Looking for discreet recorder to build sound library. iPod?

M

Marshallarts

Well-known member
I want to build a sound library of all the great sounds here in NYC. In addition I've wanted a small mp3 recorder to carry around when I have ideas.

Can I use an iPod to do this (via an iTrip)? Can I get a nice boom mic (suggestions?) with an XLR to Mini adapter/power source and capture to my iPod? I'm completely new to this but this is a project i've wanted to do for awhile. Any suggestions?
 
MP3 is a lousy format for effects recording, and iPods just aren't designed for pro recording.

Zoom H4 is very small, and will provide phantom power for external mics. They offer you plenty of bang for your buck, and stand out from other recorders in their price range.

The Tascam HD-P2 is great for effects recording, and I'm very pleased with my Fostex FR-2. Sound Devices' recorders are a bit more expensive, but are worth every penny.

The mic(s) are likely to be the weak link in your signal chain when you're just getting started. IMHO, the best all-round effects recording mic is the Sennheiser MKH416. There aren't too many things that you can't record with one of those. If you're recording particularly loud or dangerous effects, a good dynamic mic (eg. Electo Voice RE-20, Sennheiser MD-421. Shure SM-57) is a handy addition to your kit.

Don't forget that you'll eventually need a shock mount and wind protection for your mics.
 
I agree about the Zoom. I own one, and it does have a lot going for it. But it also is a functional 4 track, something I will never use, and something most here won't either. I wish they would have left that out, or made two versions, because while it is nice to have mic emulators, built in digital effects, for field work, it really isn't neccesary.

Also, the more I use it, the less keen I am about the input levels switch for you line inputs. It's nice to be able to bump up your input, but that sometimes leaves the recording sounding somewhat forced, or maybe that's just me.

It's still a great deal for the money, but had Zoom thought about it, they could have easily offered a more bare bones package for folks who only want a field recorder.

The line inputs selectors are low, medium, and high, and while this does help for a non hot signal, it's more like a global input boost, something that while helpful, shouldn't have been needed, had they just upped the level of the initial inputs as they do with the built in mics.

But it sure is damn handy.

You can't beat it for the price, but it does have some limitations, like no SMPTE or the no ability to record only in only mono. You can record with just one mic, but you will be recording to a stereo file, and with only one mic that's eating up twice the storage you need, since you will be recording to only the left or right channel. A mono recording option (especially since you can raise and lower the recording levels inside zoom and apart from the main level selectors) to two channels would have been perfect.

One nice thing is in a quiet environment, the thing has a very impressively low noise floor. Even when you take the line input switches to high, they still hover at less than -50 to -60 dB.

One unsung convenience is that it is a ASIO USB line input for anything recording app you want. That's very cool.
 
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I wish they had one of those promo-codes for the HD-P2... or maybe something Sound Devices sells!

Those are some incredible deals! I wish pro-level crap would drop in price like that... I know a lot of people that paid $400 for a microtrack... and now they're closing in on HALF that price? Amazing.
 
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