tommyzero Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Ok. Be gentle with me. I'm new and I'm clueless. I need some advice please. I have to buy a device (budget max £200) for a project for work. It is to record spoken word performances and to interview participants in a project so the clips can be added to a dvd/film (edited on a mac) later. Some of the clips might be required to be added to a website. I've inherited a microphone which has been sitting gathering dust somewhere. It cost around £100 is about three years old and could be dug out if it helps save my budget. Now. I'm play guitar and an artist and I've long thought about getting something to play around with myself. So there is every chance I will purchase this device myself and 'lend' it to work when it is required. I would like to use it to record studio sessions with my loud/heavy band and I would like to make field recordings with it to work on electronic projects (ambient stuff). I've no experience but I would like to play. So. We aren't talking broadcast quality here but equally I don't want something I will outgrow once I learn a bit more. Mac compatible. Cheap as possible. I've had the Zoom H4 and H2 recommended to me. Suggestions gratefully received. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Beesley Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 I have used the Zoom H4 on many occasions and its a superb product - the built in X/Y Stereo mics are well balanced, menu's fairly simple and the additional inputs make the unit very versatile. IMO the H4 is worth the extra money over the H2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh 2 Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 I too would suggest the Zoom H4. It has things like microphone emulation, 4 track mixing, compression and limiter settings and the latest version software (might need to download it separately) adds mp3 encoding to the unit. I often plug it into the line-outs of my mixing desk and get very good recordings of our live band, although, as Chris say's, the built in mics are non to shabby for the size of unit. Good luck,Josh E: Spelling /E: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mervaka Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 +1 for the H4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPAman Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 I too like the H4, however IIRC you have to do some messing around to a mac to recognise it properly. It can be done, but don't ask me how! Oh, and why is it supplied with a mount for a camera tripod, rather than a mic stand? :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackerr Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Not to belabor the point, but I too suggest the H4. I have done SFX location recording with it using a Sennheiser MKH60 with the mic phantom powered by the H4. The sound quality is good, it is easy to use, and I had no problem loading the files into Audacity on my Mac, or Peak on the show Mac. Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mervaka Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I too like the H4, however IIRC you have to do some messing around to a mac to recognise it properly. It can be done, but don't ask me how! Oh, and why is it supplied with a mount for a camera tripod, rather than a mic stand? :huh:my guess would be because it has a flat surface to lock against. my dB meter also has a camera mount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidLee Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Has anyone had any experience of the Marantz PMD620 recorder? In addition to recording for theatre productions, I have a need to record signals from an unattended bat detector (for subsequent analysis and species ID) and the PMD620 voice-activated "Silent Skip" feature looks like it could be very handy. Cheers David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyzero Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 Thanks very much everyone... would anybody recommend anything cheaper? Or is the quality seriously compromised once the rpice comes down? Anything under £100? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mervaka Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 pretty much. the H4 is the cheapest "great" bang for buck in my opinion. it should last you a fair few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPAman Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 ............ you have to do some messing around to a mac to recognise it properly. It can be done, but don't ask me how!Details at the bottom of this page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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