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Location: Japan | I have only ever completed a handful of songs and it constantly drives me insane that when I come up with something I like it always seems to simple to forget; but I can never find what I had going on.
A couple years ago I bought a really nice portable recorder for those instances, but never had it with me and am now wanting to buy a replacement for my Nano that has a built in mic.
I don't care if the quality or recording is really great or not, primarily wanting it for a notebook rather than studio.
Who has one of these and what ones do you suggest?
Thanks in advance! |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | The one in the Celeb launched by Jeff's trebuchet at the Tour Jam! "Took a lickin and kepton tickin"... :D |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Does it have to be an MP3 player?
I still use a minidisc player for recording and learning songs (you can split the track at any point, any number of times and repeat whichever sections I'm working on), and I use my iPod for listening to recorded music.
You could probably pick up a REALLY cheap used one. (or two) |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I'm with muzza. I have a sony minidisc recorder that really works well. I bought a nice stereo mic for it. Only issue with MD record might be battery life vs. MP3 recorder due to the fact that MD has moving parts.
I also have a rack mount MD unit that I use for transfer into other media or into Sonor for further processing. But mostly I just use the MD for quick little recordings of riffs or other things I want to play back along with.
Dave |
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Location: NJ | I like the Eridol. |
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Location: Japan | Originally posted by cliff:
I like the Eridol. I know it's hard for you guys to believe, but I have hardly seen my Edirol since I got it last year, but I always know where my Nano is and just wish they had a tiny hole in it for recording.
I was in Akihabara a couple weeks ago and saw lots of tiny mp3 players, some with built in recording, and I'm going to get one, then probably sell my Edirol.
I've had Minidisc recorders since the very first one Sony came out with which I bought in '94 and I actually still have one... somewhere.
Thing is, I won't carry it with me because I've already got all kinds of other stuff that resides in my guitar case and what I want is portable, in a fashion that wasn't available even a couple years ago. If they could put one in my watch I'd be perfectly happy!
Mostly just hoping that someone else had experience with the newer mp3 recorders and that I could get some info here on which ones people liked.
Maybe I'll end up buying, then posting a review. |
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Location: Omaha, NE | I recently bought a Zoom H2. Killer. Its exactly what you are looking for.
Every song on The Heatseekers web site was recorded using the Zoom.
Best $200 I ever spent. |
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Posts: 555
Location: Wooster, Ohio | Probably not the conventional answer but I have an apple notebook with the garageband digital recorder built in. Can record right off the external mic in a flash. Can also use it for everything else, plus garage band is a very good digital track recorder that can rolled out a CD in a flash.
Steve |
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Location: closely held secret | I'm expecting a delivery today. While doing some research for a fellow OFC member who shall remain nameless (wheeze, wheeze)... excuse me.
Anyway, one of the things he got me looking at was the Boss Micro-BR . This is a 4 track digital recorder with 8 v-tracks per, built in drum machine, onboard mic which from the reviews will get you pretty darn good recordings. There's also a 1/4" instrument in, stereo line in, metronome. It has USB for exporting tracks to computer, and I understand you can use it for a pass-thru interface for computer recording. You can load MP3's on it for practicing with, or just to listen to. It uses SD cards (up to 1G, hopefully they'll upgrade that).
And it runs on 2 AA batteries or AC adapter.
And it fits in your shirt pocket.
I got so intrigued by it I bought one. |
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Location: south east Michigan | I have my Korg PXR4 listed on e-bay.
I'm looking to end up with something that has fewer features and is easier to use. |
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Location: NJ | ". . I'm looking to end up with something that has fewer features and is easier to use. ."
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Location: closely held secret | THAT's what I should have recommended to Wea... uh, the OFC member I was helping... |
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Location: south east Michigan | 4 minutes.
Only 4 minutes between Cliffs post & mine.
That guy is FAST! |
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Location: NJ | I woulda' had it SOONER Brad, but I had to wait for you t'POST it . . . |
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Location: SoCal | And who here can doubt that Clifford doesn't actually work...... |
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Location: NJ | it's called Multi-Tasking, Paul . . . |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | What if you don't have a shirt pocket, Waskel? |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I use a a plain old SONY cassette recorder. Works great. If you have the bucks then get a SONY mini disc player. Either way, you can download to your computer or get a CD recorder and download to a CD which you can bring to your computer.
For listening, by nieces and nephews seem to like the IPOD and Creative Zen equally. |
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Location: Tychy, Poland | do you guys have iRiver? it's MUCH better than creative if it comes to sound quality / loudness. and i think they do record pretty well. |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | I just thought about something else. A mobile phone.
Some of them have MP3 players built in and have recording functions as well.
If you only want it for musical 'note taking' it would be ideal - as long as recording quality isn't what you're looking for.
Some phones have removeable flash cards too.
