Portable Recording Gear

[Amos]

I need to get a small, portable digital recording device for recording acoustic jams this summer. Anyone have one you could recommend?

[Slow Reflexes]

Zoom H4N.
Edirol R-09HR.
Sony PCM-D50.

Those are the ones I see cropping up in my lineage reports a lot, anyway. Haven't bought one, but those are my short list.

[nosuch]

I hear a lot of people find their Zooms H4 complicated to handle. I use a Zoom H2 for years and it was always easy. My wife records children singing and a guitar player (= acoustic jam) in the Kindergarten frequently using the surround sound option (all 4 mics) and these recordings sound pretty good. They just put the device in the middle of their circle.

[Eric Karonen]

Maybe it's a bit dated now, but I used a Boss Micro BR for a while. It worked well. Not much bigger than a deck of butts.

[Alamo]

I have a Zoom H1 and can truly recommend it for your purpose.
it's the smallest, the cheapest and least battery consuming device of the so far mentioned recorders.

[paratus]

I use a Tascam DR-100, more money than the others, but has both cardioid and omni mics (2 of each) built in, as well as XLRs and phantom power if you want to hook up high quality mics. It also has a stereo line in and out. I have had it for a couple of years, it has a metal body, is very durable and easy to use.

[DOGMA Dunn]

A good cheap one that runs on AA bateries that last a long time is the Zoom H2. I like it for simple recording and you can also do front and back recording with its built in mics in CD quality. Under $160.

[Fendrcaster]

Another vote for the Zoom H2. I record our weekly jam and the quality is amazing for a recorder the size of an mp3 player.

[spayne99]

Tascam DP-004 can do that, and 4 track recording too. It has built in mics for recording acoustic. Check it out for sure.

[Televised]

Tascam DR07 here. Lots of Features and Portable. About the same price/features as Zoom H2. Little cheaper and a little smaller Tascam DR05 or Zoom H1. Think you'll be happy with any of these.

[Alamo]

Lots of good info on this site ....to sort out how many bells and whistles you actually need.

http://www.audiotranskription.de/english/recorders

[Justinvs]

Originally Posted by Televised

Tascam DR07 here. Lots of Features and Portable. About the same price/features as Zoom H2. Little cheaper and a little smaller Tascam DR05 or Zoom H1. Think you'll be happy with any of these.

+1

I have a DR07 and love it. For the size the thing is amazing.

Justin

[woodman]

For me, the Zoom H2 has been the perfect medium between not enough and too much.

[T Prior]

+1 for the Zoom H2

For $135 this kool little unit will giveback more than you could have ever imagined.

records live in several formats and also connects to any source to capture audio in various MP3 or Wav foramts, EX: streaming net audio direct from your PC.

The only drawback I have found is that after recording each gig, I listen back the next morning and the music isn't near as good as I thought it would be , and I'm not talking about the quality of the recording......

[tweeddeluxe]

H2. If you want more expensive go for the Edirol

[DMAND]

I use a Boss Micro BR with separate stereo mic. If I were in the market for a new recorder I would get the Zoom Q3hd, high-quality recording and it has video too.

[vjf1968]

All the ones mentioned will suffice since most use the same tech and storage medium. Just be sure to invest in an SD card that can hold a lot of memory. And for critical recording always plug in. Only use batteries if there is no other option. Also invest in a pair of good quality headphones, like a pair of Sony MDR-7506's

They also come with a very basic version of a DAW (Cubase with the Zoom and a few others) which let you transfer everything to your computer for editing and other stuff. Make sure your computer can handle the software. If you have a card reader than you can just remove the card from the recorder and transfer the data by inserting the card into your computer.

[Sixwire]

My DR07 works really well. Simple to use. For best quality, record off the board if you are using one. Built in mics pick up junk noise in the room. I use mine to record the new stuff we bring to practice, and gives a chance to listen and work on it later. The card is really handy, just plug it in the laptop and edit out the noodling and talk. Small enough to keep it in the guitar case. I preffer playback on the computer.

[goz211]

+1 Zoom H2 if you want to set it up in the middle and have the front and back mics going.

The H1 is cheaper still, even easier to use - and what I would have bought if I didn't have the H2.

For an "acoustic" jam where the acoustic guitars have pickups and you're using some mics for vocals and/or instruments - maybe a Zoom R16.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep0...es/zoomr16.htm

They've dropped in price.

[pondcaster]

Just got the Tascam DR-05 yesterday at lunch (GC $99) and have only "tested" it so far, hadn't gotten to really use it but I'm impressed.

Very life-like sound, actually once I got the levels right, could barely tell the DR from the src? And that was with very little concern for placement between two amps/guitars. Couldn't be easier to use. Feature-packed.

Will be able to give better review in the next few days...