Jump to content

What Type Of External Audio Recorder Are You Using ? (POLL)


BTM_Pix
 Share

What Type Of External Audio Recorder Are You Using?  

41 members have voted

  1. 1. What Type Of External Audio Recorder Are You Using?

    • Zoom H2n
      2
    • Zoom H4n/Pro
      7
    • Zoom H5
      5
    • Zoom H6
      4
    • Zoom F4/F8 (would require a more substantial hack so no promises)
      3
    • Sound Devices MixPre-3/6
      3
    • Roland R88
      0
    • Other (please specify)
      21


Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, NX1user said:

Another Tascam DR60d Mk II user here.

I'm a Tascam DR60D MK I user.  Seems the DR60D is the most popular series here.

It's funny in another thread awhile ago a sound snob told me flat out I wasn't serious about audio because I used a DR60D!  I guess he wanted me to pair a $2,000 recorder with my $500 camera!

I've listened to reviews for a bunch of sound records from cheap to painfully expensive and you really have to spend a chunk of change to get a noticeable difference above the DR60D.  That money is better spent on microphones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
4 hours ago, Damphousse said:

I'm a Tascam DR60D MK I user.  Seems the DR60D is the most popular series here.

It's funny in another thread awhile ago a sound snob told me flat out I wasn't serious about audio because I used a DR60D!  I guess he wanted me to pair a $2,000 recorder with my $500 camera!

I've listened to reviews for a bunch of sound records from cheap to painfully expensive and you really have to spend a chunk of change to get a noticeable difference above the DR60D.  That money is better spent on microphones.

I hope I wasn't that sound snob, but from all the Tascam's mentioned here, the 60 mk I is the worst of them all. Build quality, digital steps for input, battery consumption and issues if loosing power. The only Tascam from that series I used only once and never again, and the 70 costs 35 euros more, not 2000euros. Even the DR40 was more useful on a 20 years career. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/25/2018 at 1:44 PM, Lux Shots said:

I use a Tascam DR-60D. I also run an Audio Technica AT-875R into it most times, but I also have an Audio Technica AT-2020 that I use every now and then.

It's a great, cheap, four channel recorder. Only downside is the horrid battery life. I have zip tied a 10,000 mAh USB power bank to the thing just to have reliable power!


Don't worry, even expensive professional recorders run on external power. 

And with a cheap powerbank the Tascam DR60Dmk2 runs all day long! 

 

On 4/26/2018 at 1:54 AM, BTM_Pix said:

The Zoom F4/8 per chance?


Or even better the Zoom F8n?!

On 4/26/2018 at 11:50 AM, docmoore said:

With trepidation I admit to using a SD 633 ... new to me and I have struggled all day to sync TC in Resolve ... success after a number of hours.

 


Were you using Tentacle Syncs?
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Kisaha said:

battery consumption and issues if loosing power.


Use a cheap external powerbank + update the firmware, then zero issues with the Tascam DR60Dmk1 and it runs for waaaay past all day! :-) 

http://ironfilm.co.nz/firmware-update-for-tascam-dr-60d-mk1-fixes-recording-interruptions-when-running-on-external-usb-power-packs/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, IronFilm said:


Don't worry, even expensive professional recorders run on external power. 

And with a cheap powerbank the Tascam DR60Dmk2 runs all day long! 

 


Or even better the Zoom F8n?!


Were you using Tentacle Syncs?
 

Actually an Ambient nanoLockit ... seems the TC generator in the SD633 is from Ambient.

I discovered in time that the syncing was perfect but something in my timeline edit was throwing things off. So I ended up opening a new project and things worked as expected ... media and edit modules had good sync. Assume that somewhere in the previous project the FPS was other than 23.976.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Kisaha said:

I hope I wasn't that sound snob, but from all the Tascam's mentioned here, the 60 mk I is the worst of them all. Build quality, digital steps for input, battery consumption and issues if loosing power. The only Tascam from that series I used only once and never again, and the 70 costs 35 euros more, not 2000euros. Even the DR40 was more useful on a 20 years career. 

I have no idea.  I don't take that kind of thing personally.  I was just shocked because I did quite a bit of research including listening to A/B comparisons before I purchased.  It wasn't a snap decision.

