Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations?
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations? Hey folks! Sorry to bump this up again, but I just had to let everyone know! My shiny new Zoom H4N Pro arrived a few hours ago, and I just finished spending some quality time with it. The short version is that I'm so very, very glad I bought this thing. It's sturdy, reliable, and the mics really are amazing, at least with the stuff I've thrown at them so far. Also, for anyone looking to get one as well, here's a little menu guide I found, thanks to Raygrote, who pointed me in the right direction!https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/108 … e-V1.2.htmNote that this is for the original H4N, not the pro, so the buttons might feel a bit different than the description in the guide. That said, from what I've been able to tell so far, both the physical and the interface layouts are the same on the new Pro as they are on the original.Anyways, many thanks to everyone that contributed to this topic. Your advice was invaluable.Best, Albano. URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=281503#p281503 ___ Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations?
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations? Hi Locutus,Glad to have helped. Now that you mention the H4N, I wish I would've taken it more seriously. I don't know what it sounds like but I imagine it sounds much like the XY-H6 capsule I purchased for the H5.The H5's default mics are not bad. They could record quiet sounds well, and work just fine as a general purpose solution. But the impression I got from Zoom is that they're meant for louder sounds, as they supposedly can tolerate much higher SPLs. If you want a more delicate sound in addition to a wider image, and you don't want or can't afford to spend money on additional capsules to experiment with, I do think you are making a wise choice with the H4N.I know very little about the sound of the external inputs on these recorders, though I imagine they will be adequate for your needs. In general I find many of Zoom's newer recorders especially to be very reasonable in performing their expected tasks.Also I forgot t o mention Neal Ewers has reviews of almost all the Zoom recorders up to the H6, and the Olympus ones up to the Ls-100, though I believe his H4N review was made back when the recorder was first released, and not made with an updated model. He is blind so he describes the recorders and their functions from an accessibility point of view to the blind audiophile. He doesn't always cover everything, but at least you can get somewhat of an idea of the sound and capability of the units. You can find his reviews at http://ravenswood.org/AllThingsNeal/ URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=279962#p279962 ___ Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations?
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations? Hmmm.Hi locutus, who'd have thought the borg need to worry about voice recorders, I mean essentually you guys have unlimited computer power, cloud storage and it is assumed that you have a custom os and like a universe fof memmory and storage probably flash or something.For myself the olympus stuff is good but a bit expensive.Zoon seems ok to, as well as things like the old edorol units as far as I know.I have 2 units a soni icd px 380, and a ux60 as well as an sx35.All have served me, the 35 is dead now, the ux is small but I still use it for the single battery it prevides and the px is good enough.Soni have several icd units available, sx is their professional line well ultimit line, px is their pro version for computer pc conectivity ax is their translation type thing and ux if I remember is their ultraslim portable.However I have not needed to upgrade for 3 years since I got the px 380 it is not exactly like I need ano ther device.The only issue I would have with these units is the fact that sound from the recorder itself is a pile of crap.The sound of the outputted recordings is really good for general recording and better with a mic.The only downside is that the software on the recorder and also on windows just is not accessible.It used to be when I got the fist sx I owned but both devices have become less accessible to the point of the ux which is ok but not to good.My px is good, the only thing is the menu is not accessible its not needed and neither is the software for extra features like music storage.I have yet to find out about what size of micro sd I need to fit in it.You also need a lanyard for it.To be honest, you may find it easier to get something small and crappy that can hook to your smart phone or get a netbook or some sort of tablet to record with for what you do.My field recorder is good but I'd never us e it for production quality recording, I have 2 cheap soundcards, well one was relitively cheap, and 1 came with headsets, but still.On a sub note and completely off the topic for a nanoseccond I just found out one of my distant cousins is ciue, got me chuckling, I have a cousin that is q, but no one in my family digs trek so I keep that to myself. URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=279951#p279951 ___ Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations?
