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Gear / Technical Help => Recording Gear => Topic started by: baysap on September 27, 2013, 10:25:59 AM

Title: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: baysap on September 27, 2013, 10:25:59 AM
Hi,

I have been reading a lot in the forums lately, but i still couldn't make a decision about the gear i should get.
I can afford a device up to $300 but would be happy to pay much less.

I will be recording mainly live session of Kirtan/bhajan music, we usually have around 2-3 guitar players, Djembe and a flute.

Most of the recordings will be indoor.

I thought about getting the M10 with the headphone mic, but i think that wearing them while singing will ruin the recordings.

The best solution for me will be a recorder with a good internal mic that i can place on the floor.

Would love to get your advice.

Thanks,
Ron.
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: Phil Zone on September 27, 2013, 12:20:57 PM
Sony PCM m10 is the best! I love it and its the best way to go in my opinion.
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: yltfan on September 27, 2013, 02:14:30 PM
Most folks on this board will encourage you to use external mics because they usually sound much better, and you get a lot more flexibility with your setup.

Along those lines, I would suggest a pair of Nakamichi CM300's with card and omni caps, and whichever recorder you can find for under $150: Edirol r05, Tascam dr2d (added bonus of 4 channels), or other Tascam. With the Nak's, you need to find these weird batteries, but they are around. And it's worth it to have external mics, and with your setup, the omni caps might be the way to go.

There's a pair Tascam mics (which are the same as the Nak's) here, but there is only one omni cap. You could probably find another somewhere easily. Heck, I might even sell you one if I can find it. http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=162584.msg2051610#msg2051610
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: F.O.Bean on September 27, 2013, 02:16:01 PM
Sony PCM m10 is the best! I love it and its the best way to go in my opinion.
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: baysap on September 27, 2013, 02:31:35 PM
Most folks on this board will encourage you to use external mics because they usually sound much better, and you get a lot more flexibility with your setup.

Along those lines, I would suggest a pair of Nakamichi CM300's with card and omni caps, and whichever recorder you can find for under $150: Edirol r05, Tascam dr2d (added bonus of 4 channels), or other Tascam. With the Nak's, you need to find these weird batteries, but they are around. And it's worth it to have external mics, and with your setup, the omni caps might be the way to go.

There's a pair Tascam mics (which are the same as the Nak's) here, but there is only one omni cap. You could probably find another somewhere easily. Heck, I might even sell you one if I can find it. http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=162584.msg2051610#msg2051610

Forgot to mention i will be travelling to India with the recording device. ::)
Do you think there is a way to avoid having the external mic, or maybe have one that is portable ?
I realize it will hurt the quality, but im willing to pay that price.

Thanks a lot for your help,
Ron.
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: yltfan on September 27, 2013, 02:44:04 PM
You can use one with internal mics for sure. There are lots of options there. I'm sure other folks will chime in, but I have no experience on that front.

Maybe the Tascam DR-40? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/821259-REG/Tascam_DR_40_DR_40_4_Track_Handheld_Digital.html
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: 2manyrocks on September 27, 2013, 08:42:16 PM
Sony pcm m10 and just use the internal mics.  If outdoors, you may want to either buy or make a windsock.  It has excellent battery life, is extremely portable and compact, and the internal omni mics are decent. 
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: F.O.Bean on September 27, 2013, 09:50:01 PM
Sony pcm m10 and just use the internal mics.  If outdoors, you may want to either buy or make a windsock.  It has excellent battery life, is extremely portable and compact, and the internal omni mics are decent. 

Good advice! And I second the windscreen for the Sony M10 ;) Look on Amazon and Ebay and B+H. They all have the windscreen/fur that is actually made exactly for the Sony M10 8)
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: chinariderstl on September 27, 2013, 11:29:25 PM
I'll jump on the PCM-M10 bandwagon, a great recorder.  :)
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: LikeASong on September 28, 2013, 01:02:08 AM
The TEAC VR10 or Tascam DR08 is the best recorder you can find for under $80, it has excellent internal mics too (there's a thread in this forum with abundant samples if you're interested). Only downside is that they're cheaply built, but if you take good care of them it won't be a problem anyway.

