Hi there,

I am writing an article for a paper and will need a digital voice recorder. I did have a mini disc but that broke so I was wondering if anybody knows the best option. I work on a mac and would like something that is not too big and has got a decent range. In other words I would like to be able to leave it on a desk and record the guy rather than have to stick it other his face.
I do have a at897 mike but someone told me you can get ones with a mic built in.

Any advice of info would be appreciated
regards

I've found the Zoom H2 ZOOM (http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h2/ZOOM) which I bought as a simple solution for recording sermons at church has exceeded expectations and is certainly worth considering. I think it was £138.

thanks for that Colm

May go with an ipod and a mic. Anyone ever used these?

Thanks

Well, you could stick a USB or other mic directly into your Mac (if it's a MacBook, that is, otherwise it probably isn't as portable as you'd like.)

The built-in mic on the MacBook Pro is good enough for capturing voice if you're interested in the content and don't intend to use the recording itself for much other than just an intelligible capture.

That's gonna depend entirely on which generation your iPod is. Apple has been shipping them with 'memo' disabled for a long time. I have a gen5 video iPod and the 'memo' function doesn't work. If you'd like to use your iPod, you might want to check this out:

Alesis ProTrack (http://www.alesis.com/protrack)

Dunno about the quality of sound but you get a lot of features and you can record to your iPod (can't beat the storage capacity!).

Personally, I have a Zoom H4 and I have no complaints.

The Zoom H4 and M-Audio Microtrack II are the least expensive recorders for using your own mics. Both have phantom power. The H4 has XLRs and built-in mics. The Microtrack has balanced 1/4" TRS inputs, so the quality is as good as an XLR, but you need an adapter cable. The Microtrack comes with a little stereo T-mic and a 1m 1/8" cable for it.

We bought the Microtrack II. I've read some reviews that complain about noise on the H4, but I haven't confirmed it personally.

Last night my youngest son (our audio production guy) recorded with 24dB of headroom at 24-bits using an AT815b. Even after boosting the levels, he was really happy with the low noise levels. This is great, because we can set and forget the levels, and he can concentrate on operating the boom.

A unit made for this purpose is the Olympus DS-50 voice recorder. It is very good:
Olympus | DS-50 Digital Voice Recorder | 141915 | B&H Photo Video (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/480219-REG/Olympus_141915_DS_50_Digital_Voice_Recorder.html)

Olympus makes a variety of voice recorders, for professional and home use:
Olympus Voice Recorder | B&H Photo Video (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=0&shs=Olympus+Voice+Recorder&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2Fproductlist.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=submit)

Could do worse than this:

H2 Handy Recorder (http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h2/)

or this:

H4 (http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h4/)

tho' the latter has been superceded by the Zoom H4, er, x, or was it a, or could it be...........whatever.

Can't find a URL for it (the new one, think it was announced during the latest trade show[s]).

I'm sure you'll get other suggestions.

I happen to have the H4 and it works ok with a few niggles. The 2 looks a superior design.

Here's the Wikipedia review of the H2.

Zoom H2 Handy Recorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoom_H2_Handy_Recorder)

Good luck.


CS

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Much obliged.

Is your Mac a portable?

If you've already got the shotgun mic, would one of these work? MXL USB Mic Mate™ Pro (http://www.mxlmics.com/products/USB/MicMate_Pro/MicMate_Pro.html)

...Can't find a URL for it (the new one, think it was announced during the latest trade show[s])...


You mean, new H4n:
Zoom H4n mobile audio recorder | CES 2009 - CNET Blogs (http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-10131461-100.html)

how about this little beauty - I tried it out on a wedding recently and it worked a treat

Belkin : GoStudio (http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=460128)