Hey guys! Up till now I've always been recording the vows through a G3 wireless lav on groom, however at times this has been rather hit or miss and there's no time to stay changing things during the ceremony. Granted, I have a backup system in place, however I would like to replace this with something more reliable.

I've been using a couple of Zoom H1's with Audio Technical wired lavs for readings & altar and they give me very consistent results, so I was looking into something similar for the groom albeit with a smaller recorder.

What do you guys suggest? Any thoughts on Olympus WS-833 with ME-15 mic?

If you like the Zoom H1, then consider sticking with it like I did, with a few modifications. I didn't like the size of the H1, so I cut off the built-in mics. Then, I stuck on a belt clip that I took off a tape measure. Finally, I added a right angle adapter to my lav mic and taped over the switches so nothing could be tampered with and the mic could not get yanked out accidentally. It sounds very sketchy I know, but it actually looks pretty slick.

I've done this with three H1's now and they work very well. I have no problem spending money on good gear, but I prefer the H1 over other recorders because I know it works.

I now use 3 Sennheiser G3s to help make sure I get something from the Ceremony.

I also use a Tascam DR05 with a $20 Audio Technica mic I got from B&H.

That little combo works extremely well.

I use these
Sony ICD-UX533 Digital Flash Voice Recorder

small, reliable - great!

I really like the Olympus DM-620. Auto levels do a pretty good job. It's small, light, so no one complains about it in their pocket.

Paired with a matchstick microphone, most of the time the pastor or bride don't even know it's there. I use fabric tape to place the mic on the inside of his jacket lapel (or behind his tie or shirt, if necessary).

I'm not aware of any smaller recorder than the H1's that can actually compete with it for audio quality (and reliability when in auto-levels mode). But having said that you'd only be using the smaller devices for voice rather than for music so they don't need to be terribly good either.

I have a little Olympus VN733PC but thats for emergency use only and prefer to use my 4 x H1's and - if not in pocket - H4n. I too have L-shaped adapters for my lavs so that they don't stick right out the sides of H1's.

If you like the Zoom H1, then consider sticking with it like I did, with a few modifications. I didn't like the size of the H1, so I cut off the built-in mics.

There is a useful tear down of the H1 on Youtube here:

EEVblog #271 - Zoom H1 Recorder Teardown - YouTube

Handy if you're wondering how to gain access to it to repair the tripod thread.

I've gone in the opposite direction now and use my three G3 kits a lot. The G3 transmitter is not only small but it can also clip over trouser waist bands so you don't have to use a pocket or a pouch. I haven't had any interference problems at all touch wood, but it may be more problematic in big city centres. OK you can't do anything about a problem mid-ceremony but at least you can tweak the levels and at least you know you didn't forget to switch it on :- )

I also make a lot of use of G3's plugged into venue sound boards. Around here if they have spare sockets they are nearly always phono type, or a 1/4" hearing loop socket so its not necessary to carry millions of different connectors. I often put a -25dB pad cable on as well rather than try to guess what the G3 transmitter levels should be (I leave it on -12dB default). It can be quite a challenge to guess what the levels should be for the DJ's music before they actually start playing and if you are using a standalone recorder instead of a transmitter you have to be physically close enough to alter it.

Pete

Thanks for all the suggestions! Upon doing some research I've found juicedLink's upcoming pocket recorder which should be released in the coming weeks and does exactly what I want. I think I'll wait around for that to see what it has to offer :)