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It's usefull for me, Thanks for the post

I really like the versatility of the H2N. Has a good selection of stereo modes. Plus, removing the xlr inputs makes it compact.

Found this awesome video on audio recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqgCZCEq0_8

Must watch the video. You can download this using a free YouTube to MP4 Video Converter.

For me, an iPhone does quite well the job for mono recordings.

Hi all,

This list of comments is both overwhelming and quite old. Can anybody recommend a really good pro field recorder and field recording set up?
I want to get into field recording. I'm a composer and moving more and more into sound design. So this isn't a hobby. I want to buy professional equipment and be thinking of the long term.

Any advice would be really appreciated. thanks

adambuchanan wrote:
Hi all,

This list of comments is both overwhelming and quite old. Can anybody recommend a really good pro field recorder and field recording set up?
I want to get into field recording. I'm a composer and moving more and more into sound design. So this isn't a hobby. I want to buy professional equipment and be thinking of the long term.

Any advice would be really appreciated. thanks

The first question I would ask is: how many channels will/do you need?

That is the main contributing factor in choices. Are you looking for a portable recorder that has built in mics or are you looking for a better quality recorder that you plug mic(s) into?

I can recommend my Fostex FR2-LE. This device has excellent preamps, XLR inputs and has a solid but not beautiful case.
I even use a Zoom H1 for simple stuff, it has a great value of money but it is not a good choice for stereo recordings because the Mics are too close together and you will not be able to fill the whole stereo panorama with it. Unfortunately a lot of ambience recordings are made with it - it would be good if you connect external mics to it.

I have some cheap but highly effective devices. The beauty of these devices is that they can be set and forgotten, left exposed to the elements and wild animals, etc., without the fear of damaging something expensive. This means you can make recordings any time with no setup or extra hardware. You don't have a ton of crap to carry. You just hang the thing from a branch, or put it on a high ledge, or whatever.

Sunlan recorder: It doesn't get much cheaper than this for a brand new device! Great frequency response, very sensitive stereo condenser mics, but mine does have a microstutter issue when recording at the highest quality settings. I just lowpass to get rid of that sound, and then its detail is unmatched.

Olympus VN-7200: Very functional and quite good sounding. I use it for sound-activated field recordings. No USB functionality so you do have to play it into your PC the old way. The quality is worth it though IMO, it's a dark yet crisp sound which is very easy to postprocess and very responsive to such. VN-7200 uses 2x AAA but can get a lot of time out of them if you know how to set the config for different situations.

Motorola XT1254/Droid Turbo: This phone is pushing 10 years old, and can probably be found for dirt cheap, but the mic is good, the battery life is great, and it takes great photo/video as well. This is usually the one I use for capturing rain, wind, and so on.

They are not really comparable for me. Although they have many overlaps in functionality, they each excel at different things. So all 3 have found a place in my workflows.

The Sunlan can record on a schedule.
The Olympus is by far the best at sound-activated recordings, as the Sunlan is way too sensitive and the XT1254 doesn't have any app with this functionality. The Olympus also has a gate which cuts off some trailing sounds, which both does some fading work for me in post and also makes some things rather surreal-sounding in a good way.
The XT1254 is the most convenient to use and, being a smartphone, also takes my nature photos and other stuff.

With all the recorders out there now 32bit is a thing.
What's the general recommendations?

I have a bit of a choice paralysis between :
Zoom h1 Essential
Zoom h4 Essential
Zoom F3
Tascam FR AV2
Tascam Portacapture X8

ETC...
Here's some thoughts.
Internal XY is defo a nice to have!
Mini jack input is nice to have for my Binaural in ear mic!
I frequently record a line in from my groove boxes, sometimes having a few connected and a mic.
I want to step-up from my Zoom H5's pre-amps.
USB-C is a must for easier transfer with my all usb C port laptop.
I have Rode NT5 mics I want to plug in (so I need XLR inputs somewhere)

The Zoom Essential series has the same pre-amps as the H series even though they're now 32bit.

I'm therefore considering, zoom h1e for a portable handy rec, and pocketable recorder for my mini jack in ear mic.
Tascam Portacapture X8 is probably nice, though I heard there's some high frequency issues (might be updated now?) Is the pre-amp preferable to the Zoom F3? (Which I heard other issues concerning peak DB for recording bass/guitar.
Anything concern with those recorders is the lack of an attenuator. I think the good old H5 or H1n and all had a physical dial that attenuated the input. Recording a Line-in at the right level didn't overload/saturate like on the H1 essential (despite the 32bit, there's always a mic pre-amp in the way and physical limitations at the DAC no?)

If budget was not a concern, Id probably go Zoom h1essential + what ever is best quality pre-amp / recorder wise with XLR input + a 1010 bluebox for my jams :X

I love my trusty Zoom H5 so much for all those inputs and ease, just getting a little old, (right is like 1db louder than the left, no usb-c, date/time resets every time I change the batteries, 32bit sounds like a nice convenience, id like less self-noise or better quality pre-amps, And more annoyingly, right and 2 inputs occasionally click....)
So I'm hesitant to go for the H4 essential or Portacapture X8

Anyhow what's your thoughts on the general handy recorder or field recording market?
Any recommendations for my particulars wants/needs?

Cheers!

Hey Sadiquecat !

Maybe should you add the quite small and cheapo Zoom H1 XLR to your list too :
It doesn’t have any internal mic, but it has 2 XLR/jack inputs, each with selectable Line/mic level, and a 3.5mm jack input for your binaural mics.
Additionally, it seems that the 3.5mm jack input also benefits from the dual A/D converter circuit, on the contrary of the H1/H2/H4essential (which 3.5mm input overloads at -7dBu).
For me, the built-in mics of the H4essential aren’t really better than those available on the H1essential,.

On the other hand, the Tascam Portacapture X6 looks nice and might match your needs too, as it has XY mics, 2 XLR inputs at mic level and Jack inputs at line level, and a 3.5mm input jack for your in-ear mics.
However, as I don’t own it, I can’t tell you anything about its overall quality...

So, in my opinion, the right combo might be H1essential + H1 XLR, or Portacapture x6 if you want an all-in-one tool.

Hope it could help !

Wishing you all the best !

Kevin

Hey there Kevin,
I didn't know the h1 xlr had dual A/D converters, that's a re-assuring step! Will have to look at self-noise and pre-amps and if they're comparable to the zoom f3.
Edit : according to this https://youtu.be/mqW5S6YMEXU?t=238&si=l0Q94bDr0GKS3wvH apparently there's more self-noise.

Also seems like the pre-amps of the FR-AV 2 are better than the F3 but they're both good enough that ambiant noise will be the weak link before the pre-amps of either to not be a concern.

I think il try my luck with a h1e and f3 budget permitting
Cheers!

Hey Sadiquecat !
Thank you very much for sharing this very interesting point ! Indeed, the difference between the self noise of H1 XLR and F3 seems quite big, and this is probably why the H1 XLR is so cheaper.
Agree with you : you’ll probably be more satisfied with a F3, or with a FR-AV 2 if you can afford.
(Edit : I just watched the other video by Curtis Judd comparing the F3 and FR-AV2, and the tascam looks very very nice ! So disappointing that they didn’t feature an audio guidance system like in the Zoom Essential line...)

Wishing you all the best !

Kevin