Best value Portable Recorder

[Joshatdot]

Any type of media: Flash, HDD, DAT, MD, etc...

What are some good portable recording devices?

Also good mics to go with them too.

 

[Icarium]

I'd go with the Meizu m6 4gb for flash players and maybe the 8gb if you get one from China or after the initial release price drop. 139 from HouseofDap.com for the 4gb m6 is well worth it given the many features it has to offer. The screen, the sound quality, radio, formats, recording, drag and drop transfer... everything I'd want except a line out and controls aren't the best.

I've heard the Cowon players have some of the best recording quality. I've only used that on my iaudio x5 once though and it was pretty decent, but I had/have nothing to compare it to.

With all that said... I plopped down a bunch for a Cowon D2/Case... and I think given how long it should last me + the SD card upgrade option.. its worth it.

Also, I think I've made a big shift to flash players from hdd based players. I think in general they should just last you longer based on the fallacies of harddrives + motion. My cowon Iaudio is already showing it's age and I think in general you can't really expect more than 1-2 years from a harddrive player depending on build quality... while I would expect at least 3 from a flash player. Hell maybe 4 but that might be pushing it on the battery front.

I mean I still plan on having a harddrive player for moving music from work to home and to have a base of operations for my music on my travels, but I plan on being as stationary as possible when using it. The flash player is just going to be more for day to day, on the go music usage.

I guess this went slightly offtopic laf.

 

[j-dawg]

Hi-MD recorders are still an excellent value, and might still be the best value in a portable recorder capable of uncompressed CD-quality (16bit/44.1khz) recording. Those days are probably numbered, as flash memory prices are plunging, but Hi-MD is still at or near the top of the heap for now. All but the very low end (or download/Net MD only) models have a powered, pre-amped Mic-in jack that lets you run mics straight from the unit.

Here's a few MD alternatives roughly in the same price range that I've found and my perceived pros and cons vs. Hi-MD:

Edirol R09:
Pros:
- Switchable 44.1 & 48k sampling rate
- Built-in stereo condenser mic
- Records to SD cards
- Optical out
- On-board reverb fx
Cons:
- Bigger form factor than MD
- A bit more expensive
- Not sure if it provides plug-in power to its mic jack

M-Audio Microtrack 24/96
Pros:
- 24bit/96khz capable! Nice!
- Powered mic jack
- Records to CF & Microdrives
- Pretty competetive price for what you get
Cons:
- Bigger form factor than MD

Zoom H4
Pros:
- 24/96 capable
- 4 track mini studio
- Built-in stereo pair of mics
- Great price for all the stuff it does
Cons:
- Might be paying for more stuff than you really need
- Again, bigger than MD recorder.

I dunno, hope this helps. I still think Minidisc rules for amateur field recording. DAPS pretty well killed MD's in the portable audio department, but I think they still have a few years left as king of the hill in high quality recording on a budget. Personally I'd steer clear of any DAP with recording as a side option. It's better to have the DAP for playing and a purpose-built recorder for recording.

 

[Joshatdot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by j-dawg /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi-MD recorders are still an excellent value, and might still be the best value in a portable recorder capable of uncompressed CD-quality (16bit/44.1khz) recording. Those days are probably numbered, as flash memory prices are plunging, but Hi-MD is still at or near the top of the heap for now. All but the very low end (or download/Net MD only) models have a powered, pre-amped Mic-in jack that lets you run mics straight from the unit. Here's a few MD alternatives roughly in the same price range that I've found and my perceived pros and cons vs. Hi-MD: Edirol R09: Pros: - Switchable 44.1 & 48k sampling rate - Built-in stereo condenser mic - Records to SD cards - Optical out - On-board reverb fx Cons: - Bigger form factor than MD - A bit more expensive - Not sure if it provides plug-in power to its mic jack M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 Pros: - 24bit/96khz capable! Nice! - Powered mic jack - Records to CF & Microdrives - Pretty competetive price for what you get Cons: - Bigger form factor than MD Zoom H4 Pros: - 24/96 capable - 4 track mini studio - Built-in stereo pair of mics - Great price for all the stuff it does Cons: - Might be paying for more stuff than you really need - Again, bigger than MD recorder. I dunno, hope this helps. I still think Minidisc rules for amateur field recording. DAPS pretty well killed MD's in the portable audio department, but I think they still have a few years left as king of the hill in high quality recording on a budget. Personally I'd steer clear of any DAP with recording as a side option. It's better to have the DAP for playing and a purpose-built recorder for recording.

Sweet info! Thanks j-dawg.

I didn't know Hi-MD was so great for recording. I'll look into the ones you listed.

