digital audio recorders

[bubudi]

what is a good mix touse with these?

im not sure which one i will get, but i suppose i will need a good mic too?

if you're just going to be recording classes, either the olympus ls-10 or zoom h2 will do the job nicely, using the internal (built-in mics), eliminating the need to buy a mic. the h2 is a cheaper unit (about $150) so go with that if lessons is all you're going to record. if you want to be recording live music or making cds i'd recommend the ls-10 with a decent mic set up. it's a far better unit and still at a reasonable price (under $300). the mic setup will depend on what kind of ensemble you're recording.

[rachelnguyen]

The zoom comes with a pretty nice set of built in mikes. I use them for recording rhythms in classes and it sounds great.

[cyberfola]

I just got an Olympus Ls-10 off of Criagslist for $175...

[rachelnguyen]

I just got an Olympus Ls-10 off of Criagslist for $175...

SCORE!!!!!!!!

Good for you!

Dontcha just love Craig's list sometimes?

[dleufer]

Thanks for all this info guys. I was inspired to purchase the Olympus LS-10 for my upcoming trip to West Africa but then I realized that the new LS-11 was only 50 euro more so I bought that.
Anyone tried it out yet?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-LS-11-L ... 934&sr=8-1
Seems to be the business, 8gb internal memory and 23 hr battery life in addition to the Ls-10's features plus other technical wizardry I don't understand.

[Nodrog]

Hi there,

Just came across this thread and I think the recorder I use, the Boss BR600 is an absolute bargain at the moment. $282.00 from Amazon. Technology like this always comes down in price, I paid $399.00 from Musician's Friend and I thought that was a bargain at the time.

Built in stereo mics for real quick recordings but also has eight tracks, each one with a further seven virtual tracks which makes 64 in total. Built in effects, drum machine. A complete studio for less than $300.00.

Check in the recording section, I have two short examples which I made using this recorder.(Africa1 and Africa2). It may have a lot more than you need but for that price it is a real bargain.

Gordon.

[Djembe-nerd]

Its 259 at B&H, The boss 600 is not quite portable though.

[Nodrog]

Hi there,

Are we talking about the same thing. The Boss BR600 is 12" x 8" and weighs about 3lbs. That's fairly portable and it does come with a case.

http://www.amazon.com/BOSS-BR-600-8-tra ... 445&sr=8-1

Good luck with your choice, Gordon.

[Beerfola]

Gordon,
Most of the other units being discussed are hand held field recorders. Having lugged other recording equipment around to workshops for a while I can appreciate the compact size and self contained power offered by the Edirol, H2 & H4, Sony PCM D50 and the like. An outlet is not always nearby to plug into. Starting and stopping recordings on the fly while trying to pay attention to the teacher is difficult. Setting the levels, mic placement and so on become distracting and stressful. As a home unit the BR-600 has alot of bang for the buck to be sure.

[Djembe-nerd]

Does any of these recorders Zoom H4 or Oly Ls 10 have filename editing.?

Do you have to play each file to see what you recorded? This will be a problem if you are continously recording many things.

[michi]

The H2 allows you to rename a file using just the device. Having said that, it's a bit tedious, due to the limited input capabilities. You have to scroll through a list of letters and select each one separately to create the file name. It's workable, but not great. (In general, the playback capabilities (especially scanning a song for a specific section) are rudimentary, and it's easier to copy the recordings onto a computer and manipulate them there. The H2 is excellent for recording, but not so great at editing and playback.)

The LS-10 does not allow you rename files on the device (at least not according to the user manual--I don't own an LS-10 myself).

When I take lots of short recordings, such as at a workshop, I use a notebook and record which folder I used for what, and starting file name for each rhythm. That makes it fairly easy to tag and edit the recordings later.

Cheers,

Michi.

[Djembe-nerd]

When I take lots of short recordings, such as at a workshop, I use a notebook and record which folder I used for what, and starting file name for each rhythm. That makes it fairly easy to tag and edit the recordings later.

I was thinking the same, but thats a pity a digital recorder does not have this feature. It will also be a problem if you go out in mali or Guniea for a day and record amny things.

BTW, are you satisfied with H2, I know Rachel is, but she said earlier in the post, if she had to do it all again she would take a LS 10.

Would you take a LS 10 if you have to buy another one or will you buy a H2 again.

[michi]

I'm happy with the H2--it works very well. What I like best that it is simple and reliable. It's basically impossible to make a mistake. It's crystal clear when it's in recording mode and when not, and the levels are easy to set. (My previous recorder was an iRiver H320. Not bad, but too complex and awkward to use, so I ended up recording very high quality silence on a few occasions...)

I would not consider buying the LS-10 at this point. The recording quality is basically identical to the H2 with the internal microphones. If anything, the LS-10 seems to have a slightly higher noise floor. (Not that this would matter for drum recording anyway, and the difference is very small.)

