Topic: Field recorder questions

[Mindwarper]

I'm looking for a sub 600$ field recorder. The three that I am looking at are the sony d50, the olympus ls10 , and the tascam dr1. They all seem to be 24/96 and have drag and drop file transfer.  It will be used to record acoustic and electric band practices and a few live shows. Does anyone know which has the best mics and pres? Any real life experience? The sony is the most expensive, is it worth the cost increase?

[sunjan]

I'm looking for a sub 600$ field recorder. The three that I am looking at are the sony d50, the olympus ls10 , and the tascam dr1. They all seem to be 24/96 and have drag and drop file transfer.  It will be used to record acoustic and electric band practices and a few live shows. Does anyone know which has the best mics and pres? Any real life experience? The sony is the most expensive, is it worth the cost increase?

DR-1 doesn't do 96kHz, if that ever matters for you.
Specs here:
http://www.wingfieldaudio.com/compare-portable-recorders.html

Main question: Will you ever be be using externals? Maybe doing the live shows?
Then you shouldn't rule out R09-HR. Best overall stealth recorder within your price range.
Or if stealth doesn't matter, get an FR2-LE, best open recorder within your price range.

If you are going for internals only, the D50 has the best reputation here, with Zoom H2 as a good second. I don't think the DR-1 or LS-10 can compete here, esp the DR-1 internals have considerable self-noise.

More threads on the same topic:
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,109858.15.html
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,110012.0.html

[brownm84]

Generally for live music a set of external mics works best.  I have R-09HR which I like, it has a pretty good internal preamp for the mic in.  When I was looking at different decks I remember the DR-1 having movable internal mics which I thought was a novel concept.  If you have $600 to spend I would look at getting one of the less expensive decks, compare their internal preamps and get a good set of mics (and maybe a battery box depending on the mics). Here are some threads from here that may help:
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,108082.msg1442850.html#msg1442850
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,99537.0.html
Here are some shows form Archive using the internal mics of the decks you are interested in:
LS-10: http://www.archive.org/details/lmb2008-06-24.flac16
D50: http://www.archive.org/details/ssun2008-08-28.aud.pcm-d50.flac24
Remember that different venues, location in venues, and any number of other things can affect your recording but these should at least let you hear some examples with your own ears.  Godd luck and welcome!

[flintstone]

Be sure to filter people's opinions by their gear list.

Somebody may say "I love my XXX recorder," which
is cool, but then you see that they are using it as a
back end to a $1500 preamp and $3000 worth of mics.

Do you have to keep the recorder small, or are you
willing to consider a full size recorder?  For $600,
(or $450 occasionally  on eBay) you can buy the
Fostex FR-2LE, which is miles better than any pocket
size recorder.  Of course, you'll need external mics,
cables, mic stands, duct tape, and a big bag to carry
it all in.

let's assume you're trying to stay pocket-size.
Will you be stealth recording, or taping in the open?
Will you use the built-in mics or externals?
Are you taping just for your personal interest, or do the
artists expect your recordings to be the basis for demo tapes
or commercial CDs?

Flintstone

[rastasean]

Once you get started in this and find out how fun audio recording can be, you will soon surpass your limit but that does not mean you have to make foolish purchases. Go to archive.org and listen to the live music archive to hear what you like. some people can't tell the difference between a $10 radio shack mic and a $30 tape recorder playing a double speed so if thats you, then you won't need to spend more than $40. When you are ready to buy some gear---only after several hours of music and audio samples and after reading reviews--then look for it used. I have bought many things from the yard sale and all have been in mint condition. Right now there a Sony D50 in yard sale for $425 and the guy originally paid $525 so thats some savings passed right on to you.

[MSTaper]

I can vouch for both the FR-2LE and the R-09. I'm taping with the FR2LE right now. I've gotten some good pulls with the R-09,too. It just depends on how much you want to spend. MSTaper

[Mindwarper]

Most of my taping is open. I know the bands I tape for. Occasionally boot a show for personal use only. Mostly this is for my own band practices. We do acoustic and electric. I would prefer built in mics. I have a minidisc with an external mic and want to simplify. I also hate the real time transfer and 32k of minidisc.

So small size, built in mic, good quality. Its looking like the sony d50 might be the best choice for me. I'm not hearing the love for the tascam. Anyone know anything about the ls10 pres or mics? I'm down to two but am leaning to the sony d50.

Thanks for all your input.

[John Willett]

I can vouch for both the FR-2LE and the R-09. I'm taping with the FR2LE right now. I've gotten some good pulls with the R-09,too. It just depends on how much you want to spend.

I would agree with this.

The FR-2LE is a great inexpensive "serious" machine.

The R-9HR is one of the better pocket machines - I had this on my short list for a pocket machine along with the Olympus LS-10 and Sony PCM-D50.  I eventually bought the Olympus (but I have the original Fostex FR-2 and my new Nagra VI as my serious recorders - the Olympus is my "carry everywhere" recorder.).

[Mindwarper]

The fr-2le is too big for my needs. My friend has one and it is great, but two big.  So it is now down to the sony d50 (499$)or the olympus ls 10 (399$). Is the sony 100$ better? I like the limiter idea on the sony.  Any more advice or thoughts?

[Belexes]

The fr-2le is too big for my needs. My friend has one and it is great, but two big.  So it is now down to the sony d50 (499$)or the olympus ls 10 (399$). Is the sony 100$ better? I like the limiter idea on the sony.  Any more advice or thoughts?

See:http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,110524.0.html

If the sale is still on, grab the D-50. I have it and fluff it quite a bit.

[Mindwarper]

I'll try to order tonight. Thanks for the heads up.

[Mindwarper]

$449.00
  10% OFF 10% OFF 1 (10.00)% ($44.90)
Tax $33.34
Total $437.44

Thanks for the info on the deal. Its a good price and hopefully, a good unit.

Thanks everyone.
 
 
 
 
 
 

[Carlos E. Martinez]

Sorry to use your topic for a minute.


With the Sony's discount, the D50 is now very close to the R-09HR. The Sony has an optical output, even if the USB is more useful. The Sony's limiters seem to be in digital domain (is that so?), which is not where they should be.

So how do they compare sonically?