It wouldn't have to go in your case either, it would already be in your pocket. |
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Location: Omaha, NE | FWIW, I tried using my phone (a "chocolate") for that at first. The results were so crummy I gave up and bought the Zoom:  |
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Location: Alberta, Canada | I've been scouting the H2 & H4. The H4 has 2- XLR and 2 -1/4" inputs and does multi-tracks. Plus the dual studio quality mics.
And I think can be operated about as simply as the H2 if you want to ignore all the other features it has. |
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Location: Omaha, NE | Samson (the Zoom people) are being pretty...um, generous when they describe the microphones on these things as "studio quality". That's quite a stretch. The internal mics work fine, but they aren't exactly "studio quality".
My experience with these boils down to this:
H2 : Four internal mics, self contained surround sound recording, smaller and more compact. $200.
H2 : Two internal mics, external mic inputs. $300.
Anyway, Samson has full details. Read all about the H2 here. Read all about the H4 here.
One thing...my H2 absolutely eats batteries. Better get some rechargeables if you get one of these. |
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Location: closely held secret | Had some fun with the Micro-BR last night. Spent an hour, but barely scratched the surface of the abilities. I was looking for an 'audio sketchpad'... looks like I found it. Input effects, insert effects, punch-in, editing... this is gonna be fun. |
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Location: GA USA | Originally posted by Akami:
If they could put one in my watch I'd be perfectly happy! mp3 recorder watch |
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Location: Alberta, Canada | Originally posted by The Wabbit Formerly Known As Waskel:
Had some fun with the Micro-BR last night. Spent an hour, but barely scratched the surface of the abilities. I was looking for an 'audio sketchpad'... looks like I found it. Input effects, insert effects, punch-in, editing... this is gonna be fun. I suspect you checked out the Zoom H4 also; what moved you to choose the Micro BR over it?
I'm looking for a similar unit and so have been looking at all of these also. This is somewhat out of my area of expertise so I'm wondering what I'm missing. The Zoom H4 really looks like a great unit but perhaps I'm not looking at the big picture and am not recognizing the right things.
Thanks for any and all thoughts
Dave |
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Location: south east Michigan | I went to the ZoomH4 website and downloaded the user manual.
It's not the "fewer features / user friendly" thing I'm looking for. |
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Location: closely held secret | The Boss was cheaper.
Ok, that's not the only reason, but it's a good starting point. What I really wanted was a sketchpad, and the Boss seemed to fit that bill better. It's not only got 4 tracks, it's got 8 virtual tracks per, so I can do multiple takes and choose the best one. It can bounce tracks. It has COSM effects (which sound great, btw).
The Zoom seemed more of an 'event' recorder than a working tool, and if I needed something to do that I probably would have given the Zoom more consideration.
I trust the quality of Roland more than Zoom.
It's true that the Boss is somewhat limited in only having one 1/4" input, but that's usually the way I work when recording stuff anyway. I can mix the 1/4" and the onboard mic when recording. If I want more options I can go into my little Behringer mixer first.
And hey - MF has a 45 day return/exchange policy. I may yet change my mind!
No, wait... the return period on my mind has expired...
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Location: south east Michigan | Maybe I need both.
A ZoomH2 for portability & practice sessions then something else with big dials and a large display specificly for multi-tracking. |
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Location: Japan | Originally posted by The Wabbit Formerly Known As Waskel:
The Boss was cheaper.
Ok, that's not the only reason, but it's a good starting point. What I really wanted was a sketchpad, and the Boss seemed to fit that bill better. It's not only got 4 tracks, it's got 8 virtual tracks per, so I can do multiple takes and choose the best one. It can bounce tracks. It has COSM effects (which sound great, btw).
The Zoom seemed more of an 'event' recorder than a working tool, and if I needed something to do that I probably would have given the Zoom more consideration.
I trust the quality of Roland more than Zoom.
It's true that the Boss is somewhat limited in only having one 1/4" input, but that's usually the way I work when recording stuff anyway. I can mix the 1/4" and the onboard mic when recording. If I want more options I can go into my little Behringer mixer first.
And hey - MF has a 45 day return/exchange policy. I may yet change my mind!
No, wait... the return period on my mind has expired...
I've seen these a couple times but having already bought the Edirol (even though they are for different end purposes, still recorders) I never really gave it much attention.
How intuitive has it been; pretty easy? Any points you don't like about it? |
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Location: south east Michigan | Shameless plug for my e-bay sale... HERE |
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Location: closely held secret | Akami, I've only spent about an hour with it. So far it seems pretty intuitive once you figure out the 3 letter abbreviations (why do we need such a long word to describe something short?).
Good balance between buttons and menus. Haven't gotten into using the v-tracks or mixing yet, but I'm studying the manual.
I'll post more about it when I've been able to spend more time with it.
