Got meself one of those all-in-one digital recorders

[hunter]

So I wanted to share my oddyssey with you guys. In case someone is interested in doing quick recordings in good quality on rehearsals, gigs, as an audio notebook, etc - this is what I did.

I looked at these recorders:

Zoom H2 (cheapest, around 199 EUR)
Zoom H4  299 EUR
Tascam DR-1 299 EUR
Olympus LS-10 384 EUR
Sony PCM-D50 588 EUR (too expensive )

In diverse forums and websites I could find some user reviews and clips, and this is my summary:

Sony is the best, by far, but quite expensive (hey but all is relative, there are people who pay more for just a microphone ... ). If I were more serious about it and wouldn't be able to record superior quality with my studio stuff, I would have gotten the Sony.

Olympus was very tempting, still on the expensive side, but sexy looking and nice features. Went to a shop and had the drum guy beat the hell out of a Gretsch set. The shop owner and I were unable to record without distortion. This is not what i expect from such an expensive product.

H2 and H4 are both great in terms of features and price. However, all clips I heard were not so good. I want an open and dynamic sound and the Zooms didn't give me that.

So, settled for the Tascam. Not sexy. Not many fancy features. Not many supplied accessories. But has a Li-Ion battery, is easy to use and sounds really good. For 299 EUR this is quite a catch (incl. 2 GB SD card) and it does 24 bit recording, and the internal mics a really good.

Here I did a quick recording in my room without much trial and error right out of the box. Looking forward to the next rehearsal.


http://www.thegutbusters.com/temp/dr1.mp3

[38thBeatle]

Thanks for posting that, I too am looking at getting something like that for quick off the cuff recordings of my band os of new song ideas.I was thinking of trying oout the Zoom H4 and the Edirol and only recently heard of the Tascam. I don't want to be messing around and I have heard that the Zoom is a bit of a chore to operate.

[noodleplugerine]

OMG - I WANT ONE!

[gwEm]

time marches on, new stuff seems to come out all the time. good luck with the tascam!

[hunter]

Thanks for posting that, I too am looking at getting something like that for quick off the cuff recordings of my band os of new song ideas.I was thinking of trying oout the Zoom H4 and the Edirol and only recently heard of the Tascam. I don't want to be messing around and I have heard that the Zoom is a bit of a chore to operate.

I find the Tascam rather easy to use, as it doesn't have much stuff that is confusing the main function. There are some Effects, but they have a dedicated button to switch on and off.

Then it has an overdub function. Not like the H4 which has 4 tracks, but rather like you record a stereo track, and then you can play on top of it and mix the new stuff in. Kinda like an old fashioned tape studio. Probably gotta be Tascam, the master of tape studios, to be coming up with that.

An interesting thing that struck me (also and already when i got a Camcorder) is the basic noise level of rooms when you use sensitive mics. Normally I close mic guitar, so noisy rooms are not an issue. But with this now I have to be careful with levelling and surroundings, as I live close to a busy street, and you can really hear the traffic noise floor.

Like with any digital devices, model maintenance is also important. I have had a look who is updating their firmware and it seems some do, some don't. Installed the Tascam 1.02 update today, which gives another record base level (mic preamplification level), they stick to basic and essential stuff, which is a good thing.

Regarding that R09, I haven't tested it. But Roland stuff usually sounds great, so i would expect it to rock. But then it looks pretty much like the Tascam but is 100 EUR more. This 30% markup would be OK if the sound is superior.

Waiting will always be a good thing with sth new like this (unless you are an old prick like me who doesn't have any more time to lose).

This is a volatile market. Everyone is coming up with stuff now and Zoom is losing its competitive advantage. I suppose that at next NAMM there will be the first good quality 99 EUR price point devices (from Behringer LOL) and that the 199 price point becomes the most competitive with upper range stuff and that hi-end will start from 299 where we now have mid quality stuff.

ops, now I have posted way too much text here ops :roll:

[38thBeatle]

Thanks Hunter.Your thoughts are similar to mine in these things.I like my gadgets to be quick and easy to use and to emulate the good ol days of tape.Not everyone's cup of tea but I find it helps my creative juices.

[hunter]

I'll do some recording in LOUD environment on the next band rehearsal, which will be in a week

[Elliot]

I have a H4 - to be honest I don't find it that hard to use the 4 track setting at all.  You just turn it to 4 track mode and press button 1, 2, 3, 4 depending on the track.  Many reviewers of these products seem to be people using them for recording bird sounds etc, not musos so they fall into the 'can't work the VCR remote control' category.

[38thBeatle]

Elliott, what about using it for those moments of inspiration with a great new idea to record very quickly and easily- that is what I'd be looking for -plus to take to rehearsals or gigs. The H4 appealed because of the bundling with cubase . The 4 track mode was not too important but was a plus. I guess I should try them all out and see which one suits.

[Fourth Feline]

Thanks for posting that info, it was a subject I had often wondered about.  :D

[broken cord]

I too am considering taking the plunge, they just seem so convenient.

[Adam.M]

I've just been listening to Zoom H2 reviews and i am extremely impressed... especially considering the size of the thing.

With the H4 i don't think you can do 360 degree recording for say recording a jam session but with the H2 you can, sounds more 'dynamic and open' too compared to the H4.

I'll have to get a link to those reviews, they're on my Desktop PC which sounds louder than the passing areoplanes.  :roll:

[hunter]

I've just been listening to Zoom H2 reviews and i am extremely impressed... especially considering the size of the thing.

With the H4 i don't think you can do 360 degree recording for say recording a jam session but with the H2 you can, sounds more 'dynamic and open' too compared to the H4.

I'll have to get a link to those reviews, they're on my Desktop PC which sounds louder than the passing areoplanes.  :roll:

yeah it is tempting the H2, but all recordings I heard sounded processed and undynamic. I expect the Tascam to give good results when I place it in the middle of the band, but we shall see next week.

[Elliot]

Beatle - the H4 is easy to use as a field recorder - press the red button and play loudly to set the auto level (to stop clipping) and press it again - and its done.

[38thBeatle]

Thanks Elliott-but just when I start thinking of getting myself a  little toy, one of my sons needs a loan and it falls by the wayside! I will get one of these gizmos though one day.