Page 1 of 2

field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 1:44 pm
by faultier
i'd like to get into field recordings, like record sounds in the streets and whatnot, but i know dick about what i'd need to make half proper recordings

i'm not looking for ultra hi-quality pristine recordings and obviously like many i'm on a financial crisis-era budget

i looked it up a bit, seems i would need a recorder and a microphone, also saw there were recorder with built-in mic like this one:

http://www.rolandus.com/products/produc ... rentId=114

well its not exactly a good example since its definitely way too expensive for my budget at the moment...

so if anyone can give me advices, or maybe point me to cheaper solutions, or tell me clearly that there are no cheaper solutions and i should start saving pesos or mugging grandmas, that'll be appreciated

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 1:53 pm
by wub
What is your budget?

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:11 pm
by Ongelegen
Check the new Zoom H-1. It's the cheapest one in their line for just $99, but you still get decent recordings. I've ordered one a few days ago.



If you feel like spending more then you can check out the H2

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:25 pm
by FSTZ
Project EX wrote:Check the new Zoom H-1. It's the cheapest one in their line for just $99, but you still get decent recordings. I've ordered one a few days ago.



If you feel like spending more then you can check out the H2
exactly what I was going to suggest

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:34 pm
by faultier
dont really have a fixed budget but 100 $ seems about right

thing is, having bought enough shitty turntables before deciding to settle for technics, i know sometimes its better to save some more and pay the extra than having to rebuy the same cheap but faulty products a year later...

anyway thx for the pointers, might add this one to my letter to santa this year

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:37 pm
by FSTZ
the H1 gets the job done

I have an H2 which is pretty amazing considering it's only about $150 us

it records up to 6 hours in mono, 3 in stereo and 1.5 in 4 channel surround mode

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:39 pm
by Ongelegen
IMO you cant go wrong with Zoom, they make solid gear from what i've heard. Cheap doesnt mean shit in this case:). But if you wanna be certain then read up on some reviews of multiple recorders and make your pick :wink:

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:41 pm
by FSTZ
or you could get on ebay, buy yourself a minidisc recorder and a cheap sony condenser mic for under $50

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:43 pm
by Ongelegen
FSTZ wrote:the H1 gets the job done

I have an H2 which is pretty amazing considering it's only about $150 us

it records up to 6 hours in mono, 3 in stereo and 1.5 in 4 channel surround mode
yeah the 4 channel thing is the main difference with the H1, which only has 2 channels. But the fact that all the controls of the H1 are on the housing it self, so no menus etc.

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:49 pm
by FSTZ
yeah.. I am really pleased with the H2

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 3:57 pm
by 3za
If you can afford the zoom h2 go with that imo. the Alesis palmtrack is cheaper, and is also worth a look; http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/product/4 ... -card.html

Also have a look into binaural recording.
Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording
SOS: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Oct04/a ... cation.htm
DIY: http://art.simon.tripod.com/stealth.html
Buy: http://www.thomann.de/gb/soundman_okmii.htm

As said before if you want to do things on the cheap go with a mini-disk recored, and DIY binaural mics.

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 4:09 pm
by danoldboy
dfaultuzr wrote:i'd like to get into field recordings, like record sounds in the streets and whatnot, but i know dick about what i'd need to make half proper recordings

i'm not looking for ultra hi-quality pristine recordings and obviously like many i'm on a financial crisis-era budget

i looked it up a bit, seems i would need a recorder and a microphone, also saw there were recorder with built-in mic like this one:

http://www.rolandus.com/products/produc ... rentId=114

well its not exactly a good example since its definitely way too expensive for my budget at the moment...

so if anyone can give me advices, or maybe point me to cheaper solutions, or tell me clearly that there are no cheaper solutions and i should start saving pesos or mugging grandmas, that'll be appreciated
Roland have brought out an updated version of this that is cheaper too - Roland R05

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roland-R05-Wave ... d_sxp_f_pt

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 4:29 pm
by gnome
I would recommend the zoom h2. I get some awesome recordings out of it. Not to mention it can record in 4channel. Its is super solid and looks splendid.

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 4:30 pm
by 3za
gnome wrote:I would recommend the zoom h2. I get some awesome recordings out of it. Not to mention it can record in 4channel. Its is super solid and looks splendid.
And all the nice accessorise you get :6:

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 6:07 pm
by buttock
if you already own an Iphone or Ipod classic you should have a look at the alesis pro track, just saw that the price dropped big time ,at least in europe

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 6:10 pm
by deadly_habit
the alesis pro track is a gimmicky piece of crap
besides the zooms on the the lower end of the spectrum check out tascam's stuff
i saw some on the lower end will be on sale black friday at gc i think for usa heads. next trip to the shitter i'll browse the catalog again -w-

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 9:10 pm
by Disco Nutter
I'd love some raw files to listen to. :)

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 9:57 pm
by sixth sense
Defiantly thinking about picking up that Zoom H1 never had a recorder before and it seems to be nicely priced.

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 10:23 pm
by badeshi
its all about the microphones. Dont use built in ones even if you dont care about fidelity.

Minidisc is good option due to £
I use an old iriver120 which can record .wav 16 bit

I use Binaural Microphones which are just crazy!

if your gonna use it a bit its worth saving up, you will get pissed off with some of the cheaper stuff.

Re: field recording ?

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 10:39 pm
by deadly_habit
curious what some of these binaural mics people are using or if they're just cheap stereo mics
surprisingly some of the players have quality mics built in, but if you're serious you're gonna want external mics and some booms adapters etc
fuck it though i don't have a cam with a working lcd atm or half the shit on hand i'll do an article on field recording bag and such for my blog in between minecrack, working on tunes and movies tonight