Freesound Forums

Hey folks - I'm looking for a bit of advise getting set up to do field recording......

I'm looking for sugestions for a cheep but quality recorder, and microphones.

Many thanks for your time.

Mike.

Hi there!
Well, what kind of recordings will you be doing?
If you're planning on recording movies with dialouge you'll probably need a lot more equipment than if you're just planning on recording atmospheric sounds or studio sounds..

BUT, I can highly recommend the Zoom H4n. It's $299 (at wingfieldaudio.com) and I've been using it for about three months now. I've recorded commercial films, short films, foley, effects, atmospheres, music... anything! It has XLR inputs which is a must. It also has 4-channel recording so you can use the built in mic (stereo X/Y) and the two inputs. Great for atmospheres where you want some sort of surround feeling.

You can plug in a mixer into the XLR-inputs which is great if you're in the field which condenser mics, on my H4n I can't use the phantom power on batteries, the machine dies. Don't know if that's an error with my machine or if you need plug-in power for the phantom power to work.. But with a mixer that problem is solved. Personally I have a Sound Devices 302-mixer which is a three channel hard-core Field mixer.. It's great, but unfortunately it's expensive.

However the built-in mics of the H4n are great. A bit noisy in quiet areas but for atmospheres and such, it's great. Far beyond $299!! It runs on ordinary AA-batteries for about 3 hours in heavy usage. I've been going in woods and rain with this baby and it hasn't complained a bit yet.

The H2 is also great for its price, but there are no XLR inputs.

Good luck!

I would recommend you check out wingfieldaudio.com, they have great reviews of handy portable recorders

dumtratt

You can plug in a mixer into the XLR-inputs which is great if you're in the field which condenser mics, on my H4n I can't use the phantom power on batteries, the machine dies. Don't know if that's an error with my machine or if you need plug-in power for the phantom power to work.. But with a mixer that problem is solved.

Do I understand this correctly--you plug XLR compatible mics into the mixer which then plugs into the XLR inputs of the H4n? Or you power the H4n off the mixer? What powers the mixer, if you're in the field? I've been wondering about stepping up from my current "field" setup which uses a digital video camera with a (good) mini-pluggable mic, so clarification would be especially welcome.

cheers,

-- Paul

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It sounds to me as though drumtratt has a defective unit. You can plug phantom powered mics directly into the Zoom and use phantom power, no need for a mixer or external preamp. Depending on your budget, people looking at field recorders should consider checking out the modified units from Oade because there are units that have been modified to have extremely low noise preamps. I don't work for Oade, but I have a unit from there that is amazingly quiet.

Oade has a good FAQ on microphones. Doesn't seem to stock the H4n.

- Paul

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i have a H$ and it's true that u can run phantom stright from it..

if anything the the real reason for a mixer is to be able to quickly adjust levels..

of course u can do it in the H4 but its hardly reactive....

Have a look here

http://www.freesound.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4430

For mics that don't need phantom power. Many of which can be heard on freesound. Type the model into the search box and listen.

These might help as well

https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/type/www/audio-reports/RecorderList/RecorderList.htm

http://www.theatreofnoise.com/2009/11/summary-of-portable-digital-audio.html

http://forums.oreilly.com/content/Audio-Community/20/Portable-Digital-Recorders/