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations? @Simba, thanks for the suggestion. I did look it up, but the overall consensus I've read is that while it gets good sound for the average listener, the LS14 really is not really designed for professional-sounding music recordings.@Raygrote, thank you so much for that very informative post! I also looked up the LS100, but as with the LS14, the general feeling is one of just ok more than anything else. Now, regarding the Zoom H5... I would totally get it, but here's the thing... IF the built-in mics do better with louder sounds, than it's really not worth getting that, plus mics designed for quieter sounds. I just don't have that much money. IT really is a shame too, because in general I've heard a lot of good things about the H5.On the other hand, the Zoom H4N pro has actually been updated this year, and all the recordings I've heard of one, including some Baroque chamber music, sound quite good indeed. So, methinks that I'll most lik ely end up getting that one. Unless, has anyone used any of the Tascam recorders? I've heard high praises for those as well, but only from sighted users... URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=279926#p279926 ___ Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations?
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations? Hi.Since last christmas I use an olympus LS 14 digital recorder. Olympus self proclaims that this device is perfect for recording concerts, jam sessions and that it is the perfect tool for musicians.It has two build in sterrio microphones together with a microphone for putting the channels together and which is recording also some base to give the recording a more professional feeling.You can set up a lot of things like low and high pass filters, limiters, mic gain and so on. It costs I think about 200 dollars and I really like it, also due to the fact that almost everything is accesible due to the speach synthesis build in to the device.Actualy, it is not a speach synth in the common sence, it's more like pre recorded voice promts, that's the reason why it is just almost accessible, things like the metronome are not spoken aloud.I really like this device, also it is compact and you can take it everywhere you need to go, you can also hookk u p external microphones, or use it as an external soundcard which works like a charm to me.If you want further information about the device, feel free to ask. URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=279876#p279876 ___ Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations?
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations? Locutus,Out of curiosity, what audio interface are you using? I am myself looking for an asio compatible sound card. I know you're not using it for that, but I thought I'd ask anyway. If you like the sound of its mic pre-amps, and if you can do 2-channel recording with decent condenser mics, that's better than any interface I've owned, since all I've used up to this point were dirt cheap ones that sometimes barely worked. LolAlso I have a fair bit of information about a possible recorder option for you. Just a disclaimer, the below long post is not a sales pitch, though I am trying to be thorough so you'll know what you're getting into if you decide to follow in my footsteps. I'm just telling you my personal experiences, take them with a grain of salt.I think either the Olympus Ls-100 or the Zoom H5 may be two good options to look at. I've not tried the LS-100, though I think it has what you're looking for, in add ition to voice guidance. Its mics are also pretty good too, and from what I heard it has excellent mic pre-amps. I can't say whether it has XLR inputs but I think it does.I purchased the Zoom H5 recently. It was not terribly cheap, I think I got it for around $350. However the reason I went for it was because I was coming from a Zoom H1 background. The H1 was a fine recorder, especially for its low price, but it was starting to fail. I still have it and use it, and if I make sure everything's working well beforehand, it normally does work. But I wanted more. I didn't want to get the H2, H4, etc. because they are a little older. The H5 is a 4-track recorder, with two tracks allocated to the internal mics and the other 2 tracks being used by 2 quarter-inch/combo XLR jacks. So, you could use your XLR mics with it with no issue. Because it can function as a 4-track recorder, you can also record with the internals simultaneously,which you said is something you want. The H6 from my understanding is the same as the H5 but is a 6-track unit, and they have an 8-track one as well, I think it's the F8.So far I've only used the H5 for stereo recording, I've not yet set it in multitrack mode and tried anything with it. I think it gets a little complicated if you do that, but I anticipate that it would be workable.The H5 menus are complicated but almost all of them are manageable, with the exception of a few such as the USB control and mixers. I've not yet figured those out, but they were not a priority with me when I got the unit, so I am not especially worried about them right now. But if you get almost any Zoom recorder, you will have to learn its menus. This is a deal-breaker for a number of blind people. I understand their frustrations, I have them too, but I