Best Audio Recorders

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INCProductions

Active member
Whats the best possible audio recorder one can buy? Money is not an issue. It does not need to be as small as the H4N, but shouldn't be monster in size that one person can't hold it.

Thank you
 
Hi

I think I missed the rest of your post where you let those desiring to help know about what you intend to record.
Perhaps second sound for film? Music videos? TV? The sound a laser makes in the harsh enviroment of space?
The more exact you can be about your intended use the better the responses you will receive.
I just picked up a Sound Devices 702 and am delighted with it. But that doesn't mean it's right for you.

Best of luck finding the right piece of gear.
 
I'm moving this to Audio, where it will get much more appropriate traffic. You might also want to check out the stickies in yellow at the top of the forum, including one that addresses your question.

But it does depend on what, exactly, you intend to record. If it's nature recordings, that's very different from dialog for feature films. Orchestral/chamber recordings have different needs as well. What is your intended use?
 
The best possible audio recorder one can buy?....I take it this is for location sound work, and if that is, indeed, the case, then IMHO, that would be the Aaton Cantor, or Zaxcom Fusion. Expect to pay north of $10k.

INCProductions said:
Whats the best possible audio recorder one can buy? Money is not an issue. It does not need to be as small as the H4N, but shouldn't be monster in size that one person can't hold it.

Thank you
Click to expand...
 
I appreciate the help. I might pick up a Nagra. I iked the AETA 4Minx but they are not easy to find unfortunately. What would be the best recorder that would equip to a camera rig? A shoulder rig to be mroe precise. Thanks again for the help.
 
It is difficult to say because there are few meaningful comparisons, and also it depends to an extent on the source material. There are lots of boxes out there, but the best audio is from laptop+designer front end combos. Will it be *lots* better than the Tascam DR 680? Absolutely not. But if someone gave me the Nagra, I would be happy. If I were to consider buying it, I would spend the money on something else. If I had unlimited resources, I would have a Nagra and a few other items as well :)
There is a lengthy comparison of the Nagra and the SD here:
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/remo...775-nagra-vi-sound-devices-788t-shootout.html
However, the factors that make a good recording in this particular scenario have mainly to do with mic placement. Still, we live for/with gear.....
 
INCProductions said:
I appreciate the help. I might pick up a Nagra. I iked the AETA 4Minx but they are not easy to find unfortunately. What would be the best recorder that would equip to a camera rig? A shoulder rig to be mroe precise. Thanks again for the help.
Click to expand...

The AETA 4MinX is very new and is just now coming to market.

The Nagra VI is superb and readily available - or the SD 788T if you really want it portable.
 
DrDave said:
but the best audio is from laptop+designer front end combos.
Click to expand...

But these have lots of other problems of their own. And I would still say that the Nagra VI has better audio than most laptop combos. The mic. pres on the Nagra are superb and the ADC are among the best out there.
 
INCProductions said:
What would be the best recorder that would equip to a camera rig? A shoulder rig to be mroe precise.
Click to expand...

By "equip to a camera rig", do you mean "mount" to the rig? That limits you on size, which then limits you on choices and features. To be honest, that leaves you in the cheap recorder range with hand-helds and eliminates all the high-end gear.

If you go with something like one of the Sound Devices recorders (702, 744t, etc.), you can always drop that into a small bag with either a harness or a shoulder strap.
 
INCProductions said:
shouldn't be monster in size that one person can't hold it.

Thank you
Click to expand...

The Cantar is a bit of a monster and IMHO is not the best recorder money can buy. It may be expensive, but that might be in part due to the Cantar's ability to seal out dust and moisture.
Also, the Cantar is not very user friendly or ergonomic.

I bought a 788t this year and I'm amazed at the sound quality, small size, and ease of use(not to mention it's great performance in extreme environments).
A Nagra might have more headroom and "better" sound quality, but for me the difference is negligible.

I have 8 quality preamps and 12 quality recording tracks that I can sling over my shoulder without breaking my back.
 
If we are talking field recorders, and money is no object, then it really is a subjective thing. We all have our preferences. If I need more than a few tracks, my go to recorders are the Sound Devices 788T or the Zaxcom Deva (of which there are a few flavors). For me it's all about audio quality and ease of use, and whereas the Nagra is a nice machine, and sounds nice, I have found it not as user friendly as the Deva. That's not to say it's a bad machine, as there are respected sound people out there that really like it. There is also the Cantar, which is probably going to be the most expensive and least user friendly machine out there. I personally am not a fan of its user interface and the extremely steep learning curve. I'm one of those guys that like to pick up a machine and just start using it. The Cantar is pretty much the only machine out of all of these I can't do that with. I have found that the Deva is the most flexible in terms of what it can do and how well it can do it. In the end, they all turn in audio files, so that won't be a concern. Really, the thing to do is go into a shop that has these machines and test them all out. Get some good hands on time with them. Like I said, we all have our preferences, and whereas I don't care for the Cantar, there are people out there that love it. If you are going to throw down some serious cash, you need to make sure you are very happy with your purchase. Another thing to consider is service and support. How good is the manufacturer at supporting their product. A company like Sound Devices is stellar, and for some people, that right there is the biggest selling point, and it should be. A reputable audio dealer will be able to give you all the info you need to make an informed decision.
 
davefisk said:
If we are talking field recorders, and money is no object, then it really is a subjective thing. We all have our preferences. If I need more than a few tracks, my go to recorders are the Sound Devices 788T or the Zaxcom Deva (of which there are a few flavors). For me it's all about audio quality and ease of use, and whereas the Nagra is a nice machine, and sounds nice, I have found it not as user friendly as the Deva. That's not to say it's a bad machine, as there are respected sound people out there that really like it. There is also the Cantar, which is probably going to be the most expensive and least user friendly machine out there. I personally am not a fan of its user interface and the extremely steep learning curve. I'm one of those guys that like to pick up a machine and just start using it. The Cantar is pretty much the only machine out of all of these I can't do that with. I have found that the Deva is the most flexible in terms of what it can do and how well it can do it. In the end, they all turn in audio files, so that won't be a concern. Really, the thing to do is go into a shop that has these machines and test them all out. Get some good hands on time with them. Like I said, we all have our preferences, and whereas I don't care for the Cantar, there are people out there that love it. If you are going to throw down some serious cash, you need to make sure you are very happy with your purchase. Another thing to consider is service and support. How good is the manufacturer at supporting their product. A company like Sound Devices is stellar, and for some people, that right there is the biggest selling point, and it should be. A reputable audio dealer will be able to give you all the info you need to make an informed decision.
Click to expand...

Agreed it's a subjective thing.

The Cantar is excellent but very French and takes getting used to.

The Nagra VI probably has the best sound quality of them all and is very ergonomic and easy to use (very user friendly).

The new AETA 4MinX is also very nice and pretty ergonomic - but they were still fine-tuning the menus when I played with it.

The SD 788T is an excellent machine - not quite as good in audio terms as the Nagra or AETA, but still excellent and it was designed as a small "over the shoulder" recorder for film and TV work and does that superbly. It gets a little cramped in places, but the optional control surfaces overcome that limitation at the expense of making it larger. It does run a bit hot, though, (they use the case as a heat sink) so it does need airflow around it when it's in a case (see the owners manual). (I record high quality concerts for CD, which is why I went for the Nagra).

Deva is the odd one in my opinion - their ergonomics and digital design are excellent but, from what I have seen, let down a bit on the analogue side. If they got a top-notch analogue engineer on board, then I would probably change my opinion of Deva; at the moment it's not one I would go for.
 
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