Truly shameless, Bradley. |
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Location: Omaha, NE | Couple of quick recordings I made last night with my Zoom H2.
The first one is from my daughter Mary\'s piano recital . This is exactly the environment where the Zoom shines: I found an inconspicuous place to set the Zoom, turned it on, and walked away. After I got it home I used Audacity to cut out the section that I wanted and converted it to an MP3.
The second one is of a version of Hallelujah that I wrote last night . I've been using the Zoom to record these sessions and it really helps, particularly in that it keeps me from forgetting the occasional fleeting idea.
I've really come to depend on the Zoom. |
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Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Not meaning to hijack the thread, but.....
Will this gizmo get me into basic home recording? I'm not even close to needing an audio "notebook", but would like to record myself (at home) for instructional purposes.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Audacity-Music-Editor-Audio-Editing-MP3-Mix-Rec...
Thanks for input! |
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Location: south east Michigan | It's looking more and more like the H2 is what I'm looking for. |
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Location: Omaha, NE | Audacity is an audio editing program. No need to buy it on e-bay...just Google it and download it free (and legal).
But its not enough. You need something to generate your raw material. In my case, that's the Zoom H2. But there are lots of other options out there too.
But for casual use, the combination of the Zoom H2 and Audacity has proven to be very useful for me. |
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Location: closely held secret | That's funny, that someone is selling it on ebay. You can download it for free here.
Even though it's a great program (and free, to boot!) "Audacity is the professional's choice for audio editing, recording, effects processing, streaming content creation, and more." is hardly the truth.
As Jeff said, the H2 is probably best if you're just into recording single takes of raw material. The one I have (Boss Micro BR) is more for those who like to go a little deeper (multi-tracking, pre and post effects, punch-in/out, etc.). |
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Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | I was searching the past threads for "home recording", and came across g8r's entry from 10/2007.
So, is the Reaper mixer program worth the investment, over the free Audacity program?
I'm also watching several M-Audio Fast-Track auctions for an interface gizmo. |
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Location: Alberta, Canada | I have been looking hard at the Zoom H4. It comes bundled with Cubase. Is this a good program?
My son just got home from 9 months of playing bass on Holland America cruise ships. He brought a recording, done on the H4, of the band that is awesome.
He said the guy just put it on the piano and hit record. Very impressive! |
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Location: Alberta, Canada | Well, an H4 followed me home today. I'm probably the poster child for most technically challenged so may be awhile before I can post any comments or accomplishments. Be patient and stay tuned.
My son is home for awhile so that will likely speed results! :)
Dave |
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Location: south east Michigan | I ordered a Zoom H2 today. |
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Location: Whitecourt, Ab | Hi Dave,
Glad your son is home at LEAST for the holidays, keep us posted on the H4 as well, I'm very interested, also thanks for the link, Waskel |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Zoom H2. |
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Location: Alberta, Canada | Originally posted by rededdie:
Hi Dave,
Glad your son is home at LEAST for the holidays, keep us posted on the H4 as well, I'm very interested, also thanks for the link, Waskel Thanks, Ed. I saved my last week of holidays to spend his first week home with him. It's been a great week of catching up and jamming, but, it's gone sooo fast.
We got the H4 up and running and jammed a few pieces:WOW is this thing cool. Press record and go. The sound capture is simply amazing! It leaves the old Radio Shack cassette sooo far behind.
I wish I'd of had this kind of machine back when I was gigging and I still had a voice.
Anyway, we got the H4 updated off the site and installed the Cubase LE, but have to try anything with that. Could be awhile for that.
I'm really impressed with this unit. Works as simply or as technical as you want.
Dave |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Ipod Mic Audio Recording |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Ipod Mic Audio Recording |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Interesting ... any success with the Ipod mic? |
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Location: San Diego | I have an Olympus WS-320M that I use for workshops and other "casual" recording. Quality is OK, but the neat thing is it plugs directly into the USB port on a computer for file transfer. Small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. Olympus |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Ipod Mic review:
Pros: Excellent Audio via Stereo Mic Jack; Speaker for Easy Playback
Cons: No Passthrough For Charger; No Manual Level Control; Gooseneck mic is mono only
In Sum: Not Quite Perfect, But Still Excellent
Pricing: $59.95 compare prices at pcprices.net
More Info: Product Page
Stereo Recording on the Go
I've been waiting for this one. I couldn't have cared less about those earlier iPod recording attachments because they only recorded in mono through a built-in mic. That's great for students and field reporters who conduct interviews a lot, but me I'm a musician. Sure, I'm a writer, too, but I rarely interview people. So I don't want to use my iPod to record hours of talking voices in mono. I want to use it to record my band playing in stereo.