don't like sticking to accessible recorders, because there are so few, and so far as I know, Olympus has pretty much taken over that market. I prefer the s ound of zoom so that's what I went for. The hassle of going through menus was something I was willing to accept, but that'll be something you'll have to decide when you make your choice as to what to buy.A word about the internal mics on the H5, H6, and I'm pretty sure the F8 as well. The internal mics can actually be removed and replaced. Zoom provides alternative mic capsules which you can purchase for different use cases. I'll briefly describe the capsules below. The H5 comes with the XY-H5 capsule, the H6 comes with the XY-H6 capsule, not sure about the F8. But all the capsules can be purchased separately, so if you get the H5 but later want the H6 mics on it, you can very easily do that. Removing and replacing the capsules is easy. From what I've been told it's kinda like how you would replace camera lens, but I've never done that so I can't compare.Now for the capsules, just a brief summary of each.Xy-H5 caps ule comes with H5 recorder. It's an XY mic with a 90 degree field, and it also has a 3.5MM jack for plugging in external mics. It really shines with louder sounds, or at least it's supposed to. For quieter stuff it's a little noisy and the stereo image isn't terribly wide, but it's a good mic. Can't say anything about the price since I got it with my H5. It also came with a windscreen in the box, which in general all Zoom mics need a windscreen as they are cartioids.Xy-H6 capsule comes with H6 recorder. It's an XY mic with a 90 degree field. However you can change that by twisting the capsules, I believe away from you, until they click stop. This expands the field to 120 degrees, which creates a wider stereo image which I rather like. and it also has a 3.5MM jack for plugging in external mics. It really shines with quieter sounds, I can say that with experience. Its noise floor is quite a bit lower than that of the XY-H5. Can't say anyth ing about louder sounds as I haven't tested, but for your solo harpsichord and violin stuff, I'd absolutely recommend that capsule if you decide for some reason you only want to use internals
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations?
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations? Locutus,Out of curiosity, what audio interface are you using? I am myself looking for an asio compatible sound card. I know you're not using it for that, but I thought I'd ask anyway. If you like the sound of its mic pre-amps, and if you can do 2-channel recording with decent condenser mics, that's better than any interface I've owned, since all I've used up to this point were dirt cheap ones that sometimes barely worked. LolAlso I have a fair bit of information about a possible recorder option for you. Just a disclaimer, the below long post is not a sales pitch, though I am trying to be thorough so you'll know what you're getting into if you decide to follow in my footsteps. I'm just telling you my personal experiences, take them with a grain of salt.I think either the Olympus Ls-100 or the Zoom H5 may be two good options to look at. I've not tried the LS-100, though I think it has what you're looking for, in add ition to voice guidance. Its mics are also pretty good too, and from what I heard it has excellent mic pre-amps. It also has voice guidance. Can't say whether it has XLR inputs but I think it does.I myself purchased the Zoom H5 recently. It was not terribly cheap, I think I got it for around $350. However the reason I went for it was because I was coming from a Zoom H1 background. The H1 was a fine recorder, especially for its low price, but it was starting to fail. I still have it and use it, and if I make sure everything's working well beforehand, it normally does work. But I wanted more. I didn't want to get the H2, H4, etc. because they are a little older. The H5 is a 4-track recorder, with two tracks allocated to the internal mics and the other 2 tracks being used by 2 quarter-inch/combo XLR jacks. So, you could use your XLR mics with it with no issue. Because it can function as a 4-track recorder, you can also record with the internals simultaneously,which you said is something you want. The H6 from my understanding is the same as the H5 but is a 6-track unit, and they have an 8-track one as well, I think it's the F8.So far I've only used the H5 for stereo recording, I've not yet set it in multitrack mode and tried anything with it. I think it gets a little complicated if you do that, but I anticipate that it would be workable.The H5 menus are complicated but almost all of them are manageable, with the exception of a few such as the USB control and mixers. I've not yet figured those out, but they were not a priority with me when I got the unit, so I am not especially worried about them right now. But if you get almost any Zoom recorder, you will have to learn its menus. This is a deal-breaker for a number of blind people. I understand their frustrations, I have them too, but I don't like sticking to accessible recorders, because there are so few, and so far as I know, Olympus has pretty much taken over that market. I prefer the sound of zoom so that's what I went for. The hassle of going through menus was something I was willing to accept, but that'll be