Is there an audio recorder with four XLR inputs that works for ENG situations? I mean, instead of recording into the camera feeds (which are only 2 with my camera), is there a portable recording devise for 4 mic lines available?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?shs=edirol+r4&ci=0&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=RootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t

I am sure there are others.

Is there an audio recorder with four XLR inputs that works for ENG situations? I mean, instead of recording into the camera feeds (which are only 2 with my camera), is there a portable recording devise for 4 mic lines available?

Hi Lloyd,

If you're flush with money, here's what the big boys use:

http://www.sounddevices.com/products/744t.htm

Happy hunting, Michael

I might mention, while the 744 Michael referred to records 4 channels, it only has 2 mic level inputs. The other 2 are line level only. The solution for more mics is to add an outboard mixer, even a basic one like the MixPre, to take the other 2 mics and feed them to the recorder's inputs 3 & 4. An even more sophisticated arrangement is to use a SD 442 mixer in front of the 744 recorder. The mics feed to the mixer channels 1 thru 4. On that mixer each channel has a line level direct out that can go to the 4 recorder inputs, while the main stereo mix can be sent to the camera's audio inputs if desired. In fact, that mixer can feed the main stereo mix independently to 3 different cameras at once plus send each input channel to a 4 channel iso recorder as well if you really needed to do something that complicated.

You could also consider the Fostex PD606
http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/pro_products/pd606.shtml

You could also consider the Fostex PD606
http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/pro_products/pd606.shtml

How much is THAT thing? I couldn't find it on B&H, but it looks like it could control the space shuttle!

Hi Lloyd,

If you're flush with money, here's what the big boys use:

http://www.sounddevices.com/products/744t.htm

Happy hunting, Michael

I guess I'm not that big! I'm looking for something about a quarter the price OR LESS. $800 range?

How much is THAT thing? I couldn't find it on B&H, but it looks like it could control the space shuttle!

I found it here:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/284153-REG/Fostex_PD_6_PD_6_Portable_DVD_RAM.html

This looks like the best option for your needs. Portabrace makes a nice case for it, so you can get two and sling one over each shoulder, keeping you in balance.

I found it here:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/284153-REG/Fostex_PD_6_PD_6_Portable_DVD_RAM.html

This looks like the best option for your needs. Portabrace makes a nice case for it, so you get get two and sling one over each shoulder, keeping you in balance.

Yeah! Especially with my wallet having no weight whatsoever, I would need the added stability!

I believe the new-soon-to-be-released Edirol R44 is going to be a hot ticket for videographers who, maybe on a smaller budget, but yet want the flexibility of a small/battery powered 4 channel recorder. The R44 incorporates many of the features of its big brother (the R4 Pro) at a very affordable price.... A simple sync cable and you can slave one to the other and have 8 channels.