Hello everyone! Newbie here. I'm Adriano ("Hi, Adriano!") and I drink... haha, OK, seriously, I'm a musician, amateur sound engineer (I've produced a self-produced album and a few demos, so not exactly Alan Parsons material), I'm an electrical engineering student and yadda yadda yadda... So!
Let me start by saying that this request is not for multitrack recording with external microphones, as I'm currently rehearsing in temporary arrangements, so there isn't much time or reason to adopt proper recording equipment just for sketches. I need convenience at the moment, so I'm only considering all-in-one solutions. I'd also like it to use to record band performances in live clubs though, either through the soundboard or through the internal mikes (or both, ideally).
I've narrowed it down to:
- Zoom H2n (before you start yelling at me, read on
)
- Tascam DR-05
- Sony PCM-M10
I'm considering these three recorders as my priority is to record rehearsals so I need wide pickup patterns (directional stereo - be it XY, ORTF or AB - won't cut it, when the band's arranged in a semicircle or a circle, as it's often the case in cramped, crowded rooms).
The first recorder features five microphones, two in an XY pattern and three in an MS configuration. It allows for full surround recording (onto four separate tracks or mixed down into 2-channel stereo) so it seems well suited to my needs. Furthermore, is flexible as it can also be used as a conventional "double cardioid" stereo mike or also exploiting its MS capabilities, which is interesting indeed. I'm also aware, though, of its technical shortcomings (actually, its big brother's shortcomings - the H4n - which I suppose are passed on to its lesser varieties), supposedly heavy distortion and aliasing due to bad design issues.
I'd prefer something better quality of course, so that's why I considered the Sony PCM-M10. It has two omnis for mikes, slightly spaced, so they should be able to capture a band although with little stereo separation. I'm doubtful though about the clarity of such a recording, as I'm afraid it would pickup too much of the room (on the H2n you could point the MS set to the drums and the XY pair between the guitar amps, and mix the microphones for the best result). If it works though I may well consider it, as the Sony recorder is much better quality than the Zoom one, reportedly. Unfortunately, there aren't many samples of band recordings done with the M10, so I don't know. As I need convenience and relative clarity over sheer quality, I'm willing to compromise, as bad as the Zoom recorder is, because in the end, a functional pickup configuration is much more significant than distortion figures and aliasing when you need recordings for reference and to save those one-off jams and improvs you forget the moment they end. Of course, if the Sony recorder is well capable of producing clear, usable recordings, I'd be willing to invest in one of these.
As a third, cheap choice there's the Tascam, which is specifically aimed at band recordings, features two omni microphones but I think it cannot record from external sources (but I'm not sure about this). If it does decent recordings though I may well consider it as it's always good to save a few bucks
A much more pressing issue is: do these recorders withstand high SPL well? 120dB is a lot, but I don't really know what kind of volumes a loud rock band rehearsal involve.
PS: I've already read previous threads on the subject, but I feel they weren't really relevant for my needs, as they focused more on live recordings while my primary need is rehearsal duties. Oh, BTW, if someone has soundclips made with the Sony M10 of rehearsals even better.
Topic: portable recorder for rehearsal duties (Read 2656 times)