Fostex FR2LE vs Canon XHA1 audio?

A

aursondigital

Member
Hi all,

Here my questions:

1) XHA1 + Rode NTG3 (or Senheiser lavs) record better (or similar) quality audio than same mics pluged to Fostex FR2LE field recorder?

2) I read pretty much about these field recorders (I'd need one of them mainly for short movies): Edirol R44, Fostex FR2LE, Tascam DR680 and Tascam HD-P2. Which one do you recommend and why?

3) I'm also looking at Zoom H4 but maybe I'd get less quality? Any thumb up for this one and why?
​


Thanks in advance!
 
Zoom H2 at $145 or less is four mics plus a flash recorder in one small box, with 24 bit audio. I don't know of any cams that record 24 bit internally, but there may be some. A small difference, but I always prefer any kind of external sound because I can push it in post.
 
Thanks for your answer, but I'd prefer XLR inputs. That's the reason for looking at Zoom H4.

I have the oportunity to get a good deal for Fostex FR2LE... but I'd like to know your opinions first. Any idea about pros and cons between Zoom H4 and Fostex FR2LE ?
 
If it's the H4n vs. the FR2-LE, it's a no-brainer. Get the FR2-LE. The pre-amps are much better, the form factor is much better, and the feature set is much better.

That said, you have a camera that has XLR inputs and decent audio recording. You may be better off adding a small mixer in front, like the Sound Devices MixPre-D or 302, instead of adding an external recorder.
 
aursondigital said:
Hi all,

Here my questions:

1) XHA1 + Rode NTG3 (or Senheiser lavs) record better (or similar) quality audio than same mics pluged to Fostex FR2LE field recorder?

2) I read pretty much about these field recorders (I'd need one of them mainly for short movies): Edirol R44, Fostex FR2LE, Tascam DR680 and Tascam HD-P2. Which one do you recommend and why?

3) I'm also looking at Zoom H4 but maybe I'd get less quality? Any thumb up for this one and why?
​


Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

I think I would go for the Tascam DR680 over the Edirol R-44 nowadays.

The Fostex FR-2LE is a good stereo machine and I liked it very much when I reviewed it.

The Tascam HD-P2 is the only one on your list with timecode - though can still get the Fostex FR-2 with the timecode board (NB: this is not the LE version) and I think I would go for the FR-2 with TC over the HD-P2.

I had the original FR-2 for several years before I upgraded to the Nagra VI and it was a very nice machine - I mastered several commercial CDs on it.

Or - save up a bit more and get the Sound Devices 702T - this will probably be cheaper in the long run as it is a well built pro machine and will last longer and you won't want to upgrade so quickly..

I hope this helps.

Oh, and thumbs down for the Zoom if you are doing serious recording. It's a good little semi-pro machine though, but not the same standard as your list.
 
I'm probably going to sell XHA1 because I'm using Panny GH1 much more. TC is nice but I can live without it.

My intention is to use the field recorder mainly for serious short movies but not for paid works at the moment. So, I need something (reasonable) good but not necessarily the best one. So, the list reduces to Tascam and Fostex... apart from 4 XLR vs 2 XLR... in audio quality terms, the difference is noticeable?

I also read that plugging mics directly to field recorders is not the best choice because "pre-amps are not optimized for them"? Is that correct? How does it affects to Fostex and Tascam units?

Sorry, if I say something wrong, I'm not an audio expert.
 
Alex H. said:
That said, you have a camera that has XLR inputs and decent audio recording. You may be better off adding a small mixer in front, like the Sound Devices MixPre-D or 302, instead of adding an external recorder.
Click to expand...

I agree. I tested XH-A1 with SD302 in front, got over 92 dB dynamic range from the camera. No cheap pocket recorder is going to give better quality. Besides you loose sync and phantom power.

People are fooling themselves thinking that a cheap pocket recorder really has 24 bit dynamic range. The file is 24 bits, but in real life the dynamic range is only about 16 bits. This is due to bad mic preamps and bad AD converter, which produce 8 bits worth of noise at the bottom of the nominally 24 bit file.
 
So, from your words, XHA1+SD302 gives more audio quality than FR2LE or dr680?

The problem I have is I'm not using XHA1, I'm taking GH1 most of time... so, I'm just trying to find some good (not the best) audio quality, similar to xha1 audio or (if possible) better quality to use with the GH1.

I listened some recordings with FR2LE and they sound pretty good to my ears. Additionally, there's a lot of people saying FR2LE produces good (not the best) sound and most of them seem to be happy with the unit.

At this moment I'm pretty, pretty confused. Any (affordable) recommendation?
 
I don't understand your logic. You say you are not taking the XH-A1 with you, which already has acceptable audio recording. But you are looking for an audio recorder to replace the XH-A1, which will roughly be the same footprint, which you will need to take with you? Why not just use your XH-A1 to record audio for now? When you reach the point in your career when you need a higher level of quality/control/monitoring, then purchase gear that will be a step up, rather than a side step.
 
David... thanks for your comments, I really appreciate them.

But the point is easy for me...

IMHO XHA1 is a great camera but...

(1) I rarely use it,
(2) if I wait for more time, I will get less for it,
(3) I'm not looking necessarily for a step up, just a way to record similar audio as XHA1
(4) I don't like very much to use tapes (it is the past)
(5) GH1 can do the same job as XHA1... just taking much care (I know the pros and cons)
(6) At the moment, I'm not earning money with my recordings... just serious short movies and very good recordings of my trips

So, I understand all of you, and Sound Devices 702T would be on the top... but it's out my range.

So... FR2LE or TASCAM or whatever field recorder can do the same decent job? Or maybe a field recorder + (affordable) external preamps?

Look at this site: http://www.wingfieldaudio.com/portable-recorder-noise.html

I don't hear big differences between SD702 and Fostex... do you?
 
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