Decent field recorder?

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bewildered

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Im looking to get into sampling, but i need a field recorder. someone said that a 24/192 rate was too high as a sampler would have trouble processing that much data. I plan on using a stero condenser mic if that makes any difference. Im not sure what to get. Any information would be helpful.
 
How much ya wanna spend? A nice Nagra will set you back 5 grand or so.

The Marantz PCM recorders look pretty cool, up to 24/96 available, small, phantom power, small, blah blah. Uses memory cards.
 
5k? lol, hell no. i dont have that type of money. Its really just a personal hobby for now, so id be willing to spend <$200.

i was reading up on some posts, people seem to like the 24/44 sample rate. I assume this rate will work in most programs, IE cubase? do these feild recorders always come at a set sample rate?

i mean, ill go to samash and shop around, im not really looking for a direct product reccommendation as much as im looking for advice on what features and rates to look for in a low priced field recorder. I just want to record various sounds, perhaps some intruments/voice, and do some audio tracks to layer in with the rest of the ensemble. Nothing too fancy.
 
bewildered said:
5k? lol, hell no. i dont have that type of money. Its really just a personal hobby for now, so id be willing to spend <$200.

i was reading up on some posts, people seem to like the 24/44 sample rate. I assume this rate will work in most programs, IE cubase? do these feild recorders always come at a set sample rate?

i mean, ill go to samash and shop around, im not really looking for a direct product reccommendation as much as im looking for advice on what features and rates to look for in a low priced field recorder. I just want to record various sounds, perhaps some intruments/voice, and do some audio tracks to layer in with the rest of the ensemble. Nothing too fancy.
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Conventional wisdom around here seems say it depends on the final destination. If you are going to burn discs at 16/44.1, you may as well record that way also. Though for field recordings, the better quality may make up for having to resample to go to CD.

Many recorders let you choose the rate, higher rates mean less storage time.

<$200? No offense, but good luck. :) $200 barely cracks the door on what you want, as far as I know. You may want to look at an MP3 player that records, or if you have a laptop, a USB or Firewire interface that will accept your mic, that maybe comes with some basic software.
 
If you're willing to settle for 16/44.1, a Fostex MR8 will get the job done at about $250. And it has a USB port to send your files to a computer. It's portable and runs on batteries. It would pretty much be all you need to get going.

Or, at around $400, you could get 24/96 stereo with an M-Audio MicroTrack.
 
thats odd cause i got this magazine that had a bunch of lower priced field recorders in it, and usually magazines have high markup. I guess i could scour ebay for one.
 
damn, ebay doesnt help either. i guess im looking at a $400 minimum to start sampling. I saw another mp3 type field recorder called edirol r1. still $400 though, looks to be the same thing.

does anyone know of any <$400 mp3 players that record?
 
Check out the Zoom PS-04 $199. (4tracks, 20bit, 31.25kHz sampling rate, simple pc transfer using smart media cards and about the size of a PDA) Fantastic portable multitracker.
 
what would i need to buy to use one of those smart media cards on my computer?
 
I would actually recommend one of the Sony Minidisc recorders/players. The new Hi-MD ones can record uncompressed, 16/44.1 audio as wave files, and Sony finally lets you transfer your self-recorded tracks back onto the computer, too. Plus, they are tiny, easy to carry around, and easy to use. I have one, and when recording uncompressed, it works great, IMHO, for a field sampler/recorder. It is only a stereo recorder, so if you need more tracks, look elsewhere. I got mine for $240, or something like that, but I think they have cheaper ones that would fit your bill as well.
 
My usb media card reader cost $15.

The Zoom palm studio is the smallest 4 track (40 virtual) I know of and it has a boatload of features on board.

Minidisk is also a great option.
 
has anyone worked with the palm studio who can tell me how the recording quality is compared to the $400 recorders? I mean, if the quality on the palms is shitty i might as well drop the 400 for a good one.
 
M-Audio Microtrack. They're awesome. With compact flash it's fast and easy. But the bugs right now aren't just a few minor flaws. There are big gaping problem holes in the firmware, like, I can't record in mono. Only stereo. Which isn't really a super-duper-drag; but if I want to run around with a dynamic quarter inch connector mic plugged into only the L or R, I can only hear it in one ear. It's kinda funny really. M-Audio is working on a fix for this. Of course, it's really easy to update the firmware. They've already come out with a beta 1.1.5. And it only does one track stereo. High resolution stereo that sounds great, but only one track recording nonetheless.

link to a quick cover sample tonight --


Recorded this a few minutes ago, in 24/96, but I added fades to the edges quick in Sonar and reduced the size to mp3 since it's 44 megs in 24/96.

and another --


This one was set at 48/228 mp3. Just using the electret stereo mic it comes with... haven't got any connectors to adapt XLR to 1/4". It's fun to carry around. Just slip it in my pocket and walk it into wherever, drop it on a coffee table or a barstool, and let it do its thing.
 
