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Digital small-audio recorder


Marco Leoncino

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Dear all,

I have a stupid question. During my next reportage, which I will shoot on 16 mm film, I would like to record some environmental sound/voices 

I don´t have any intention to synchronize anything, just to record some sounds which I will then integrate in the digitalization of the film.

I am looking for a portable, easy to use, not expensive, digital small-audio recorder. I am totally confused by the thousands of models available.

I was, for example, finding an OLYMPUS WS-852, or something similar.

Do you have any experience with these devices?

Thank you

 

 

 

 

 

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The Zoom H4N Pro is an excellent handheld audio recorder for the type of thing you say you need. It is cheap and has fantastic results. Record to uncompressed .wav and theres some room to play with the sound in post. It is around £170-£180 usually. Although ebay often has some going 2nd hand for a bit less.

The main thing to remember that the environment you're recording audio in is just as important as the recorder. If you're recording someone talking (to be used as a voiceover) then it is not going to sound great next to the sea on a windy day. Also if you're recording someone, then try and keep the handheld audio recorder locked off on a tripod (most have threads to attach to a basic tripod) because they are not designed like professional boom mics and the vibrations in your hand will be picked up.

Getting a dead cat/wind muff is essential in my opinion. They are cheap or you could make your own for even cheaper!

 

Unfortunately I have not had a huge amount of experience with other recorders to comment on comparisons to the Zoom H4N Pro. But the sound mixers/boom ops I work with on set (when I AD, not my own stuff) have all said the Zoom H4N Pro is one of the best handheld audio recorders out there for small/amateur/semi-professional work.

I have used mine for recording environmental noises and tested it with voices but I have only had it for a couple of months so I have not been using it too much yet. 

Hope some or all of that helps.

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I've used the Zoom H4N and H6. H6 has much better GUI and more ins and outs, so to me the better buy.

Whatever you do, do not use the built in microphones, they pick up vibrations and wind in the ugliest of ways. Also just don't really even sound that good. Always use an XLR mic into the input for the microphone aspect.

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Here is a good field test video with the Zoom H4N Pro. About 3mins 30secs in he compares with and without the deadcat.

Marco you should check out more tests people have done with these audio recorders on YouTube. They show all pros and cons.

I do not think the built in mics sound bad at all. As long as they are being used for basic and not an attempt to record 'professional' audio (EG feature narrative sound). You can get really great results by just going out there and having fun with the recorder. The Zooms (H4N Pro or H6) are a fantastic package for what they are.

I personally would not hand hold it (attaching it to a tripod is good) but the guy in the video did it and its not the most terrible sound in the world. The built in mics are good and are designed that way. Zoom would not bother to make a recorder like these with bad mics.

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  • 4 months later...

For the OP: get the Zoom H1n (and wind protection), if you're sure you'll never need anything more than that. 

For everyone else, have a read of this:
http://ironfilm.co.nz/which-sound-recorder-to-buy-a-guide-to-various-indie-priced-sound-recorders-in-2017/
 

On 12/10/2019 at 3:08 AM, Dan Hasson said:

Unfortunately I have not had a huge amount of experience with other recorders to comment on comparisons to the Zoom H4N Pro. But the sound mixers/boom ops I work with on set (when I AD, not my own stuff) have all said the Zoom H4N Pro is one of the best handheld audio recorders out there for small/amateur/semi-professional work.


Nope. 

1) the H4n Pro is not even close to the best handheld recorder there is
2) additionally, you should not ever get any handheld recorder for semi professional work! Especially not in 2020. Get instead any Zoom F series, or MixPre series, recorder. (or heck, even a secondhand Sound Devices 633 / 664 / 788T / Zaxcom Maxx / Nomad, which are now VERY CHEAP on eBay!)

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On 4/13/2020 at 7:51 PM, David Peterson said:

For the OP: get the Zoom H1n (and wind protection), if you're sure you'll never need anything more than that. 

For everyone else, have a read of this:
http://ironfilm.co.nz/which-sound-recorder-to-buy-a-guide-to-various-indie-priced-sound-recorders-in-2017/
 


Nope. 

1) the H4n Pro is not even close to the best handheld recorder there is
2) additionally, you should not ever get any handheld recorder for semi professional work! Especially not in 2020. Get instead any Zoom F series, or MixPre series, recorder. (or heck, even a secondhand Sound Devices 633 / 664 / 788T / Zaxcom Maxx / Nomad, which are now VERY CHEAP on eBay!)

Thanks!!

Edited by Dan Hasson
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