$125 Audio Recorder

Shawn Wright · December 22nd, 2009, 09:16 PM

I have my new 7D.

I am a pro photographer but NOT a DV Pro. I know audio is important and I have Sennheiser wireless mic and Final Cut studio.

I have been told to get the Zoom H4n but it is $299 and I will wait if that is so much better.

BUTTTTTT...... I found this at B and H on sale for just $125. Should I get it instead?
Oh.. and hurry with your thoughts, sale ends Christmas Eve.

$125 for this...
Tascam | DR-07 Portable Digital Audio Recorder | DR-07 | B&H

Or $299 for this...

Zoom | H4n Handy Mobile 4-Track Recorder | H4N | B&H Photo Video

Oren Arieli · December 22nd, 2009, 09:26 PM

The Tascam is a good unit, quality of recordings is very good, on par with the H2 and H4 at comparable bit-rates. I've owned all three (plus two Olympus units). I ended up selling the Tascam, but not because it had any major flaws. For the money, it's a great choice.

Mike Peterson · December 22nd, 2009, 10:00 PM

Lack of XLR would be the deal killer for me...if your going to spend that much I would spend the extra to get the XLR jacks. Personally I don't need them so I'm waiting for ML on the 7D and then getting a Juiced Link preamp.

Shawn Wright · December 23rd, 2009, 08:21 AM

I was thinking the same thing but there are of course no promises on ML. I might be another year, it might not work as well as we think or it might be the greatest thing since sliced bread.

And while I believe in the later I may have my first job with video soon.

So did the H4n have xlr? I did not see that?

Thanks to everyone for your input.

Andy Tejral · December 23rd, 2009, 09:03 AM

Yes, the H4n's XLRs are hiding at the bottom.

To confuse you further, the Zoom H2 includes a 1Gb card making it perhaps a little cheaper than the Tascam.

Phillip Palacios · December 23rd, 2009, 11:47 AM

To throw my $0.02 in, I would look at the Tascam DR100 which I got form B&H for $309. It was an unadvertised price that didn't show up until I was ready to check out. The major difference for me with the DR100 was the ability to do 24bit WAV files and to control the XLR inputs individually. The preamps are less noisy than my HVX200 as well.
good luck on our decision!

Bill Pryor · December 23rd, 2009, 12:45 PM

The H4N does 24bit as well, and preamps are very clean. I was going to go for the Tascam but more than one person has said you have to crank the gain all the way up to get a good level with some mics, and the ones I use would be in that category. I just got the Zoom a few weeks ago from B&H, and the price has dropped by $30. Both the Zoom and Tascam are very impressive devices for the price. Anything that can record that high a quality audio for $300 or less is amazing to me. I was impressed by the H4N feel...it's heavier and has a much better quality and more solid feel to it than I expected for the price. It has XLR inputs, and they are the convertible kind that will also accept 1/4" inputs, and my understanding (though I haven't tried it) is that when you use a 1/4" plug it automatically goes to line level recording, which is nice.

Jon Fairhurst · December 23rd, 2009, 10:22 PM

Another option is to buy a cheap recorder and a juicedLink. The weak link in most recorders is the front end. Insert the JL, crank it up, and the results can be quite good.

We bought the M-Audio Microtrack II for a short festival film, and the noise was horrid. It was the weak link of the whole production. Slap the JL in front of the MT II, and it's very nearly as clean as the H4n. That makes the balanced inputs and phantom power of the MT II obsolete. We could use a cheaper recorder with a 1/8" stereo mic input and get similar results - and replaceable batteries!

For people who prefer to record into the 7D and are waiting for ML, it's not a bad stop gap. Besides, having the external recorder option is nice for recording sounds from the field.

Brian Luce · December 24th, 2009, 12:33 AM

Another vote here for the Tascam DR100. Battery system way way way better than Zoom. I also like the peak indicator. Also, gain has a three position switch, set it to high and you don't need to dial up the gain too much.