something you'll have to decide when you make your choice as to what to buy.A word about the internal mics on the H5, H6, and I'm pretty sure the F8 as well. The internal mics can actually be removed and replaced. Zoom provides alternative mic capsules which you can purchase for different use cases. I'll briefly describe the capsules below. The H5 comes with the XY-H5 capsule, the H6 comes with the XY-H6 capsule, not sure about the F8. But all the capsules can be purchased separately, so if you get the H5 but later want the H6 mics on it, you can very easily do that. Removing and replacing the capsules is easy. From what I've been told it's kinda like how you would replace camera lens, but I've never done that so I can't compare.Now for the capsules, just a brief summary of each.Xy-H5 capsule comes with H5 recorder. It's an XY mic with a 90 degree field, and it also has a 3.5MM jack for plugging in external mics. It really shines with louder sounds, or at least it's supposed to. For quieter stuff it's a little noisy and the stereo image isn't terribly wide, but it's a good mic. Can't say anything about the price since I got it with my H5. It also came with a windscreen in the box, which in general all Zoom mics need a windscreen as they are cartioids.Xy-H6 capsule comes with H6 recorder. It's an XY mic with a 90 degree field. However you can change that by twisting the capsules, I believe away from you, until they click stop. This expands the field to 120 degrees, which creates a wider stereo image which I rather like. and it also has a 3.5MM jack for plugging in external mics. It really shines with quieter sounds, I can say that with experience. Its noise floor is quite a bit lower than that o f the XY-H5. Can't say anything about louder sounds as I haven't tested, but for your solo harpsichord and violin stuff, I'd absolutely recommend that capsule if you decide for some reason
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations?
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations? Keep the thoughts coming, folks! Good input so far. Alas, the Olympus recorders sound like they might be more useful for voice recording... Based on what I read, they're aimed more at lecture and/or notetaking recording than music. On the other hand, I just read about the Zoom H4N Pro... The features it offers are very much what I'm looking for. Has anyone ever used one of those? If so, any comments on accessibility? URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=279792#p279792 ___ Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations?
2016-09-21
Thread
AudioGames . net Forum — Off-topic room : claudiogaranzini via Audiogames-reflector
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations? I'ld reccomend the Olympus DM7 that's like the DM901 or, but it's not as accessible as the other two recorders, the Zoom H2N! Those are the recorder I use for my job and my concerts URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=279790#p279790 ___ Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations?
Re: Digital recorders: Any recommendations? LocutusI just got a Olympus DM-901 Wi-Fi Enabled Digital Voice Recorder. Price: $148.90 The new DM-901 unites premium sound quality with new mobile features for easy note-taking in any situation. For the first time on an Olympus recorder, Wi-Filinks the DM-901 to a user’s smartphone, from which an available app can remotely trigger the DM-901 to record on command. This feature is ideal for capturingevents when there is a significant distance between the user and the speaker.Recorded files and visual indexes linked to the files can be easily uploaded to Dropbox through a smartphone and accessed with aweb browser.The voice guidance feature can read out the names of menu items on the screen so you can operate with confidence by touch alone.Recording FormatsLinear PCM, MP3 and WMA Internal memory4GB External MemoryStandard SD(Max. 64GB) Internal microphones frequency range70-20,000Hz There is a 3.5mm stereo jack to add an externalmicrophone. URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=279784#p279784 ___ Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
Digital recorders: Any recommendations?
Digital recorders: Any recommendations? Hey there ladies and gents,Thought I'd ask for some advice from you all... As a solo harpsichordist and violinist, I find myself wanting to record my music a fair bit. So far, I've used a pair of condenser mics hooked up to a USB-powered audio interface, connected to my computer running GoldWave to get the job done. And don't get me wrong, it does great. The problem is, it's not the most portable arrangement, and does involve several components to make it work. So, I decided that what I need is a digital recorder to help me out with this. What I'm looking for is a device that has two stereo mics of its own, as well as a pair of XLR inputs to plug in my existing mics. Ideally, it should be able to record using all available mics, but that's not a deal breaker. If said device could record onto an SD card and be easy to use, that would be great as well.Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. What recorders do you all use or would recomme nd?Best, Albano. URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=279782#p279782 ___ Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
