funky as hell!

The PCM-DonKing50

The H2 is actually smaller looking as a computer image than it is in real life. A PCM-D50 isn't really that much bigger than an H2. Here are some dimentions in inches:

H2 = 2.5(W) x 4.3(D) x 1.25"(H)
D50 = 2 7/8 (W) x 6 1/8 (H) x 1 5/16" (D)
PocketTrak = 1.3 (W) x 4.7 (H) x 0.5” (D)

The PocketTrak is seeming pretty cool to me. It's basically a 2GB jump-drive with a good stereo condenser mic and I/O. The USB port slides out and you just pop it in your computer.

My article that breaks down all of the details and differences between these devices is on it's way soon. Stay tuned.

Timur · Post by **Timur** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 2:30 pm

At the moment the Zoom seems to bring the best bang for the buck, especially as it's the cheapest of the lot. I'm thinking about getting me one for monday already so that I can record my vocal lesson session (which upto now I recorded via the mobile phone). Guess your article wont come in time for this impatient guy.

palimpsest73 · Post by **palimpsest73** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 2:41 pm

The PCM-D50 is my current portable recorder. Previously, I owned an R-09 for about 2 years. The build quality on the Sony is in a different league to the Edirol. The Edirol is lightweight and has a cheap plastic feel. With that said, it is far more portable and better for stealth recording than the Sony. It's hard to be discreet using the Sony--especially if you have the Don King wig fitted, people are always stopping me, asking, "what is that?"

The recordings simply don't compare, however. The Sony has a noticeably lower noise floor than the Edirol. The preamps just kick so much ass for a portable device.

So you should ask yourself what your needs are; Stealth and portability or the best quality for the money. Devices like the H2 and R-09 are much better suited for recording on a seconds notice. With the Sony, there seems to be a little more setup time involved. I carry it inside a small camera bag with a shoulder strap--I certainly wouldn't be able to just stuff it inside one of my pockets.

Timur wrote:After being torn apart for using 8 KHz mobile phone recording I'm looking into portable recorders, too. One question to those using the PCM-D50: Is it small enough to be put into a jacket pocket or do you need to put it into a bag? The Zoom H2 looks small enough to be taken everywhere just like a mobile phone which is an important criteria for me. I also like the idea of the Yamaha Pocketrak 2G, slim as slim can be.

BTW, this looks funky as hell!

Timur · Post by **Timur** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 2:49 pm

Thanks for sharing your experience. I think I need something small and convinient, for more sophisticated recordings I can use a Laptop + FF400 I guess which still enables me to stay on batteries.

dn83 · Post by **dn83** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:11 pm

Update: Got my ZOOM H2 -- it's f%#@ing brilliant!!

Everything I record with it just sounds better -- more detail, a better sonic image. I'm loving it!

Timur · Post by **Timur** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:34 pm

dn83 wrote:Update: Got my ZOOM H2 -- it's f%#@ing brilliant!!

Everything I record with it just sounds better -- more detail, a better sonic image. I'm loving it!

Sound better than what? And can it beat the cuteness of DonKingKong and does it put out the same fat shit?

Buleriachk · Post by **Buleriachk** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:11 pm

+1 for Zoom H4.

I use it as a USB mic - it remains powered up even when the computer is off, meaning you don't have to configure it again when you reboot your computer. It can also be used as the microphone for a Logicam - the microphones are excellent, as has been reviewed by numerous others....

dn83 · Post by **dn83** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 10:44 pm

Timur wrote:
dn83 wrote:Update: Got my ZOOM H2 -- it's f%#@ing brilliant!!

Everything I record with it just sounds better -- more detail, a better sonic image. I'm loving it!
Sound better than what? And can it beat the cuteness of DonKingKong and does it put out the same fat shit?

Sounds better than just recording in mono...

And well, for the price range of the H2 I mean...what you get for the price is pretty nice.

Timur · Post by **Timur** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 10:04 pm

I got me a Zoom H2 today and will use it for recording my vocal lessons on monday. I'm curious to hear the results. I don't trust the knobs (Gearwire had some problem with the Record button) and will likely take the offers of the seller to extend warranty to 4 years for another 13 Euro. It's plastic gallore, but that also makes it lightwight. I wished they had made the two holders out of rubber instead of hard plastic in order to reduce handling noise. I'm also curious if the build-in tuner is useable, since it's a nice addon.

aqua_tek · Post by **aqua_tek** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:31 pm

Sales Dude McBoob wrote:
Timur wrote:One question to those using the PCM-D50: Is it small enough to be put into a jacket pocket or do you need to put it into a bag? The Zoom H2 looks small enough to be taken everywhere just like a mobile phone which is an important criteria for me. I also like the idea of the Yamaha Pocketrak 2G, slim as slim can be.

BTW, this looks funky as hell!

The PCM-DonKing50

The H2 is actually smaller looking as a computer image than it is in real life. A PCM-D50 isn't really that much bigger than an H2. Here are some dimentions in inches:

H2 = 2.5(W) x 4.3(D) x 1.25"(H)
D50 = 2 7/8 (W) x 6 1/8 (H) x 1 5/16" (D)
PocketTrak = 1.3 (W) x 4.7 (H) x 0.5” (D)

The PocketTrak is seeming pretty cool to me. It's basically a 2GB jump-drive with a good stereo condenser mic and I/O. The USB port slides out and you just pop it in your computer.

My article that breaks down all of the details and differences between these devices is on it's way soon. Stay tuned.

you know... i need a new portable recorder and after much debate, i decided I'm going for the PCM D-50.

So I headed out and arrived at B&H yesterday around 2:45-ish... only to find out they'd closed the shop at 2