If I bought another recorder, I'd consider the Olympus LS-11. The main advantage is its long battery life (19 hours) versus the 6-hour battery life of the H2. The LS-11 also has 8GB of memory built in. That's oodles, around 130 hours at VBR MP3 (which is more than adequate quality). At CD quality, you get around 15 hours with 8GB, but there is little point in recording at that quality setting because, as a rule, acoustic conditions will be such that they eliminate the recording quality advantage.

But then, the LS-11 is nearly double the price of the H2, so it's up there. You can pick up an H2 for US$ 179.00 on eBay, and that includes 1GB card as well as a 4GB card, plus a silicon skin (recommended). The LS-11 will set you back US$ 318.00 without a skin.

In terms of value for money, the H2 is hard to beat.

If you want to read detailed reviews, check out the info at Wingfield Audio. They also have recording samples that allow you to compare the noise floor and the quality of the external inputs.

Cheers,

Michi.

[bubudi]

michi, what do you base your comparison of sound quality on between the h2 and ls10? i have listened to both and looked at the reviews. the ls10 is significantly better audio quality, both with the internal mics and with a good quality external mic. even bigger difference when good external mics are used. whether you need that extra quality or not depends what you're recording. if it's a bunch of classes, the h2 is definitely adequate, and you will probably not notice much difference between the two. adam is talking about going to mali or guinea and 'recording many things', whatever that means. with the ls11 out, the ls10 is fairly cheap now and it has many other advantages over the h2 as well. as for the ls11, it is a definite improvement on the ls10. the battery life is still an impressive 12 hours on an ls10 and there is 2gb built in. if i were buying now i'd get the ls11, but i'm gonna stick with my ls10 for a while yet.

[michi]

michi, what do you base your comparison of sound quality on between the h2 and ls10?

Listening to the noise floor samples provided by Wingfield Audio, the LS-10 has a slightly worse noise floor with the built-in microphones than the H2. As I said earlier, the difference is small, and there is no way it would ever show up with drum recordings.

i have listened to both and looked at the reviews. the ls10 is significantly better audio quality, both with the internal mics and with a good quality external mic.

I would disagree with that for the internal microphones, at least judging by the Wingfield Audio samples. However, the LS-10 is clearly better with an external dynamic mic: it has considerably less noise. With a condenser mic, I'm hard pressed to hear any quality difference. The sound character is a little different, but I couldn't say that one is worse than the other in terms of noise floor. Using the line input, they both seem to be virtually identical too.

if it's a bunch of classes, the h2 is definitely adequate, and you will probably not notice much difference between the two. adam is talking about going to mali or guinea and 'recording many things', whatever that means.

I was going on the assumption of using the internal microphones for the field recordings. (With external microphones and possibly and external mic amp, we are in a completely different ball park, increasing cost by several hundred dollars.) If that assumption is correct, I think the H2 is the best bang for the buck.

with the ls11 out, the ls10 is fairly cheap now and it has many other advantages over the h2 as well.

The best price I can find for the LS-10 is US$ 225, which is still a good $50 more than the H2. The main advantage I can see for the LS-10 is the better battery life (double that of the H2). The LS-10 has 2GB built in, which is still lots of memory. The only time I could see that running short is for extended trips with no option to copy files off onto a computer. In terms of quality of recording, I think the LS-10 and H2 are neck-to-neck. Another advantage of the LS-10 seems to be the slightly more sturdy construction, but I'm not sure whether that is really a concern, unless people need to record in really rough conditions.

One issue with the H2 is that, at very high volume levels, it can clip even at the lowest sensitivity setting. I don't know how the LS-10 or LS-11 behave in that respect. (No-one seems to be publishing figures for the maximum sound pressure the microphones can handle...)

as for the ls11, it is a definite improvement on the ls10. the battery life is still an impressive 12 hours on an ls10 and there is 2gb built in. if i were buying now i'd get the ls11, but i'm gonna stick with my ls10 for a while yet.

If you want the best quality (short of going for one of the Sony recorders), the LS-11 is the pick of the bunch to me. It's significantly better in terms of signal-to-noise ratio than either the H2 or the LS-10, especially with the built-in microphones. (But again, for drumming, that really isn't an important criterion.) The really nice feature of the LS-11 is the 18 hour battery life--that really is useful. And the LS-10 beats the H2 on that score too. Then again, battery life is a matter of convenience more than anything else, because batteries are cheap (and rechargeable batteries even more so).

But the quality of the LS-11 comes at a price that's pretty much double that of the H2. So, in terms of value for money, the H2 is currently the best deal, in my opinion. The LS-11 provides the best quality (short of the Sony recorders, which cost a lot more than the LS-11). The LS-10 falls somewhere in between, IMO: better battery life, better quality with dynamic external mics, but fixed 2GB memory (as opposed to exchangeable SD cards) and slightly higher noise floor with the built-in mics than the H2.

Realistically, for drumming field recording, any of the three makes a perfectly fine recorder. If you are on a budget, buy the H2. If you can afford the LS-11, it's the best of the three. If you like the Olympus sturdy construction, slim-line casing, and better battery life and can't afford the LS-11, go for the LS-10...

Cheers,

Michi.