Device to record audio on the go??

[maxxDV]

Ok I'm running out of places to look for something like this. Here's the deal, we shoot with a few little miniDV camcorders, and audio is supplied by wireless mics & boom mics, but it's difficult trying to run the mixer's output to a camera. WHAT can I possibly buy that will record audio at DV quality and that is portable? I've asked every A/V guy I know and nobody can think of a product like this. I find it hard to believe that in this day and age of cellphones with cameras and usb built into everything that there isn't a device capable of being portable and recording a high quality audio feed from a mixer.

[anubis13]

I have successfully used a portable field mixer like this one http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=4962&A=details&Q=&sku=428642&is=REG&...goryNavigation
and a $100 sony Mini Disc recorder like this onehttp://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-MD-Walkman-MZ-R3-Mini-Disc-Recorder_W0QQitemZ300092577413QQca...QQcmdZViewItem
to capture the output. both MiniDV tapes and MiniDiscs are about 60 min long so I sync up the recordings in my NLE at the begining of each tape/disc.

[maxxDV]

is there such a thing as a portable full size CD recorder?

[jweston]

I don't know about CD recorders but check these out:
(any of these recorders will do the job you're trying to do)

http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=3629

http://www.sounddevices.com/products/702t.htm

http://www.tascam.com/Products/hdp2.html

Hope it helps.

~jweston

[maxxDV]

those also look VERY expensive. I just want to get the audio recorded.....doesn't seem like it'd be that hard in this world full of cheap technological solutions.

[celtic_druid]

I'd go with MiniDisc. It offers the best quality per price ratio.

I actually have a MZ-NH900 somewhere that I bought just in case because it was cheap. Haven't needed to use it yet though.

[Richard_G]

One of these, absolutely perfect.

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/MicroTrack2496-main.html

I use one for the exact same job as you want to do. I used to use MiniDisc but couldn't find a recorder that could do anything better than 44kHz so the recordings had to be upsampled for DVD. This will record at 48kHz and is far cheaper than anything else that has been suggested. The is also the Edirol R-09 ( http://www.edirol.net/products/en/R-09/ ), very similar in spec but costs a bit more.

If you don't want to spend anything, run the mixer output into the line in on a laptop and record using Audacity or similar.

[anubis13]

Most of the modern Minidisc recorders can input and output 48000. my Sony MZR-91 does and it's from 1999. Usb transfer saves alot of time. they are very small and power efficient. Cent for Cent the Minidisc is cheaper than anything else. Solid state recorders have a limited amount of space, when they are full you are screwed until you offload the audio, with a minidisc you swap out the disc every time you replace the MiniDV tape, they're about the same lenght so they sync up nice (assuming you shoot continuously). I have carried one in my pocket with the mic on my camera's shoulder mount http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=3925&A=details&Q=&sku=206346&is=REG&...goryNavigation
and run the audio straight into the recorder with no field mixer and gotten great results. If we are doing multi camera/mic shoots we get a sound guy and a field mixer, but the audio is mixed down and still gets recorded at 48000 on the minidisc. for around $60 USD on ebay you can't go wrong.

[Richard_G]

Solid state recorders have a limited amount of space, when they are full you are screwed until you offload the audio

Both the M-Audio and Edirol units use Compact Flash memory cards, so changing a memory card, if you need to, is no different to changing tapes in the camcorder(s) or changing a Minidisc. The other problem I was beginning to find was the lack of places stocking Minidiscs. With the portable audio market being flooded with mp3 players, consumer demand has fallen and they never really caught on in the pro market. Most pros have gone directly from DAT to solid state.

[anubis13]

It's true that minidiscs are hard to find in stores but you can order them online much cheaper than a compact flash card. On the other hand the solid state recording avoids the shock and skip issues you can sometimes have with minidisc. a few times we were recording while running and some of the audio was lost. If you are going for the cheapest solution the minidisc is still the best.