Shopping around for a portable recording device.

ryan · Post by **ryan** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:16 pm

Hey ya'll, I'm looking to pick up a portable recorder. My minidisc player konked out on me almost a year ago and i haven't done any recording since. Obviously I'm not getting another minidisc recorder. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the M-Audio microtrack or the Zoom H-4 or the comparable Edirol model. Its either that or an old DAT. Anybody have any knowledge about the reliability of different DAT models?

Post by **mudd** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:21 pm

oh hey, look who's here. glad to hear you might be recording something again.

also, this topic has come up before. i'll look for other links, but start here:

http://ihatemusic.noquam.com/viewtopic.php?t=5968" onclick= "window.open(this.href);return false;

http://ihatemusic.noquam.com/viewtopic.php?t=5375" onclick= "window.open(this.href);return false;

m

ryan · Post by **ryan** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 2:04 pm

hey, thanks mark! those o'reilly reviews are really helpful. plus i'm going to hawaii this summer and thats where he tested this stuff. synchronicitous.

ryan · Post by **ryan** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 10:23 pm

bump

i am still curious about people's experiences with portable DAT recorders. are there any particular models that anyone is particularly fond of? or portable reel to reels.

i would love to just grab the zoom H4, but having to go through so many screens to adjudst levels is a problem i've already dealt with enough with my old MD. i'm looking for something the feels as intuitive as possible.

kfw · Post by **kfw** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 9:12 am

ryan - i've been using a zoom handy h4 since the beginning of the year - i can definitely recommend it as a low-cost portable recording solution. the on-board mics aren't half-bad, and with a 2gb card i've been able to record entire evenings worth of music (4 bands at a local club) - my only complaint is battery life - it records about 2-3 hours with regular duracells (@ 16 bit, 44.1k) and a little less than 2 with rechargeables. but it's not so hard to change the batteries...

as far as the menu architecture, i had it down the first night it was used. it's actually very quick & easy to maneuver. i haven't played around with the mic-models or effects much, but they're nice to have...

if you want, i can put up some sample recordings using the built-in mic recording from the back of a club so you can hear the quality...

ryan · Post by **ryan** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 11:46 am

thanks keith! i think i'll take the plunge. the zoom is probably the most ideal thing to have on me while i'm travelling this summer. the menus worried me, but if its something i can learn to work with quickly that'd be fine. the samples i've heard sound great and the price is right.

dave quam · Post by **dave quam** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 3:19 pm

DAT players just don't seem worth it really. I like having tapes for backup but i've heard a lot about DAT tapes becomming totally unusable and such. Also weird problems with using different DAT players to play and record with the same tape. I'd say get one of the digital ones. As for portable reel to reels...well the niagara is a pretty fucking sweet thing but those are pretty expensive and hard to find.

bryan · Post by **bryan** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:39 am

I'm curious about the zoom h4 recorder. Does it go into record mode quickly? i.e. from "off" how long does it take to turn on and begin recording? That was one of the pains about DATs, they're slow.

user_1785 · Post by **user_1785** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:03 pm

i really like the ZOOM H4.

user_1082 · Post by **user_1082** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:47 pm

Are there any opinions regarding the Zoom H2?

tristan · Post by **tristan** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:47 pm

noticed this review of it: http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2007/09 ... order.html" onclick= "window.open(this.href);return false;

other than that, I haven't happened upon anything. I think there's a large comments section on that article though, so maybe some useful info there.

user_5036 · Post by **user_5036** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:04 pm

there's this old ass reel to reel at a thrift store near my house that i need to go tinker around with. i hope that thing works. it would be awesome to record on one of those things.

user_4840 · Post by **user_4840** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:59 am

I like the H2, but it's the first digital recorder I've tried, so I have nothing to compare it to. Setting the gain to high introduces a lotta noise but I've had good luck making low and medium gain field recordings. The plastic tube that connects to the bottom of it to give you something to hold onto is kinda chintzy and kept wobbling when I first used it, but I just epoxied it and now it's sturdy.