Chris Barcellos · December 24th, 2009, 12:44 AM

I have a DR-07 coming. I will feed in with my ENG44 mixer, line input. From test recordings I have heard, this seems like a real clean way to go, as Jon suggests. I do that with my HiMD unit now, but going through the Sony Sonic Stage process is just a pain. I am looking forward to a straight drag and drop capability

December 22nd, 2009, 09:16 PM	#1
Shawn Wright Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Jeffersonville, Indiana Posts: 50	$125 Audio Recorder - what do you think? I have my new 7D. I am a pro photographer but NOT a DV Pro. I know audio is important and I have Sennheiser wireless mic and Final Cut studio. I have been told to get the Zoom H4n but it is $299 and I will wait if that is so much better. BUTTTTTT...... I found this at B and H on sale for just $125. Should I get it instead? Oh.. and hurry with your thoughts, sale ends Christmas Eve. $125 for this... Tascam \| DR-07 Portable Digital Audio Recorder \| DR-07 \| B&H Or $299 for this... Zoom \| H4n Handy Mobile 4-Track Recorder \| H4N \| B&H Photo Video

December 22nd, 2009, 10:00 PM	#3
Mike Peterson Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: White Bear Lake, Minnesota Posts: 85	Lack of XLR would be the deal killer for me...if your going to spend that much I would spend the extra to get the XLR jacks. Personally I don't need them so I'm waiting for ML on the 7D and then getting a Juiced Link preamp. __________________ www.insectula.com

December 23rd, 2009, 09:03 AM	#5
Andy Tejral Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: New York City Posts: 523	Yes, the H4n's XLRs are hiding at the bottom. To confuse you further, the Zoom H2 includes a 1Gb card making it perhaps a little cheaper than the Tascam. __________________ Andy Tejral Railroad Videographer

December 23rd, 2009, 11:47 AM	#6
Phillip Palacios Major Player Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 233	Tascam DR100 To throw my $0.02 in, I would look at the Tascam DR100 which I got form B&H for $309. It was an unadvertised price that didn't show up until I was ready to check out. The major difference for me with the DR100 was the ability to do 24bit WAV files and to control the XLR inputs individually. The preamps are less noisy than my HVX200 as well. good luck on our decision! __________________ always learning www.phillippalacios.com

December 23rd, 2009, 10:22 PM	#8
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Another option is to buy a cheap recorder and a juicedLink. The weak link in most recorders is the front end. Insert the JL, crank it up, and the results can be quite good. We bought the M-Audio Microtrack II for a short festival film, and the noise was horrid. It was the weak link of the whole production. Slap the JL in front of the MT II, and it's very nearly as clean as the H4n. That makes the balanced inputs and phantom power of the MT II obsolete. We could use a cheaper recorder with a 1/8" stereo mic input and get similar results - and replaceable batteries! For people who prefer to record into the 7D and are waiting for ML, it's not a bad stop gap. Besides, having the external recorder option is nice for recording sounds from the field. __________________ Jon Fairhurst

December 22nd, 2009, 09:26 PM	#2
Oren Arieli Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 919	The Tascam is a good unit, quality of recordings is very good, on par with the H2 and H4 at comparable bit-rates. I've owned all three (plus two Olympus units). I ended up selling the Tascam, but not because it had any major flaws. For the money, it's a great choice.

December 23rd, 2009, 08:21 AM	#4
Shawn Wright Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Jeffersonville, Indiana Posts: 50	I was thinking the same thing but there are of course no promises on ML. I might be another year, it might not work as well as we think or it might be the greatest thing since sliced bread. And while I believe in the later I may have my first job with video soon. So did the H4n have xlr? I did not see that? Thanks to everyone for your input.

December 23rd, 2009, 12:45 PM	#7
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	The H4N does 24bit as well, and preamps are very clean. I was going to go for the Tascam but more than one person has said you have to crank the gain all the way up to get a good level with some mics, and the ones I use would be in that category. I just got the Zoom a few weeks ago from B&H, and the price has dropped by $30. Both the Zoom and Tascam are very impressive devices for the price. Anything that can record that high a quality audio for $300 or less is amazing to me. I was impressed by the H4N feel...it's heavier and has a much better quality and more solid feel to it than I expected for the price. It has XLR inputs, and they are the convertible kind that will also accept 1/4" inputs, and my understanding (though I haven't tried it) is that when you use a 1/4" plug it automatically goes to line level recording, which is nice.

December 24th, 2009, 12:33 AM	#9
Brian Luce Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,290	Another vote here for the Tascam DR100. Battery system way way way better than Zoom. I also like the peak indicator. Also, gain has a three position switch, set it to high and you don't need to dial up the gain too much.

December 24th, 2009, 12:44 AM	#10
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	I have a DR-07 coming. I will feed in with my ENG44 mixer, line input. From test recordings I have heard, this seems like a real clean way to go, as Jon suggests. I do that with my HiMD unit now, but going through the Sony Sonic Stage process is just a pain. I am looking forward to a straight drag and drop capability __________________ Chris J. Barcellos