Topic: Field Recorders - which is best for low noise ext. microphones?/Preamp thoughts?

[MattP]

Hi everyone! I've been interested in audio recording (ambience and sound effects, mostly) since buying a Zoom H2 back in 2008 (I was 15 then! How time flies!), but I've recently decided that I want to get some better gear. The main use will be recording ambience and spot sound effects.

I've researched a lot of field recorders, and have come to the conclusion that I need to start using external mics as the H2 still seems to still have competitive internal mic performance vs other field recorders (good stereo, low noise, directional), so another recorder isn't really going to improve things (unless I've missed something!). However, the ext. mic input on the H2 is awfully noisy, which means that I can do one of the following:

1) Buy a different field recorder with a low noise mic-input, and also a phantom power supply.
2) Buy a preamp (with phantom power) and use it in tandem with the H2's line level input.


1):

If I wanted to go with buying another field recorder, two units that might fit my needs are the Sony PCM-M10 and the Tascam DR-07. The DR-07 would be cheaper, but its microphone input noise levels seem to be fairly impressive judging by the noise level recordings (condenser, mic in) here: http://www.wingfieldaudio.com/portable-recorder-noise.html

The problem is that it sounds really bass heavy, which is a bit annoying, and might be the cause of the low perceived noise levels (because the highs are quieter).

The Sony M10, on the other hand, seems to perform quite well, but I'd be interested in hearing what people think of its noise levels as to me they sound a tad higher than the DR-07, which is cheaper. Also, I'm wondering if Sony's going to release a successor sometime soon, as it's nearly 3 years old now? Still, I'd really appreciate any alternative suggestions, but price wise it really can't be much higher than the M10 if I went this route.


2):

Now this is where I'm lost. Instead of buying another recorder, I could instead just buy a decent mic preamp that supplies phantom power. It needs to be portable and capable of stereo, but have either lower noise than the aforementioned recorders, or be cheaper in price than the aforementioned recorders. Or both.  Does anyone have any recommendations? Stand alone preamps seem to be much more expensive, unless I'm missing something.




The microphones that I was thinking of using would be Rode NT1a's, as they're very low noise, but I've not done much research into that department yet so any alternative suggestions would be helpful. Many thanks.

Matt

[jlykos]

A budget would help.

About the noise floor, it really depends on what type of music you plan to record. If you are recording classical music or something in a controlled environment, then the microphone's self noise will be a larger issue than if you are recording rock concerts. If you plan to record bands in clubs and stadiums, then the noise floor is really not something about which you need to worry because the ambient noise (crowd, reverberations, music, etc.) will far surpass any level of self-noise coming from the microphones.

If you are happy with the H2, I would get a preamp, but if you want to change the recorder as well, the M10 is very well-regarded on this forum.

[MattP]

About £170 would be max for either a mixer or a field recorder. I'm leaning more towards a portable mixer though, because most field recorders don't have terribly good EIN performance. Any recommendations? I'm totally lost when it comes to preamps.

Funny thing is that for £25 I could get an IRigPre, which has an EIN of 113db, which is for the price pretty good.

I'm looking at this list, by the way, regarding field recorder noise: http://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm

I have an opportunity to by a Marantz 660 for less than £100. It has XLR inputs, but I'm getting conflicting reports about its noise performance. According to that list, the noise is very low, but according to multiple accounts on the web, people have been describing it as 'hissy'. I'm very confused. Any thoughts?

[F.O.Bean]

What about getting a Naiant TinyBox which will provide phantom power, and a Sony m10 I have no clue how much this setup would run you in euros tho

[MattP]

Ah, the TinyBox! That's what I've been looking at the past few days, and it certainly looks like it's the best amp for its price. I wouldn't need to purchase another recorder as my H2 has a line input that it could be used with.

It's a little bit expensive for me right now, but the noise floor on the low-noise model is pretty much as good as it gets (2db away from perfect). It's just the importing that I'm not too keen on, as duty costs might make it quite a bit more expensive. I'm honestly thinking that it's the cheapest option for its noise level right now.

[F.O.Bean]

I will say this. When I bought my schoeps two years ago, they came with a sonosax mic preamp, and it cost me $1,100. Def one of the best preamps out there for pro gear. Well, after running my schoeps into my littleBox with output transformers, I actually liked the sound BETTER with my littleBox vs. the sonosax preamp. I traded my old sonosax for a pair of MINTY mk21 subcards capsules, and have never looked back.

If I were you and you went with a TinyBox, spend the extra $$$ and get output transformers as well. You can get dual 1/8" outputs on the TB and you can run with or without output transformers for just a ill extra $$

[silentmark]

A Fostex FR2LE is a solid all in one, but I am biased 

[F.O.Bean]

A Fostex FR2LE is a solid all in one, but I am biased 

That's also a SOLID route as well. I just heard a smokin recording from spyder9 using 483>fr2le and was very happy with those results!