I also have to vouch for Zoom internal mics (I personally have extensively used Zoom Q3HD's and H4Ns) - although the devices themselves aren't at the top of the game, their internal mics are great and can stand and faithfully record basically anything you throw at them (including acoustic stuff, loud music, whatever).


Just throwing some cheap, non-PCM-M10 options out there ;D
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: earmonger on October 02, 2013, 11:22:51 AM
I am also in the PCM-M10 camp but have no experience with other recorders. Its internal mics are good and it has a screw mount if you want to just put it on a tripod in the middle of the group, or wherever the blend is best--its mics are omnis.

It does have little rubber feet but if you are going to put it on the floor, put it on something soft to dampen vibrations from the floor.

A very portable, good-sounding and pretty inexpensive pair of external mics is the Sound Professional BMC-2.  They are the size of pencil erasers and with the clips you can put them in all sorts of places--including your shirt collar, though if you are the one singing that would make you much louder than the rest of the group. (Same problem with the headphone mics.)

They are $59 by themselves, $69 with clips, and if they are going to be getting a lot of use it's worth it to get the 3-year warranty for another $6.

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-BMC-2

Ideally, though, if the music is going to be loud you should also get one of the little battery boxes with them, and that would add another $59. With the battery box you'd go mics--battery box--Line-in.

The quality of the mics and where they are placed is by far the most important factor in how the recording will sound. If you can experiment a little before the session gets started, you should try various options.

Oh, and djembe, not tablas or pakawaj????
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: baysap on October 02, 2013, 12:27:25 PM
Thanks,

i will go and order the sony m10.

About the mics, this 2 small mics are great, but i will have to put them on me.

Is there a small mic that can be attached to the m10 or with a small tripod ?

Thanks,
Ron.
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: yltfan on October 02, 2013, 02:27:13 PM
Just throwing some cheap, non-PCM-M10 options out there ;D

Yeah, I can appreciate the support for the m-10, but it seems like other options are getting squeezed out...
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: 2manyrocks on October 02, 2013, 06:22:51 PM
Thanks,

i will go and order the sony m10.

About the mics, this 2 small mics are great, but i will have to put them on me.

Is there a small mic that can be attached to the m10 or with a small tripod ?

Thanks,
Ron.

Although there are some direct plug in mics intended for use with dictation type recorders, I can't think of any small mics that just directly plug in that would be better than the M10's internal mics. 

The M10 has a standard 1/4 camera tripod screw mount on the back.  No problem to attach it to a camera tripod, and that should be better than putting it on the floor.

There are an infinite number of ways from that point to attach mics to a camera tripod-even coat hanger wire. 

Having spent probably $220 of your budget on the m10, that leaves $80 or so for mics?   Do you already have a tripod or would you have to buy that, too, within your budget?
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: baysap on October 03, 2013, 07:11:51 AM
Thanks,

i will go and order the sony m10.

About the mics, this 2 small mics are great, but i will have to put them on me.

Is there a small mic that can be attached to the m10 or with a small tripod ?

Thanks,
Ron.

Although there are some direct plug in mics intended for use with dictation type recorders, I can't think of any small mics that just directly plug in that would be better than the M10's internal mics. 

The M10 has a standard 1/4 camera tripod screw mount on the back.  No problem to attach it to a camera tripod, and that should be better than putting it on the floor.

There are an infinite number of ways from that point to attach mics to a camera tripod-even coat hanger wire. 

Having spent probably $220 of your budget on the m10, that leaves $80 or so for mics?   Do you already have a tripod or would you have to buy that, too, within your budget?

I do have a small gorilla tripod, im ok with spending another ~$100
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: willndmb on October 03, 2013, 09:28:03 AM
Thanks,

i will go and order the sony m10.

About the mics, this 2 small mics are great, but i will have to put them on me.

Is there a small mic that can be attached to the m10 or with a small tripod ?

Thanks,
Ron.

Although there are some direct plug in mics intended for use with dictation type recorders, I can't think of any small mics that just directly plug in that would be better than the M10's internal mics. 

The M10 has a standard 1/4 camera tripod screw mount on the back.  No problem to attach it to a camera tripod, and that should be better than putting it on the floor.

