Hand Held Field Recorder

[cpyatak]

Hi folks,

I'd like to start gathering field samples to incorporate with my music. This could be anything from a brief vocal snippet, to more percussive/one shot samples to use in building a custom drum rack, to birds chirping, traffic, etc.

So I'm interested in getting a handheld digital field recorder. I'm curious to hear any suggestions and experiences you may have using these, and which one(s) you would recommend.

Right now I'm looking at:
Zoom H4n
Zoom H2n
Zoom H1
TASCAM DR-40
Roland R-05

Thanks for your input!

Chris

[cpyatak]

Thanks for the reply, hadn't seen that one, I'll check it out! Ideally I'd like something that goes to 24/96, but that might be overkill.

Cheers,

Chris

[andydes]

Very happy with my Olympus LS 5. But it's the only one I've ever had.

[merges]

I find my Olympus LS-11 http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/2581_ ... _21971.htm to be very practical for a variety of recordings; it's durable, has a fair number of useful recording options, and lots of built-in memory. I think it's been discontinued but can still be found on some sites, or used. There are a few really excellent comparisons of recorders—with audio samples. Here's one set from Wingfield audio:
http://www.wingfieldaudio.com/portable- ... mples.html

There was a very good roundup on the web where someone had done a huge series of recordings with various models, and written a lot about each one, but in spite of almost ten minutes searching on Google, I can't find it again.

[merges]

What I like about the LS-11, I should add, is that things like low cut, mic sensitivity, etc. are very easy to work with while recording. There's a great and bright visual indicator for clipping audio. It's got a good stereo image. It can be hooked up by USB to your computer and used directly as a mic to record into Live (i.e. you can either record to SD card or directly using it as a digital audio input device). Amazing battery life. Quite a versatile little thing. I've used it to record ambient noise while hiking; distant bird song, conversations, music performed live, and it handles all this well.

A friend of mine took his to Burning Man last year and made a whole bunch of recordings of conversations in front of a loud art car, and in other circumstances, and made a cool mix with the recordings (blending them with actual audio of the tracks played, using Live). You can check it out to see how the LS-11 performs in a challenging environment. https://soundcloud.com/akoskokai/burnin ... 1-hypermix

[Formic]

I've just bought the Olympus LS-3 and absolutely love it - it's small and light, slips into a pocket easily you hardly know it's there, the build quality is excellent - records at 96/24, can't recommend it highly enough

[cpyatak]

What I like about the LS-11, I should add, is that things like low cut, mic sensitivity, etc. are very easy to work with while recording. There's a great and bright visual indicator for clipping audio. It's got a good stereo image. It can be hooked up by USB to your computer and used directly as a mic to record into Live (i.e. you can either record to SD card or directly using it as a digital audio input device). Amazing battery life. Quite a versatile little thing. I've used it to record ambient noise while hiking; distant bird song, conversations, music performed live, and it handles all this well.

A friend of mine took his to Burning Man last year and made a whole bunch of recordings of conversations in front of a loud art car, and in other circumstances, and made a cool mix with the recordings (blending them with actual audio of the tracks played, using Live). You can check it out to see how the LS-11 performs in a challenging environment. https://soundcloud.com/akoskokai/burnin ... 1-hypermix

Wow. Just listened to this whole mix. Very, very cool, inspired work. I feel like I was able to share in an experience through this.

And thanks for the info on the LS-11. Will definitely look into this one, seemed to record at a quality level I can definitely work with. Thanks for all the info, and sharing this link!

Chris

[camoz]

i am still in love with my tascam dr07 mk2.

[braduro]

Location audio guys in-the-know point me to the tascam, because it records line-level in a more straightforward manner than the zoom h4n-which for some reason I see more of on a set. If this additional performance is important for you, then consider the tascam

[synnack_old]

Since I always have my phone with me, I've been pretty happy with this: http://tascam.com/product/im2/