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anybody got any experience with field recording?
i figured i would do my part to help the US economy by blowing most of my stimulus package check on a field recorder.
i was looking at the Edirol R-09, but since then have discovered the Olympus LS-10, which according to some reviews, is a little bit better suited for my needs. i dig the onboard memory, aluminum case, and it looks sexier (in my opinion).
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1350
any thoughts / knowledge / comments appreciated
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edit: just picked up on this from the drum sequencing thread, but any other personal experience would be helpful...
http://www.ableton.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=86455&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 -
I personally am loving my Zoom h2. It is wicked. Yea there is prolly better ones out there but for bang for buck it is awesome man! The sound quality is really really good, and I like how when you record say in 4 channel rear/front mode, when it is done recording it will output the actual four diff. channels seperately into a folder on the zip drive. The sonic bliss!
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had the h2. liked it, kinda cheaply put together but good quality recordings. due to the 2/4 channels option nice to put in the middle of a room for recording jam sessions. sold the h2, got the ls-10, definitely a better quality package and subjectively improved recording quality for around $100 more. seems much more sensitive, have to turn the gain way down with sensitivity on low and it still peaks like crazy recording live bands, but it still sounds ok due presumably to onboard limiting. it is really nice for more subtle recordings (like the resonating crystal bowls i'm recording this weekend in a huge old charcoal kiln in death valley).
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I've had a digital field recorder on my wishlist for a while now. I'm trying to find some good reasons *not* to go overboard and get the Sony PCM-D50. It's certainly the sexiest of the handheld recorders, but among the most expensive too. So far, aside from the price, the only con I've been able to come up with is that it uses Sony's MemoryStick Pro Duo instead of the more open SD cards that all the rest of my portable devices use (except those pesky Apple devices that don't take any memory cards). But it does have 4GiB of built-in flash memory, so that might be a moot point.
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thanks for the feedback everybody... i looked at the pcm-d50, it is indeed ridiculous, probably wayyy too much for what i need now.
@goiks - i totally saw some people playing crystal bowls on public access tv and was mesmerized. i'm sure recording them in a charcoal kiln in death valley will add to their cosmic chakra-opening abilities. please do share the recordings if possible, i'd love to hear them. -
I have an Edirol R-09 which i use lots in Vietnam. It works great - its small (ipod size) + light. The sound quality is excellent - i've got a 2 gig card installed. The mics can be a problem in windy conditions. The only downside is build quality - isn't great - it feels a bit plasticy and cheap - so i keep in a camera case.
I use with Soundman OKM II KLASSIK/Studio A3 binaural in-ear mics
http://emusician.com/mics/emusic_soundman/
- i highly recommend spending some money and getting a good microphone for field recording. -
I've looked into these devices and came to the conclusion that the entire market is completely over-priced.
There isn't too much difference between a "high end" hand held solid state field recorder, and a modern dictophone, other than a "dictophone" having a crap frequency response and being 100 X cheaper.
I just dont see how the technology is worth that much more money. Even most phones can record sound these days, all it needs is an external mic input and some cheap pre-existing tech to buff up the quality. I just don't understand why the market is so over-priced.
My solution: look on ebay for a decent 2nd hand MD -
+1 on H2... use the difference in cash from more expensive models to get some of these binaural mics
http://www.dacs-audio.com/Distribution/Soundman/soundman_main.htm -
that's because somebody wrote an article called "the best soundguy in LA" and put Mr. T's at the top of the list (i don't think there were that many clubs on the list though lol). i've not played there, but a band i've been working with did a few gigs there and had a decent experience with their sound. there are plenty of worse places in town, i would say...
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reporting back:
i bought an olympus ls-10 off of ebay (new, around $300) and i'm quite impressed. i think i definitely made the right decision for my needs.
the construction is incredibly solid - it's wrapped in an aluminum shell with an intuitive user interface, which makes recording, playback, and erasing very straightforward. the sound is equally impressive, with two sensitivity settings and a dial to adjust the levels. 2 gb of internal memory is a nice touch too.
no multi-tracking or any other features that you probably wouldn't use anyway. it does precisely what it's supposed to do, very well.
i was doing some recording in a park with headphone monitoring and i felt almost superhuman - the stereo microphones hyper-augmented my own hearing. it's a trip. good stuff. -
I received my first personal loans when I was 32 and this aided me very much. However, I require the car loan once again.
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thank you, hester.
on a related note, zoom H1 available end of the month for $99.
http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=2053
grabbing this one for sure! -
Zoom H1 looks wonderful. I cant complain at all off my H4N, which seems to be the only difference is the additional input methods. I Would recommend their field recorders to anyone. After looking and trying all around different recorders. hands down the best I found for under $1000 dollars.
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"i figured i would do my part to help the US economy by blowing most of my stimulus package check on a field recorder."
hahaha, awesome, good thing he bought olympus(us company).
hey, anyone know what model richard devine is using here to record imogen?
http://vimeo.com/7769179
(looks like it's too expensive for me, but i'm just curious) -
I use a Zoom H4n; I love it so much. Fantastic sound quality, sturdy little unit, separate track recording available, etc. My only complaint is that the menu is a little clunky, but it's far from a deal breaker.
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ah, sweet, i'll check it out. thanks!
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I recorded all of this (http://jredsmyth.bandcamp.com) with my Olympus LS-10 running directly into my stereo input jack on my macbook. See what you think.
I love it. Battery life is great, expandable memory, cute little bunny ears on top... can't go wrong.
-Smyth