There are an infinite number of ways from that point to attach mics to a camera tripod-even coat hanger wire. 

Having spent probably $220 of your budget on the m10, that leaves $80 or so for mics?   Do you already have a tripod or would you have to buy that, too, within your budget?

I do have a small gorilla tripod, im ok with spending another ~$100
add some at853 or church mics
Able to go 150 and get mic with battery box
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: Brian E. on October 03, 2013, 04:05:25 PM
I'm looking for something smaller and more inconspicuous than my trusty Edirol R09-HR.  Is the M10 a lot smaller?  Black is better too.

Really all I need is a receptacle for 24 bit audio pumped from CA-14's and an external amp (CA-9100 or sound professionals 9V tiny amp).  Doesn't need to be fancy other than that it accepts SD cards and is reliable, and does 24 bit.
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: Ziggz on October 03, 2013, 05:50:45 PM
I would've said the M10 is smaller, but I just stacked it on top of my HR and they are the same. It looks smaller due to its sexy curves  :P
M10 is a tad thinner by around 5mm

HR

Width
    62 mm
    2-1/2 inches

Depth
    113 mm
    4-1/2 inches

Height
    27 mm
    1-1/16 inches

Weight
    174 g
    0 lbs. 7 oz.


M10
Dimension (W x H x D)    Approx. 62.0 x 114.0 x 21.8mm


Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: Brian E. on October 04, 2013, 12:14:19 AM
thanks ;)  How about Zooms?  They're pretty small right?
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: 2manyrocks on October 04, 2013, 04:36:39 AM
The Zoom h4n looks bigger than the M10 in the photo here:  http://www.wildmountainechoes.com/equipment/comparing-the-zoom-h4n-and-sony-pcm-m10/.

I've seen the other zoom model, and my recollection is that the m10 is the more compact overall. 

Honestly, I have difficulty thinking of any other 2 channel recorder that's as compact as the m10.
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: LikeASong on October 04, 2013, 11:23:22 AM
Honestly, I have difficulty thinking of any other 2 channel recorder that's as compact as the m10.
Roland R-05 comes to mind, smaller than the M10 and highly regarded as a great bang for the buck.
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: Chimney Top on October 04, 2013, 11:59:55 AM
I would consider a used Tascam DR-40 (under $150 which has decent internal mic's,XLR/TRS inputs and 4 channel recording)

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=tascam+dr100&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR10.TRC0.A0.Xtascam+dr-40&_nkw=tascam+dr-40&_sacat=0

Whatever money you have left use to purchase microphones or accessories.



edit) hell, you can buy a new one for $165 with free shipping.
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: Brian E. on October 08, 2013, 10:46:58 AM
Honestly, I have difficulty thinking of any other 2 channel recorder that's as compact as the m10.
Roland R-05 comes to mind, smaller than the M10 and highly regarded as a great bang for the buck.

if I already have the R09-HR the R05 wouldn't be much of a difference, right?
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: 2manyrocks on October 09, 2013, 11:22:55 AM
http://cms.rolandus.com/assets/media/pdf/r-series_brochure.pdf

They are so close that I can't see why you'd want to spend any more money. 
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: LikeASong on October 09, 2013, 02:29:26 PM
Honestly, I have difficulty thinking of any other 2 channel recorder that's as compact as the m10.
Roland R-05 comes to mind, smaller than the M10 and highly regarded as a great bang for the buck.

if I already have the R09-HR the R05 wouldn't be much of a difference, right?

2manyrcks already answered you, but yeah: they are pretty close. The 09 seems to accept a slightly hotter input (useful when having a soundboard input) and has a rubber body, but the 05 is lighter, smaller, overally better designed and has the tripod mounting socket. They're pretty similar. Then comes the price difference and the 05 gets the award for a mile, in my opinion.
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: Brian E. on October 09, 2013, 04:45:18 PM
thanks.  looks like i'll stick with my 09.  :)
Title: Re: I have a budget of $200~$300 - what recorder should I buy?
Post by: F.O.Bean on October 09, 2013, 11:14:44 PM
thanks.  looks like i'll stick with my 09.  :)

Smart move. IF/WHEN you need a new recorder, you can go from there ;)