Zach’s Recorder Recommendations

My students sometimes ask me for advice about purchasing their own recorders and mics. Here are my recommendations for flexible recording equipment that is appropriate for somebody just getting into sound recording. There are links to other people’s advice at the bottom of the page.

What to look for:

  • “Quiet” mic preamps (Quiet in this context means the recorder adds minimum hiss to your recordings)
  • Clear and responsive level meters
  • Manual level controls that are accessible during recording (not buried under menus)
  • Uncompressed WAV format recordings
  • No special software required to transfer recordings to computer
  • Quick startup (so you don’t miss important opportunities)
  • backlit display for dark environments, but also readable in bright sun

Best Hand-Held Recorders:

The microphone inputs on these recorders are small 3.5mm jacks (like headphones), not professional XLR jacks. Cheaper mics will plug right in, but better professional mics will require adapters. These recorders typically run a long time on each set of batteries. Their preamps are generally noisier than the ones on large recorders.

Sony PCM-M10 $230

  • Released in 2009.
  • Best noise performance for the money.
  • 4gigs of internal memory plus card slot
  • user-interface is mostly menus (real switches for mic sens & man/auto rec level))
  • extremely long battery life
  • built-in mics have very low noise, but very little stereo spread (omni capsules placed close together).
  • review

Roland R-05 $200

  • Very good noise performance for the money (see this detailed analysis).
  • has physical switches for bass roll-off, limiter, mic sens (very useful)

Olympus LS-7 $160

  • Released in 2011.
  • 4gigs of internal memory plus card slot
  • smallest recommended recorder
  • user-interface is mostly menus, not switches (so it’s harder to use)
  • noiser than the Sony PCM-M10 (using built-in or external mics) but still higher quality than most portable recorders.
  • built-in mics have a good stereo spread (cardioid capsules in coincident configuration).
  • Uses 2x AAA batteries which can be recharged via USB
  • no line-input so you can’t add an external mic preamp for higher quality recording

Other hand-helds to consider:

Olympus LS-11 (sadly discontinued in 2012 & replaced by inferior LS-7 above. Try eBay?)

  • 8gigs of built-in memory + SD slot
  • very good mic preamps considering price/size
  • nice analog rec level control, great battery life
  • smaller than Sony PCM-M10 (pro: easy to pack and conceal, con: not much room for the display/meters)
  • built-in mics are noisier than Sony PCM-M10, but have much better stereo spread (cardioid capsules placed in X/Y pattern).
  • a review, and another  review of the older LS-10 version

Zoom H2n $200 (priced Feb 2012)

  • novel internal mic patterns allow for various surround-sound recording options
  • better mic preamps than previous Zoom recorders
  • “simple” one button user-interface (thus difficult to use!)

Tascam DR-05 ($90), DR-07mkII ($125), Tascam DR-2D ($194) (priced Feb 2012)

  • Tascam released a lot of small recorders in 2010/2011 but they haven’t been extensively reviewed.
  • The DR-07mkII is advertised as having quieter preamps than its predecessor, but previous Tascam recorders have been fairly hissy.
  • The user-interface on small Tascam recorders is generally considered excellent.

Sony PCM-D50 $470 (priced Feb 2012)

  • Really expensive for a small recorder, but very good quality
  • contains 4 gigabytes of internal memory (no need to buy a card)
  • Slightly larger and heavier than most – takes more batteries but they last longer
  • a review

Best Larger Recorders (with XLR inputs):

These recorders are larger than hand-helds, but they usually sound better and have more physical switches instead of frustrating menus. They have XLR inputs (with phantom power) for professional mics. Battery life is usually not as impressive as the hand-helds.

Olympus LS-100 $400

  • Released in 2012.
  • XLR inputs and phantom power
  • very low noise preamps
  • Lots of crazy features (color screen?!) that seem confusing and unnecessary
  • Powered by a proprietary rechargeable battery, not standard AA batteries
  • See this review comparison of the Tascam DR-100 mkII, Olympus LS-100, and Zoom H4N

Tascam DR-100 mkII $300

  • Released in 2011 (an update to the hissy DR-100)
  • XLR inputs and phantom power
  • best mix of low price and low noise
  • Powered by a proprietary rechargeable battery, or internal AA batteries.
  • No 1/8″ mic input, just XLRs
  • See this review comparison of the Tascam DR-100 mkII, Olympus LS-100, and Zoom H4N

Tascam DR-40 $165

  • Released in 2011 (cheaper version of DR-100mkII below).
  • cheapest recorder with XLR inputs and phantom power
  • preamps are noisier than other large recorders (you get what you pay for – seriously!)

Marantz PMD661 $600

  • Released in 2009.
  • XLR inputs and phantom power
  • very low noise preamps, great ergonomic user-interface and reasonable size
  • An update to the excellent PMD660 that we use at Cooper Union Film/Video.
  • 1/4″ headphone jack is more robust than the 1/8″ jack on other recorders.

Fostex FR-2 LE $600

  • best sound and best ergonomics of any < $1000 recorder
  • It’s twice the size of any other recorder listed here. Doh!

Other large recorders to consider:

Zoom H4n $300 (priced Feb 2012)

  • Released in 2009.
  • XLR inputs and phantom power
  • preamp hiss is higher then expected
  • review from transom.org
  • See this review comparison of the Tascam DR-100 mkII, Olympus LS-100, and Zoom H4N

Marantz PMD660 $490 (priced Feb 2012)

  • These are the recorders we use at Cooper Union. They are larger and more expensive than the handheld recorders listed here, but they sound great and have proven themselves to be reliable and ergonomic.
  • XLR inputs and phantom power
  • The 1/8″ headphone jack is fragile. (How to repair it yourself.)
  • edge-mounted display so you can hang it from your shoulder

Recorders to Forget:

Some recorders have frustrating interfaces, hissy mic preamps, or other critical flaws. There are many, but these are the ones I’m most familiar with.

M-Audio Microtrack II, Yamaha Pocketrak  C, Tascam DR-07, Tascam DR-08, Zoom H2, Zoom H1

Microphones:

Microphone Madness binaural stereo mics $65 (priced December 2009)

  • These are basically identical to the ones I built for Cooper Union. (tiny omnidirectional mics mounted inside headphones [they don't work as headphones, just mics])
  • They are the only binaural mics you can get locally in the NYC area, and they plug directly into a 3.5mm input with no powering box.
  • You can build something similar for about $10. (They are made with Panasonic WM-61a mic capsules which are easily soldered onto existing headphone cables.)

Build Mics using Primo EM-172 Mic Capsules (about $20 DIY)

  • Follow the link above for my article about building very low noise omnidirectional mics from these inexpensive capsules.

Audio Technica AT8022 stereo mic $400 (priced Feb 2012)

  • This is similar to the “Stereo Mics” we use at Cooper Union (durable one-piece “hammerhead” design, cardioid capsules in XY configuration)
  • It has less hiss than the built-in mics in most of the recorders listed above

Rode NT4 $530 (priced Feb 2012)

  • This has less hiss than the Audio Technica above
  • It can run from phantom power or a built-in 9V battery
  • The thick metal body is quite heavy

You can also use a cable like this to plug any professional XLR mic into a small recorder.

Links:

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