 

[lini]

Jad: I'd second MD/Hi-MD, if you want an affordable, compact and robust solution. If you've got more money to spend, you could look into Nagra's offerings (see http://www.nagraaudio.com/pro/index.php) or check out the lovely Aaton Cantar-X (more info on http://www.aaton.com/products/sound/cantar/):

Regarding the mics: What do you want to record - and what's your budget?

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[CSMR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshatdot /img/forum/go_quote.gif Any type of media: Flash, HDD, DAT, MD, etc... What are some good portable recording devices? Also good mics to go with them too.

Choose the mic first. Then you know what you need: XLR or mini, what level or preamplification, phantom power, sony plug-in power, or nothing.
j-dawgs suggestions are pretty good.

 

[Joshatdot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CSMR /img/forum/go_quote.gif Choose the mic first. Then you know what you need: XLR or mini, what level or preamplification, phantom power, sony plug-in power, or nothing. j-dawgs suggestions are pretty good.

I would guess mini, cause don't most portable recording devices us mini mic jacks?

phantom power? pre-amp the mic? cause they are high ohm?

I just want to record stuff around, maybe try some binaural(sp) recordings too. Various BG noises, neat things I hear that could be for SFX, whatever.

 

[Joshatdot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lini /img/forum/go_quote.gif Jad: I'd second MD/Hi-MD, if you want an affordable, compact and robust solution. If you've got more money to spend, you could look into Nagra's offerings (see http://www.nagraaudio.com/pro/index.php) or check out the lovely Aaton Cantar-X (more info on http://www.aaton.com/products/sound/cantar/): Regarding the mics: What do you want to record - and what's your budget? Greetings from Munich! Manfred / lini

OMG Wowzers!

 

[j-dawg]

I should clarify, the units I listed were possible alternatives to Minidisc. If for some reason you decided you didn't want to go Minidisc. (There's a lot of MD haters out there, hehe)

I was comparing them to the current MZ-RH1 which is arguably the best MD unit ever made. It goes for around $350 street. The MZ-M200 is just an RH1 with a bundled ECM-DS70P stereo mic, and goes for around $400. These are going to be the only MD units that will be easy to find brand new, because all other units are out of production AFAIK. If you don't mind cruising classifieds, eBay, etc, any Hi-MD unit with a mic-in jack will work for you. The RH10/M100 is very popular because it has a nice big OLED display and an AA battery attachment. (I really want one of these myself) Expect to pay around $190~$250 for a mint unit on eBay. Finally, if you truly want to go budget, MinidiscAccess has a great deal on the NH700. It's the bottom-line budget Hi-MD recorder that has a mic-in. It does everything you need it to (PCM recording + uploading of resulting file) AND runs off of AA which is a plus in my opinion. Great deal on this one here. Absolutely killer deal on a solid Hi-MD recorder.

Now having said ALL that... CSMR had some great advice. Choosing your mic first is a great way to approach this. I'm still going to recommend MD for you because you sound like you're kind of experimenting at this point. MD just represents the best value for you from what I can see. There are a ton of mic options available for plugging straight into the mic-jack. Then, if you expand to a battery box/preamp rig into the line-in, the sky's the limit. Ahh... sorry to be too long winded. It's just that I've been researching Hi-MD recorders for myself so it's all kinda fresh in my mind right now.

Edit: Changed the RH10 price to reflect what I've seen on eBay as of late.

 

[Abouna]

For mics I'd start at Soundprofessionals.com, these guys are absolutely great for recording stuff.

As for a recorder, MDs are very hard to beat. Another option might be these sweet looking unit from Minidisco, see it here, it's only $189. It looks very nice.

 

[threEchelon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abouna /img/forum/go_quote.gif For mics I'd start at Soundprofessionals.com, these guys are absolutely great for recording stuff.

They also sell binaural mics...

linky!

 

[Killercrush]

Cheapest solution :

Iriver h120 w/ Rockbox : 20/96 wav recordings
+
Church Audio Mic pre-amp and binaural mics.

http://cgi.ebay.com/STEREO-PREAMP-MI...QQcmdZViewItem

This would cost you around $300 for all the package.

 

[Sparky191]

Quote:

Originally Posted by j-dawg /img/forum/go_quote.gif ....Finally, if you truly want to go budget, MinidiscAccess has a great deal on the NH700. It's the bottom-line budget Hi-MD recorder that has a mic-in. It does everything you need it to (PCM recording + uploading of resulting file) AND runs of AA which is a plus in my opinion. Great deal on this one here. Absolutely killer deal on a solid Hi-MD recorder....

Great link... http://tinyurl.com/2n29tn

 

[Joshatdot]

Wow great stuff you guys!

I think I'll go the Hi-MD route, and I'll look thru the mics at Sound Professionals.

 

[Sparky191]

Have a look throught the recording forums here too http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php