Topic: portable recorder for "field recordings"

[phonophobie]

Hi !

i am searching for a nice portable recorder (md/whatever) to record mostly sounds from nature.
i hope there are some people here, who do same things like me...

I don´t have that much money these days - so i was looking at the more budget ones, and heard about the hi-md´s ... i guess these are not the best when i comes to good microphon preamps etc.. but i like the fact that hi-md can record in uncompressed pcm format. However i don´t know much about them, so any comments and recommendations would be very welcome!

If there is a alternative to (hi)-md recorders please let me know! But, remember i don´t have the money for the BIG ones.

btw.: i currently use OKM2 Microphones, which are a bit noisy but they are ok for the price. Maybe i pick up better ones later..

and i just found a site where they sell portable preamps:
http://www.microphonemadness.com/categories/preamplifiers_stereo.html

what do you think about those?


hope you can help a little. afterall i am not That experienced...
cheers 

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

Go with a Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox 3 (if you can find one).

Terry

[phonophobie]

thanx!
it does not have a mic-input right?
otherwise it looks not bad, but how do you use it with mic´s ?

[F.O.Bean]

it has mic in and line in in the same jack, also, the optical in is there too, its def a versatile input

BUT, id run line in and get some line transformers which would get you sufficient gain and make up for running line in instead of mic in

[phonophobie]

ah  ok i will have closer look at this jb3 thing. Thanks for suggestions !!!

btw: i´m glad i found this nice forum here 

[phonophobie]

okaaaaaaaaaaaaay ! i did a little search on this forum here and noticed that everybody like the jb3. Well i am completly new to this units, since the only recorder i ever had was a simple sony md .... hope you have the nerve to answer some more questions 

-are there any disadvantages about the jb3 ?
-is this the only recorder that can record *wav files ? or is it just the best for the price ?
-when was that thing released - it´s hard to find it in stores - is it a older one ?
-any good reviews outhere?
-is there anything i should check out before buying a jb3 ? maybe firmware of older ones ? anything that i should check, when buying it second hand maybe ...
-are you using it mostly with a preamp ( i would like to record silent things too )

hmm... guess thats enough for now

[Zaphod]

Have you browsed the NJB3 FAQs yet?

http://www.taperssection.com/yabbse/index.php?board=14;action=display;threadid=16338

It is the only unit that currently records to .wav that is reliable. And yes it has been discontinued so you have to try and find a refurb off of eBay.

[phonophobie]

great! thanks a lot !

i guess i will go for a JB 

[dklein]

you will need a pre for the jb3.  The mic input setting is unusable because it severely rolls off the high frequencies.

[InfiniteOhms]

i'd definately recomend having a preamp for the jb3 ... but line transformers might do a good job, i dont have any experaince with them. But if you can afford it, get a preamp.

[phonophobie]

just received my jb3

so i am just looking for some infos about it here.

btw.: is it normal that some audiotracks are on the hd when it´s new?

[johnw]

Yes it comes pre-installed that way.

[phonophobie]

ok. thanks. i just wanted to get sure that this is a new / unused unit...

well .. i have the jb just for a couple of hours now, but i think i need a preamp, since i have to boost levels +48 always!
i connected 2 mics on "Line IN" of jb3, and recorded some sounds.

first thing i noticed when boosting in-levels was a high noisefloor.
a highpitched sound and humming stuff...

i also did firmware update and installed this new software called " nomad explorer "
i transfered those recordings from jb to pc via usb and opened it in sound forge ( audio editor )

afterall those recordings are useless 

i hope i get better results with a micpre or something? i am no expert about these stuff, so any help would be very welcome...
i guess i could also use a micpre with build in A/D converters and use optical in on jb3, for even better results- right?

are there any tips for doing better recordings sofar?

thanks!

[F.O.Bean]

for the best results, hands down, get a pre/ad all in one box if possible, you really need that digital in, it does wonders

[phonophobie]

ok. Is there a small one for less then 200€ ? otherwise i have to sell the jb3, i think