Zach Poff

Zach’s Recorder Recommendations

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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
• Recording level controls that are accessible during recording (not buried under menus)
• Uncompressed WAV format recordings
• No proprietary software required to transfer recordings to computer
• Quick startup (so you don’t miss important opportunities)
• Display that is backlit for dark environments but also readable in bright sun
• Edge-mounted display
  Larger professional field-recorders are designed to be accessible when hanging from your shoulder so they have displays and controls mounted on the top edge. This frees your hands to hold mikes and boom-poles and provides a clear view of the meters. Small recorders are marketed as “hand-held” so they usually have top-mounted displays, which is really inconvenient once you start actually recording things.

Most of these recorders use small 3.5mm jacks (like headphones) for their microphone inputs instead of the professional XLR jacks that are used on more professional recorders.

All of these recorders use flash memory like digital cameras, so you need to buy a memory card (minimum 4 gigabytes). Some recorders have built-in memory too.

Other Recorders to Consider:

Zoom H2 $130 (priced March 2011)

• Just barely useful (almost in the “Recorders to Forget” list)
• It will add more hiss to the recordings than the other ones listed here
• The user-interface makes recording a bit difficult
• a review

Zoom H4n $300 (priced March 2011)

• Released in 2009.
• The update to the hissy but popular Zoom H4.
• XLR inputs for professional mics, but preamp hiss is higher then expected (similar to Tascam DR-100)
• It can record 4 tracks simultaneously by combining XLR and 1/8″ inputs
• review

Tascam DR-1 $150 (priced March 2011)

• B&H price includes a 1gig card
• slightly less hiss than the Zoom H2, but not as good as the others
• Clear screen
• review of 3 Tascam recorders (DR-1, DR-07,DR-100)

Tascam DR-2D $194 (priced March 2011)

• released in 2010
• Includes 2gig card, remote control
• supposedly better internal mics than Tascam DR-1
• optionally records another file at lower levels to guard against clipping

Tascam DR-100 $290 (priced March 2011)

• Released in 2009.
• XLR inputs for professional mics, but preamp hiss is higher then expected
• review of 3 Tascam recorders (DR-1, DR-07,DR-100)

Tascam DR-03 ($60), DR-05 ($100), DR-07mkII ($150)

• 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.

Edirol R-09HR $280 (priced March 2011)

• This is a 2008 update of an earlier recorder (R-09).
• less hiss than most cheaper recorders, except Sony M10.
• The display is very easy to see in the dark (not so good in the sun)
• a review (video)

Marantz PMD620 $374 (priced March 2011)

• This B&H price includes 2gig card and case
• The display is very easy to see in the dark (not so good in the sun)
• Marantz is known for their professional products and this is a very well-designed machine
• a review

Sony PCM-D50 $500 (priced March 2011)

• 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

Marantz PMD660 $490 (priced March 2011)

• 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.
• professional 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-0

Tascam DR-08

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

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

Audio Technica AT8022 stereo mic $325 (priced December 2009)

• 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

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

Links:

• Quiet American Links Page
  excellent advice from field-recordist Aaron Ximm (aka Quiet American)
• Transom Tools Portable Digital Recorder Comparison
  Recorders reviewed from the perspective of radio journalism
  
• Microphone Input Noise Comparison from avisoft.com
  comparison of mic preamp hiss levels for many recorders
• naturerecordists Yahoo group
  an email group archive with tons of specific info about mikes and recorders
• Portable Recorder Sound Samples from Wingfield Audio
  samples recorded with built-in mikes, which doesn’t necessarily reflect how they would sound with “real” mikes
• Recorder Comparison Table from Sweetwater
  extensive feature comparison but no mention of noise specs or reviews
• Microphone Comparison table from Rob Danielson at UWM