Audio recording device for film photographer

[ampguy]

if you go the iphone route, here's a link with some good mic and interface comparisons:

http://www.lifeisaprayer.com/articles/photography/iphone-4-ipad-external-mic-audio-input

 

[gekopaca]

I use Zoom H2. Definitely the best choice quality/price/ability.
If you must move with it you can use Soundmann mic with it :
http://soundman.de/fr/

 

[andrewmore]

I've used a Zoom H2 for both recording general ambient sounds and have also used it for recording church services and meetings - the latter using the built in microphones and using an external feed from the church mixing desk. It works well. The little door for the memory card is a little flimsy though. The device does need to be stood on something that won't transmit sounds to it.

Regards

Andrew More

 

[vincentbenoit]

if you go the iphone route

No iphone for me, thanks.

 

[Damaso]

The zoom H1 is super small and records great audio...

 

[Particular]

How come you specify that you are a film photographer? Do you need analogue sound? 🙄

Carrying a Nagra on a shoulder strap would look really cool, but it might get in the way of photographing.

 

[olleorama]

Carrying a Nagra on a shoulder strap would look really cool, but it might get in the way of photographing.

I say manliness > photographing. Maybe the OP can use some sort of alice-frame for the studio reel-to-reel recorder and generator and two big ass microphones mounted on a hard hat?

 

[bwcolor]

http://cheesycam.com/zoom-h1-review/

 

[Liquid-Sky]

I own a edirol r-09hr very compact and efficient recorder with external mics and battery filter from microphone madness.

http://www.microphonemadness.com/

 

[Archiver]

In the old days I used to use Sony and Sharp minidisc recorders and binaural microphones from Sound Professionals, which create an extremely lifelike recording of ambient sound.

Now I use the Olympus LS-10 and Sony PCM M10. Both are superb recorders. The inbuilt mics on the Olympus are better than the Sony's, as they have better stereo separation, but the Sony is far better in terms of functionality and battery life.

Sound Professionals make superb binaural microphones at all price levels, and their customer service is excellent as well.

 

[graywolf]

I use a Marantz Superscope Professional Stereo Cassette Recorder CD330. I also have a PDM 360 which is the same thing only a bit newer. I seem to have become one of the worlds experts on these things, as I get 4-5 emails a year asking how to repair them.

However, if I just want something to make audio notes on, I use a $29 RCA digital voice recorder.

 

[FrozenInTime]

I've had an Olympus LS-10 for a few years : it's on of the quieter models.

If you are just recording street noise the internal mics will probably be good enough - but for quiet ambient / nature sounds - then you need to go through the maths:

There's an interesting table showing the various noise levels of the recorders here: http://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm

Frogloggers have some very low noise 14dBA omni elements for $10. http://www.frogloggers.com/FORMgallery4.htm
Table3 here : http://www.rane.com/note148.html shows how recorder noise floor and mic noise and sensitivity interrelate.

 

[djon]

Look around from here: http://www.theatreofnoise.com/2010/04/sony-pcm-m10-versus-olympus-ls-10-ls-11.html#comment-form

Don't record MP3 if you want to save on a CD and play in common car/stereo devices. MP3 is inferior sound, as well, but that may not be important...it's "good enough" for pop music and many other applications.

Whatever you get, be sure it has a METAL BODY, not plastic...because plastic body makes handling noise much worse.

I use two metal body Olympus recorders.

The best is LS-10, which readily equals anything you'll ever hear from a CD. But it's about half the size of a Leica, so it's not tiny. It's "zoom" mics are incredibly good...almost like shotgun mics they literally focus on where they're aimed (not quite as good as a shotgun mic) so you can reduce stuff that's peripheral to your main concern. Used in a musical performance you can aim it at the musicians and not hear the audience moving in chairs and coughing.

One crucial thing if you can afford it is the ability to manually control levels, and most tiny recorders won't permit that (LS 10 does)...they rely on "automatic volume control." AVC raises sounds to the same level so that if your bird stops chirping it'll raise your breathing level or the level of a passing airplane. My tiny, metal body Olympus DS-30 is like that...better at recording lectures than ambient sounds because of the AVC. However, using it for line recording (as from radio or CD) it's amazingly good.

 

[imokruok]

A Zoom H2 is all you need (the H4 is nice, but will you REALLY notice the difference in sound quality when the sound is accompanying photos and meant to be background noise? probably not).

Yes, +1, over and over. The little Zoom audio recorders are outstanding.

 

[olleorama]

Resurrection!

Resurrection!

Was at a fleamarket today, and picked up a sony wm-d3 for €1. Still useable? If I plug it in a decent sound card with a good A/D is it worth bothering?

Wonder if I can find some fresh cassettes. Analogue sound recording for the first time. Even scored a pair of condensator mics for next to nought.

 

[newsgrunt]

If you think you're going to be using externals, then the H4n trumps the H2. The files are great and audio slide shows can be more than just ambient. Spoken word etc...