Portable audio recorder??? Anyone use one like this?

[RogerTango]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=120270196738

I am thinking about getting a portable audio recorder for, recording the audio of video I will be shooting with my digicam.

Ill remove the audio from the video/audio recording, and use the audio from the above device for high quality audio, it also has mic inputs.

The question I have is... Is this type of recorder only good for close up recording, or can it record audio across the room, like that of a "traditional" camcorder??

Its a lot of money to invest and have something only suitable for podcase, which is not something I am interested in.

I would really love to hear from someone that owns one similar, that can give a definite answer.

Thanks for any feedback-
Andrew

[edDV]

That looks like a personal voice note taker. It won't be better than even a cheap camcorder mic.

"Across the room" requires a good external directional mic. Better is to get the mic closer to the speaker.

[JimJohnD]

I have a Zoom H4.

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h4/index.php

I use a mini camera tripod to stand it up on a table. It records VERY well. You won't want it across the room though, you will get all of the reflections too, but it WILL do it. The built-in stereo mics work well. If you use headphones during playback you really get a feel for position in the room I use it as an extra audio to be mixed with what my DV camcorder records. It's also great for meetings at work too. Being stereo really makes listening much easier because the voices come from their place in the room, not mixed town to mono like my old recorder.

It's hard to beat for the price.

P.S. It also works great recording with my acoustic/electric guitar

[gadgetguy]

I have this unit that I have used with acceptable results, however I did not use it at the same time as the video recording, but rather to record the dialog without all of the ambient background noise. It is much more than a personal dictation device. It has 2 built in mics as well as 1/4" jacks for external mics and records in balanced stereo. The sound is fairly rich as it's designed to record both voice and/or guitar. The only disappointment for me is that it isn't capable of recording in 48khz sample rate, (44.1khz max). Easy enough to convert, but still an extra step. I do plan on using it along with the camcorder for future projects.

Edit: I might also add that even though that's the vendor I bought it from, I purchased it through Amazon and got another $30 off. Also, you'll want to use the SD card option if you want to record more than 10 minutes of .wav, and you need hi-speed SD. Standard speed SD results is dropouts.

[RogerTango]

Thanks for all the feedback, I think Ill get it and give it a try.

Odd thing is, the SAME seller, has it for $139 on ebay, and $119 on there resell website! So, you know where Ill order it from.

The fact it has 1/4" external for L and R channel, gives it great expansion abilities. Coupled with a good shotgun mic, it should do well for what I want.

Bear in mind, Im an amateur, and Im on a budget, so I want really good quality, but not necessarily professional quality.

After I put it to use, Ill post back with some info----

Thanks-
Andrew

[RogerTango]

Oh, BTW... 44khz 16bit MP3 will mux nicely with XviD and H264 MKVs... so I shouldn't need any conversion, just cropping. I guess I could adjust audio time offset in VirtualDubMod and just do a direct stream copy.

Andrew

[stantheman1976]

I understand being on a budget but it's probably going to disappoint you. It has a low signal to noise ratio and probably has low quality built in preamp. So even if you hook an external mic up you'll probably get more noise than you want. Head over to taperssection.com and search there and you'll come up with something better I'm sure.

[RogerTango]

I understand being on a budget but it's probably going to disappoint you. It has a low signal to noise ratio and probably has low quality built in preamp. So even if you hook an external mic up you'll probably get more noise than you want. Head over to taperssection.com and search there and you'll come up with something better I'm sure.

Thank you for the advice, do you have something there you could recommend??

Thanks,
Andrew

[Epicurus8a]

I haven't tried any of the recorders above, but I am thinking about buying a Mikey by Blue* for my iPod. The release date Feb. 19th, and you can pre-order it at Amazon for $80 (USD).
http://www.bluemic.com/products/mikey

*Blue is a well known manufacturer of professional microphones.

[stantheman1976]

I would check to see what resolution audio that Mikey recorder can do. The manual on the site doesn't say. If it can't do at least 44KHz/16 bit then it's not good for music.

For a portable recorder with XLR and 1/4" inputs the Zoom H4 is decent. It's internal preamps are still a little noisy from what I hear but I have no doubt it will be better.

The Zoom H2 is cheaper and has 4 internal mics for 360 degree recording. It only has 1/8" inputs and it's internal preamps are noisy. For really loud sources it will distort but for normal volume it is decent. If you hook up an external mic you will absolutely need an external preamp also.

Edirol released the R-09HR not long ago. It is a good unit. Still only has 1/8" inputs but it's internal preamp is decent and it has good internal mics.

I have the Sony PCM-D50 and it's an excellent. It is $500 but is worth the money. It only has 1/8" inputs also but the internal preamp is high quality. The internal mics can be switches to different positions for different purposes. My only complaint is that it uses Sony MS Pro Duo memory sticks instead of allowing less expensive CF or SD cards. I already had an 8GB Sony card though. So that is a minor issue for me.

There's also the Marantz PMD 660. It's in the same range as the D50 price wise I think, maybe more. I haven't used it but have seen it mentioned at taperssection.