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Midbuzz,
How is the battery on the maudio? How much 24/96 audio can you get on one card (what does it come with)?

that thing looks pretty sweet
 
thanks for the headsup on the microtrack. I went to sam ash a few days ago and looked at it, seemed pretty cool. Im still at a loss at what the actual differences between the microtrack and the zoom ps-04 are. I mean, what makes the microtrack $200 more than the zoom?
 
The M-Audio comes with a 64 meg compact flash card. It's the same kind of card you might use for a digital camera (no, not SD memory, compact flash). Those portable, digital multi-track recorders from Boss and Tascam, etc., use the same. If you use micro-drives they're compatible too. It gets about a minute and a half of 24/96 on 64 megs, but if you have a gigabyte a gigabyte card or more, you're set.

I actually like the sound that comes from the highest resolution mp3 for some reason. Don't know really why. Less air, or the air sounds different. But with the high res mp3, you can record about a half and hour on 64 megs.

The battery life is fine. took it out for a day of recording in the woods out in the Sierra Nevadas. You can disable the back light to save batt. With intermittent use, it lasted all day until I got back to the cabin and uploaded all the stuff recorded. It hooks up to an adapter that comes in the package or you can charge it directly from your USB.

I gotta go to work now. Sorry for the vague specs. I could post accurate numbers and names later. Basically it's just a really easy portable, high-res device for one-tracking sound effects or sound clip files that you can work with later on the compy at home.
 
Yo.

Okay... the differences between the PS04 and the M-Audio are like the differences between high-end and low-end digial recording.

The PS04 comes with a few special effects and a metronome and you can record multiple tracks. So it would probably make a good practice playback machine for playing a guitar rhythm and then improvis-ing scales back with it. You could practice keeping tempo and even add a cheesy drum track and some effects. But the bells and whistles there don't add up to a quality recording. Musical sketch/idea pad at best. The specs for the PS04 don't seem to mention sample frequency rates or bit resolution options. I would guess that the resolution is 16-bit at best and sample rate, 44.1 at most. Odds are that it's even lower than that though, since it isn't even mentioned in the ads. The Zoom looks kinda like a toy.

The M-Audio doesn't run on AA batteries and looks just a wee bit less like a toy. It's a lithium-ion rechargeable batt. that recharges via the provided USB cord or the provided wall-plug adaptor (with a USB connection). Everything about the recorder seems to border on high-end to me because it will do 24/96 which provides absolutely ridiculous sound detail. It provides phantom power for higher-end microphones like my stereo pair of JM27's (Haven't been able to try it on those yet though since I haven't got an XLR-to-1/4" adaptor.).

IMO, the 24/96 speed and detail is a little overrated, but it's an impressive thing. I thought long and hard about exchanging the Microtrack and getting a Marantz PMD660 instead because of the built-in editing feature and the XLR connections. The Marantz doesn't do 24/96, but 16/48 ain't bad, and I would rather have the XLR's. But I'm using the Microtrack only to record sound clips and live recordings on the fly. The limitations aren't really all that limiting in the Microtrack. The Microtrack battery lasts longer. I don't have to constantly buy AA's. I can edit the clips together when I get back to the studio. And once I get some XLR-to-1/4" adaptors, I'll be in business.

What I want to save up for now is a shotgun mic and a Rycote shield. :)
 
Thanks for your excellent review of the MicroTrack.

I have one too, and I'm very happy with it so far. I was also looking at the Marantz PMD660 and also the Edirol R1, and it all came down to price and features that I really need.

You mentioned the lack of mono recording, that iritates me a bit as well. I'm sure M-audio will fix that in the near future, they have a good track record fixing bugs.

I do have some minor problems recording through SPDIF though. One is that I can't monitor the incoming sound, the other one is that the clip indicators are always in the red regardless of how low input levels are set. I contacted M-audio about it, and they reassured me they are working on the fixes.

I wish they included an SPDIF output though (like Edirol did). I'd like to digitally transfer my recordings to Masterlink and similar gear, bypassing USB/PC entirely. Oh well, can't have it all I guess.

The bundled stereo T mic isn't bad at all, but I'm also looking for a small good quality stereo mic to complement my Microtrack. Any recommendations?

Overall, I do think it's a very useful and versatile little recorder, and the sound quality is quite impressive.

Take care.
 
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