XtremeMac's new MicroMemo audio recorder for iPod with Video and iPod nano 2G supports stereo recording at up to 16-bit, 44kHz quality through an external microphone. That alone made me want to give it the coveted "Five Books" rating. I practically wrote the review before I got the thing out of its packaging and snapped onto my iPod. But, in the interest of objectivity I held back and actually tried the thing out first. I'm happy to report that it's generally excellent. I'm a little sad to report, however, that it's not perfect enough to warrant Five Books. I gave it four and a half ... here's why.
Yes, it's called MicroMemo not MicroRecordYourBand, so I know that most of the target audience is likely interested in the built-in mic's performance while recording "memos" (i.e. Interviews, Lectures, Notes to Self, and the like). It works great. Recordings can be made in low or high fidelity mono or stereo, are saved as .wav files and labelled according to time and date of creation. All of that is Apple's doing - if you'll recall, Apple built recording functionality into the 5G iPod. XtremeMac's solution "unlocks" the recording feature and provides the recording hardware, but they have no control over the iPod's recording settings or user interface.
Recordings can be played back directly from the iPod and/or transferred to a computer via USB. The mic is omnidirectional and the gooseneck mount pivots and bends so you can get it closer to your source. Test recordings I made of voices came out loud and clear with the MicroMemo - you can plop the thing on your desk, hit record, go to sleep for two hours, and listen to your professor's lecture later while you're out for a jog.
The fun came for me when I brought my iPod, MicroMemo, and a stereo microphone to a band rehearsal. I tried the gooseneck mic first, just for curiosity's sake, and it sounded generally overwhelmed by the noise. Swapping it out for my guitarist's Sony stereo microphone yielded much better results. The built-in gain settings handled the amazingly loud noise of drums and electric guitars pretty well, though some kind of manual level control would be a nice addition. Later I ran a stereo cable from my iBook's headphone jack to the MicroMemo, and switched MM's input selector from Mic to Line. I recorded some snippets of iTunes tracks to the iPod and played them back over my Ulitmate Ears earbuds. The results were impressive - the MicroMemo captured the music with breadth and clarity. So long as you're able to control the level of your source material from the other end, MicroMemo seems quite capable of turning your iPod into a high-quality digital recorder.
MicroMemo also features a small, front-firing speaker. While the speaker is tinny and thin sounding as one might expect, it's a very handy way to quickly review recordings or share bits of audio with others. It's good for voice recordings, if not ideal for music.
A Few Flaws
I haven't yet tried the two other iPod recording attachments currently on the market - Belkin's TuneTalk Stereo and the Griffin iTalkPro - but they both feature built-in stereo mics, an apparent step up from the MicroMemo. Reviews I read were mixed on the performance of the Belkin and Griffin models, but again, I can't comment myself. I can tell you that one of my minor issues with MicroMemo is that when it's snapped into your iPod's dock port, you can't plug your AC charger into the iPod as well. As such, you'll need to make sure your iPod is all charged up before you try to record anything. Minor issue, but important to think about if you regularly record and rarely remember to charge. Belkin's TuneTalk Stereo supports charging while recording with an included cable.
The other design issue with the MicroMemo is that you can't use it while your iPod is in any sort of case. MicroMemo snaps more or less flush into the bottom of the iPod and as such doesn't leave any room for a case. Again, TuneTalk Stereo has a dock connector that leaves room for a case (it also comes with a plastic stand to prop your iPod up during recording). This is a bit of a drag as iPods tend to scratch easily, and I like keeping mine in a case as much as possible.
Overall: 4.5 out of 5
When it comes down to it, MicroMemo's functionality is excellent. Voice recordings made with the included gooseneck mic came out loud and clear, and swapping the gooseneck out for a stereo mic or line-level source yielded excellent stereo recordings. My band usually records our rehearsals on a Mac-based multitrack system; one of us takes the "tapes" home, mixes them on our computer, and then posts the mp3 files to an FTP site for sharing. That process yields fantastic results but takes a few days. With MicroMemo I had decent stereo recordings of our session that I could listen to the same night. Not as good as the multitracks, but less waiting. And much easier to take to an iPod and MicroMemo to a gig than it is to haul out the entire multitrack setup.
If MicroMemo fit case-protected iPods, had a charging port, and had a manual level control, I'd probably give it Six Books. If it had two of the three, I'd give it Five. So as is, four and a half seems fair. I haven't tried the Belkin (did I say that?) so I can't compare sound quality. The MicroMemo sounds great and has a speaker and adjustable microphone. I recommend it.
The XtremeMac MicroMemo digital audio recorder is compatible with iPod with Video and iPod nano 2G models. It sells for $59.95 direct from XtremeMac.
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Get the best price for your new iPod at PCPrices.net/iPod
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Noah Kravitz is the Reviews Editor for PBCentral. A writer, educator, and musician, he lives in Oakland, CA and is the author of Teaching and Learning with Technology. |
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What's the best mp3 player with built in recording capabilities?