what does everyone think of the Z5 audio quality i.e. would I get better results by feeding my mics direct to a digital recorder like the zoom h4n or carry on recording the audio direct to camera which records to CD quality?

what does everyone think of the Z5 audio quality i.e. would I get better results by feeding my mics direct to a digital recorder like the zoom h4n or carry on recording the audio direct to camera which records to CD quality?

Well, the Z5 records MPEG-1/layer-2 @ 384kbps (Fs48kHz - 16bit), which I believe is over twice the bitrate of a .cda (approx. 170kbps) [Fs44.1kHz - 16bit] and is reckoned to give CD quality audio at a compression ratio of 3:1.

Comparison graph (http://www.audioboxinc.com/images/graph.pdf)

When making cameras, Sony, Panasonic, Canon & JVC are focused more in the picture than in the audio being the best it can be. You'll get much better audio if you use a mixer with good pre-amps recording into an uncompressed audio recorder than directly into a camera.

The difference is like the difference between listening to a sony on an iPod, or listening to that same song off a CD. They both sound pretty good, but if you listen closely you'll hear the quality difference.

The real question you have to ask is: Is your audio worth the extra time in work flow issues?

More money, more time, more people, more equipment.

If you do go for it, I would suggest getting an audio recorder that has "Line Out," so you can go from the recorder into the camera. That way you have a high quality audio recording of everything, but you also have a compressed audio track synced w/ the video.

But remember, it is all about workflow & what works best for YOU.

cheers Zach ,the main reason I am worried about audio quality is because it will be for live musicians on a harmonium and indian drums so my concern for good audio stems from this and i think the very minimum to improve audio will be a sound devices mixpre mixer feed to camera and better would be to add a recorder like the Marantz PMD 661 @ £456
MARANTZ PMD 661 - U.K. International Cyberstore (http://www.thomann.de/gb/marantz_pmd_661.htm)

Hi Resham. I record live gigs of a pop group regularly, and I always use a separate Roland Edirol recorder to record the live sound, coming from an output of the PA. Superb 24-bit WAVE quality and the Edirol R-09 is not expensive at all. No cables running to the camera, and syncing is easy when you have a clap or handclap at the start of the recording. The Marantz is fine, too, of course, and about the same price.

Hi Luc, without having both recorders and doing a comparison myself it is hard to decide which one to go for so I decided that Marantz are a top end audio company and also the price from the link i have posted is over £100 cheaper than most web shops in the UK so its good value and if the addage is true that 'you get what you pay for' then its a good choice over the edirol but the final deciding point was the XLR inputs/outputs.....but boy is the Edirol wireless remote such a 'fantastic' feature.