Recording "Natural World" sounds

[Nadzilla]

Hi guys,

I've had a look around here and I see a few topics focussed on good qualit6y hand-held recorders, like the Zoom H1 etc.

I am looking for something to keep with me when I go for walks on the moors, beaches, parks etc so that I can capture the natural sounds around me, or a really good thunderstorm when that rare bit of audible beauty hits. But I'd like to get good quality recordings of this stuff, would the mics on these things be able to pick up the bassy part of a thunder boom or, say, that bassy punch of when you hear a wave impacting underneath a rocky overhang? I'm just worried that one of these little gadgets won't be able to capture the real power of natural sounds, and I don't fancy having to put a rig together to ferry around in the back of a van, hunting for sounds, when a small device would do the job.

Does such quality exist in these devices, and if so, how much do you guys think I'd have to spend for then kind of quality I am after?

Cheers in advance for any help!

Nadz

 

[kip4]

Theres loads of good reviews for the h4. check out the usage and reviews on google.

 

[John Willett]

The Olympus LS-11 (or LS-5) is pocketable and very ergonomic (I have the earlier LS-10 which I use like this).

The new Nagra SD also looks excellent for a higher quality unit.

 

[kentheriot]

I can strongly recommend the Zoom H2 or H4. It is extremely lightweight, compact, battery powered, and records amazingly good audio from a selection of stereo patterns to keep the audio sounding natural. Seems perfect for what you need.

Good luck.

Ken

 

[Nadzilla]

Thanks for the replies, guys! I have since found out that a friend of mine actually owns an H4n, so I am going to go out with him at some point to check it out in person and see what I can record with it.

But the H2 and H4 are both looking very promising right now, have checked out some sound clips online and they both seem to perform very well for the price!

 

[maestro_dmc]

I own an H1 and am very happy with it. Simple to use, good sound quality.

If outdoor recording in windy conditions is your thing consider a third party windsock like the RedHead to go with it.

Here's a link of a live recording I did at an outdoor concert a couple weeks ago with the H1. This was with the stock windscreen. It really picks up the full frequency range.

 

[Nadzilla]

Wow, that's a great quality recording, thanks for sharing!

 

[moresound]

Gotten plenty of great recordings with the H4n!