I could use a technology update. I’m looking for a digital recording device to use to learn tunes from sessions. My eight-track just isn’t cutting it any more… Criteria include;
small size for easy portability and low visibility/minimal disruption for session members
can download to my Mac
provides decent sound reproduction (sufficient to learn tunes from, not necessarily fine quality audiophile material)
sufficient battery life to record significant portions of sessions (rechargeable would be highly desirable)
Whatever you go for, make sure you know what format it records in. I just got an Olympus recorder from a lady in my session. It works great, fits my needs perfectly, but the format it records in only works with Windows Media Player (WMA, I believe). Which probably would not be a good choice for a Mac.
If you’re by any chance in the market for a iPod also, the latest nano has recording capabilities.
The Zoom H4 and the Edirol R-09HD are the two most often recommended. The Zoom H2 is pretty good, but if you search around you’ll find that most folks consider the H4 worth the price difference. The built in Mikes are quite good in all these models, and at least the Edirol units allow you to set the mikes to emulate various kinds of expensive mikes. There are a bunch of sites that will allow you to listen to recordings with these units and will review them and compare them in various ways. I leave it as an exercise to the reader (to quote way too many math texts) to find those sites. You can go to the manufacturers’ sites and get the owners manuals and reading those will tell you more. Sony makes one too, but as I recall it is a bit more expensive. I use the older Edirol R-1 which is not quite as convenient in size ad the newer models, but is perfectly satisfactory for me. All of these use a memory card like those in cameras and you can pull the files, in whatever format you recorded them, into the Mac with no problem. All these units are so far advanced from what was available a few years ago that they are all amazing. From my perspective the cheap models designed for voice recording are not worth investing in unless your budget is very limited. the Zoom and Edirol are good enough so you won’t want another one for a long long time.
Note: all references to “H4” in the following actually refer to “H4n”
I have an H2 and an H4. For your purpose, the H2 might have an edge.
The H4 makes better quality recordings but that might not matter so much, especially if you record in mp3 mode. The H2 is smaller, and less obtrusive. It stands up on it’s end, which puts the microphones off the surface you’ve got it placed on, while the H4 is horizontal, so you have to put it on a stand (or deal with the potentially audible effects of early reflections from the table.) You can also put the H2 in a shirt pocket (even while recording), but the H4 won’t fit.
Both use AA batteries. I’ve recorded as long as four hours with my H2. With the H4 the longest I’ve recorded was about an hour and a half. In neither case did my batteries run out.
I made some recordings on fiddle and pipes. I put the two recorders as close together as possible and excerpted short segments from the recordings, which are presented as unedited wav files:
I think it’s easy to hear that the h4 is quieter and the h4 has recorded better detail, especially in the fiddle.
The H2 also has the 360 degree recording mode. It will use all four microphones and record sounds coming from all directions. If you have a four channel playback system in your PC (i.e., front and rear speakers) then you can play back the sounds the way they were recorded. It seems like this might be particularly useful at a session to be able to more easily hear the people who can play the tune well. I’ve never used 360 degree mode because I don’t have four speakers on my PC.
My appreciation to all who responded. You’ve sent me on a significant Google exploration. At this point, it looks like the Zoom H2 will best fit my needs of portability, adequate sound recording, and - of course - price. (It continues to amaze me the variation in cost for electronics between web sites.)
That reminds me – here’s how I came to have both an h2 and an h4n:
About 2 or 3 years ago my wife needed a quality recorder for her violin practice. The main criteria was that it should make good recordings so she could evaluate tone, and that it should be simple to use. After doing all the research I got her an H2.
Well in the mean time we’ve both been loving the thing. We both use it so often that it’s not uncommon for us to both want to use it at the same time. So I suggested we should get another. I thought it would be silly to have two of the exact same thing, and so I got the H4n. Most of the time I still use the H2. One of the features I really like on the H2 is the microphone sensitivity switch. In low setting it will record highland bagpipes and on high setting it will record fiddle – so we never need to worry about the recording level – just move the switch.
I thought the XLR connectors with 44v phantom power on the H4 were pretty nifty, though I haven’t actually tried them out yet. One feature I really, really like is the fact that they use AA batteries. It’s easy to have a fresh set ready to go.
I’ve been using an Edirol R1 for some time and it’s been terrific and stores in both WAV and MP3 formats. If you’ve followed the Board you might have noticed that I asked about a problem I had transferring the files from the Edirol to my computer so I could send them. Well, I got a new computer and still couldn’t do it with the usb cable that came with the Edirol; however, I was successful removing the smart card and inserting it into the card reader on the new PC.
I assume people are referencing newer Edirol models here.
I had an Olympus LS-10 which was stolen. I found it lacking in bass, which was how it was designed. They have since come out with a LS-11, which has better, but still not optimal bass capabilities, and is $100 more. I replaced it with the Sony M-10, which I got for $255 delivered and I find it superior in many ways. It lasts over 20 hours on two AA batteries. The built-in mics sound good, but I am using separate mics and preamp, which considerably adds to the quality of recordings I make. Definately higher in price than than the H2, which is not good with extenal mics (noisy preamps), and about the same price as the H4n, with less noise floor and much longer battery life. For least money the new Zoom H1 looks good. It can be had for $99 plus shipping. Tascam has some good units at various price points and Roland is comming out with the R05.
Tons of new models out there and they are improving over models from just a year ago, as well as delivering more bang for your buck. Taperssection.com has a thread on recording gear and the most reviews by users than any other site. If you join, there is tons of info on field recording gear (mics, recorders preamps etc.) and techniques. All depends on your needs and budget.
FWIW, you can get a WMA codec for a MAC. Also for Linux. Here is a link, but I had a bunch of them when I googled “free wma codec for mac” (without the quotes). http://www.mireth.com/artsaud/about-wma-mac.html