Hello everybody :) I've been studying about Sound Design and Recording, and i've come to a road block that I believe some of you would've encountered: - Wich portable recorder should I buy, that would deliver high quality sound at a...well...small budget - for field recording, that is? I've seen a lot of recorders in the web, e.g. Zoom's H4, M-Audio Microtrack, Hi-MD (or minidiscs in general), Marantz's products, even DAT recorders. I have these two major questions: Does DAT deliver all that quality of sound that we hear in movies and stuff? And what portable recorders professionals generally use, for films, games, etc nowadays? Is it DAT or what? Thank you for whatever input you might give me. See ya later, Rafael.

Thanks for the info, nsmadsen :)

I guess i'm really going with one of the three top-portable-recorders these days (zoom H4, Microtrack, Edirol-09). But since you mentioned edirol's, i think i'm gonna take a deeper look into it.



See ya!

I'd recommend the Zoom over the Edirol. I actually own an edirol but work with someone that has a Zoom. In either case, they're not ideal and both can only be used for slightly cruder, less critical sound recording. I would always favour an external mic and a recorder with better preamps and A-D converters... but the devices you mention are super cheap and with care you can make some decent recordings. Just don't expect them to be able to make crystal clear recordings of quiet sounds, the signal to noise ratio of these devices just isn't good enough i'm afraid.

They're great for carrying around with you when out and about though. I've taken my edirol all over the world on holiday and have some unique recordings.

I bought an R09 earlier this year and used it for a few sound design projects. It did a decent job, and at the time for the price I couldn't exactly complain (it was a lot better than the MiniDisc recorders our class had been issued). Like VectorWarrior said though, if you're looking to record quiet sounds, it's not going to be well suited for it. The SNR on it just isn't good enough for it. I also found the level meters on it to be a bit finicky, but I learned to compensate for it. More often than not I would find myself having to do a bit of cleanup on the sounds I recorded once I brought them back into my DAW, but considering how cheap the unit is, I couldn't really complain a whole lot.

I've since sold my R09 and got an HD-P2, which I really like (much cleaner recordings that have a lot more clarity), but then again, it is $600 more than the R09 and definitely not as portable (when you consider I typically haul also external mics + stands with it). I can't comment on the Zoom or the Marantz products since I've never used them, but from my experience, the R09 isn't a bad little device given its price point.

From various reviews i've read of the R-09, it seems that he's the most hissy of the current portable recorders.

@ Romer: nice, an HD-P2 :) . I love it's design, it looks very professional.


Does anybody know if DAT is still used on films? And what field-recording gear does film professionals use?

I never had a problem with the Zoom H4s built in mic, but I did notice a beepy tone with just a few of the my condenser microphones when plugged in at +48v phantom but it seemed to go away when I adjusted it +24v.
Never the less I still can hear some noise, I recommend if you are for going for a Zoom, getting your self a separate 48v per amp if you are going plugin in microphones.