As far as the mark I is concerned build quality is irrelevant.  I was being denigrated based on sound.  And I am not a pro.  I have never managed to break any of my audio or visual equipment.  Neither have I ever made a claim that my consumer stuff is designed to stand up to the same abuse as all metal pro gear.

Battery is irrelevant.  I have never used the MK I with an internal battery.  I run my BMPCC and my MK I off the same consumer grade Anker battery.   I put the battery in a pocket and run long cables to the camera and recorder.  No need for even a cage.  I do have a cage though just to protect the BMPCC ports.

Digital steps?  Not an issue.  I'm not a pro.  I'm a one man band.  I don't sit there and constantly ride the gain during a take.  I set it and have a back up track.  I also mostly record human voice with a bit of ambient noise from time to time.  As all the reviews state the digital step isn't a problem with human voice unless they are singing and your ride it hard.

And price?  Well you are working with no information.  You have no idea how much I paid for the DR 60D MK I.  It was HALF the current going price of the DR-70D my friend.  No idea where you got that 35 Euros number.  I haven't bought anything in Euros in years.

And anyway it doesn't matter what you think about Tascam.  I trust my own ears and the majority of the people replying in this thread.

I mean I understand the idea of pro gear.  But I also understand the idea of diminishing returns.  I understand that all metal, geared, clickless aperture, similar sized cinema lenses are going to cost way more than consumer lenses even if they aren't noticeably sharper.  I don't think cinema lenses are over priced but I also don't think consumer lenses like Canon's sub $100 nifty fifty are unusable trash.

There are different tools for different jobs but let's not get hyperbolic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lots of Zoom H1s (for reference and ambient sound to dialogues via lapel mics, it's super cheap and quite tiny), Zoom H5 (mostly for the shotgun mic) on small budget shorts. On large budget features I guess lots of different brands (the sound guys have their own brands, though sound devices seem very popular). 

I would love to use the Tascam DR 10L and DR10X (I wish it had a long L shaped mic that could be used with it for booming) kind of recorders. Maybe I pick up those or the Zoom F1. 

I love the Instamic concept. I wish they could bring the mic quality up to the level of the HTC10 and LG V30, and also have a lapel mic in option along with auto sync. It's superb in terms of size and the concept is genuinely progressive. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, IronFilm said:

Huh?! I wouldn't put the DR10X at the mic end of the boom!

Hahaha. Let me Clarify. I meant I wish there was a Mic that was super long and L-shaped ( like a metre long witj a bendable section, eliminating the need for an additional for an additional boom pole). And I wish such a mic could be used with DR10X for recording sound. Right now it can't power mics so shotguns are out of the question (except perhaps mics like the NTG2 and other mics which have internal  battery). I am guessing the signal to noise ratio must be also low. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Huh? Sorry, I'm still not following you at all, this doesn't make any sense.

You want a meter long mic which can bend?!?! And somehow this this eliminates the need for a boom pole? Nope, this is make zilch sense whatsoever. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, IronFilm said:

Huh? Sorry, I'm still not following you at all, this doesn't make any sense.

You want a meter long mic which can bend?!?! And somehow this this eliminates the need for a boom pole? Nope, this is make zilch sense whatsoever. 

Cause with a boom pole you STILL have to attach he mic to wires, to the recorder. Which means you are carrying a bag with the recorder. Which is superb for reviewing the quality of the recording at real time (via headphones), but the setup could be smaller and more portable. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, IronFilm said:

Would you ever shoot with a camera that doesn't have a monitor? (or even any way to monitor it)

or anyone to operate it?! Haha!

It always amazes me how people underestimate sound. In 20 years of working experience and a degree in sound engineering (plus others in filmaking) I still can't tame sound as I want.

Anyway, there are such mics, with long active cables and capsules on their end, and goose-neck type (but not strictly for podiums or just speech). DPA has a bunch of everything, Scoeps and even Rode has a few. But I guess, the DPA ones cost 1.3-2K of money, and I know most people wouldn't pay more than 200€ gor anything sound related! Proven again and again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • EOSHD Pro Color 5 for All Sony cameras
    EOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
    EOSHD Dynamic Range Enhancer for H.264/H.265
×
×
  • Create New...