Small practice session recorder...

Eli_Upright12 · #1 11-03-2007, 09:34 PM

I searched the forums to try to answer this question but my searches didn't lead anywhere so I'm starting a thread here. I would like to start recording myself when I play and was wondering if there was a smallish recorder that would work well for this? or maybe something a little more substantial like a 4 track recorder or something.

steve66 · #2 11-03-2007, 09:52 PM

Something to check out if you have an Apple Ipod Nano

Its called the MicroMemo. It just hooks onto your ipod records in wav format and is compatiable with Itunes. I bought one for quick recordings and its extremely portable. You may want to check out the Bass Guitar recording forums for other ideas.

http://www.xtrememac.com/audio/earph...o_2g/index.php

meev992 · #3 11-03-2007, 10:16 PM

when my band practices, we use an old cassette tape deck, wire up two mics, and just let the machine run.

Eli_Upright12 · #4 11-03-2007, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve66

Something to check out if you have an Apple Ipod Nano

Its called the MicroMemo. It just hooks onto your ipod records in wav format and is compatiable with Itunes. I bought one for quick recordings and its extremely portable. You may want to check out the Bass Guitar recording forums for other ideas.

http://www.xtrememac.com/audio/earph...o_2g/index.php

Wow thats really cool, and I do have a nano actually, Have you used this product or know any one who has experience with it?

steve66 · #5 11-03-2007, 11:46 PM

I have it. Its pretty good.

Kevin Hsieh · #6 11-04-2007, 12:02 AM

I have experience with the Micromemo for the Video Ipod. I sent mine back because I kept getting problems where the recording would just cut out and start up again at a later time. This is especially annoying for musicians because when you review ... you do want to hear your music in its entirety. I ended up having them send me a replacement unit that did the exact same thing, even after I restored my iPod and reinstalled the software. I read online that some people had the same problem with the unit. I ended up sending both units back and just getting reinbursed.

Just my 2c

steve66 · #7 11-04-2007, 12:22 AM

Hi Kevin,

I had the Micromemo for a few months and haven't had a problem with it. I have a regular 2gig nano. Its great for a quick recording. I am wondering if the problem you had with yours has something to do with the video ipod filmware.

Kevin Hsieh · #8 11-04-2007, 12:56 AM

if it had something to do with the firmware, xtrememac had better look into it. I restored it twice with freshly downloaded software and with no avail i still had a problem. Maybe my ipod's corrupted, but i don't know how it could get corrupted twice.

but all in all. it's a great unit. sounds good too!

Eric S · #9 11-04-2007, 06:08 AM

Aside from some PMPs (portable media players) and phones that have limited dictaphone capabilities (ie. low resolution momo recording), there are a number of dedicated small flash memory field recorders geared for musicians and jourrnalists with stereo 24-Bit Recording. Minidisc recorders are also a good option but are rapidly becoming obsolete.

Some of my collected links:

http://www.samsontech.com/products/p...1901&brandID=4
http://www.samsontech.com/products/p...=401&brandID=4
http://www.samsontech.com/products/p...1705&brandID=4

http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?a_...&category_id=3

http://www.edirol.net/products/en/R-09/index.html

http://www.bossus.com/index.asp?pg=1&tmp=157

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_u...ckII-main.html

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Broadcastan...sp=83&id=90227
http://mixonline.com/ms/aes2007/video/sony_pcm_d50/
http://www.bradlinder.net/2007/10/so...eld-flash.html

**Freddels** · #10 11-04-2007, 06:54 AM

Zoom H2

shwashwa · #11 11-04-2007, 07:00 AM

zoom h2. all you'll need.

Thangfish · #12 11-04-2007, 08:01 AM

I bought a used zoom mrs4b here on TB, and a cheap radio shack stereo mic. Makes good recordings at rehearsal. I haven't taken the time to figure out if I can go direct in to it yet. Would be handy for making sound clips.

tornadobass · #13 11-04-2007, 08:09 AM

I'm currently testing out the Zoom H2 and the Zoom H4 recorders. The H2 goes for $200 and the H4 is $300.

My quick takes:

H2 is small, easy to figure out and use. It has some useful accessories (stand, mic stand adapter, earbuds) and can record a full 360 degrees into 2 stereo tracks (set it in the middle of the room) or either 90 or 120 degrees from one side (it has 4 mic capsules). For recording practices or gigs, this is a handy solution (and it's actually called Handy Recorder). Compared to the H4, the high frequencies are similar but the low end isn't as strong.

H4 is a bit bigger and more complex to learn and use. It doesn't have as many accessories, but can do so much more because it is also a four-track recorder. It has built-in effects for guitar and bass, as well as mic modeling effects for a few of the most popular studio mics. The current 2.0 system software brings some new features as well as a much more readable font. The auto level setting (doesn't ride the gain, but sets the max level before starting) is helpful. Has two combo 1/4" and XLR input jacks on the bottom. Comes with Cubase light sofware.

Both can also be hooked up to your computer with a USB cable into Garageband and other software, or even can be used as a computer interface with its built-in mics and preamps. They both have a metronome and tuner (I haven't tried these yet). Mics have a 3 level sensitivity switch. They both use SD cards and can record at different levels of resolution as well as MP3 format for really long recording time.

In all, despite the somewhat weaker low end, I'd pick the H2 for recording practices and gigs because of its usability. For a hundred bucks more, the H4 brings a lot more features and better frequency response if you can take advantage of that.

fdeck · #14 11-04-2007, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric S

Minidisc recorders are also a good option but are rapidly becoming obsolete.

You ain't kidding. I got one of the early ones. They are now going for around 30 bucks on eBay. The huge hassle is that there is no digital download. I will just keep the microphone and use it with my notebook computer.

Just a note about the typical MP3 player with voice recording... I have one, and the audio quality is not really even good enough for voice. Okay, it was $20, but still.

Eli_Upright12 · #15 11-04-2007, 09:39 AM

Thanks for all the help, looks like I've got some leads. Does anyone have any experience with these recording arco playing?

Just thought of another question, of the H2 and H4 do they both have direct inputs? and are they 1/4 jacks or what? because I do have a Full Circle on my bass so I guess it would be nice to plug directly into a recorder.

tornadobass · #16 11-04-2007, 10:08 AM

I did a bit of experimenting this morning after my last post.

The tuner tunes and in 4 track mode, I successfully recorded fretless bass, 5-string bass, and BugBass EUB direct to the recorder's inputs, including arco (which unfortunately sounds like me, playing arco, on the BugBass...the wife says I play nice pizz, though).

The 4 track mode even has a mixer to pan tracks and adjust their levels. I just plugged the recorder into my little mixer that goes into a pair of studio monitors. The HPF-Pre kept the low stuff under control with the BugBass.

One thing I got stuck on for awhile was remembering to set the input sensitivity switches to Low. At Medium, the level was good, but the note attack clipped. Using the lower setting plus increasing the gain a bit worked fine.

Wow! There's a lot of possibilities with this little rig, just in case you wanted to do multitrack on the cheap.

steve66 · #17 11-04-2007, 12:03 PM

I just read up on the Zoom H4. Looks like a great piece of equipment. Has anyone recorded with it? Do the mikes pick up alot of noise? How long do the batteries last?

MT Spaces · #18 11-04-2007, 01:10 PM

FWIW, here's a long thread here at TalkBass ...... mostly about the Edirol. More spendy than the Zooms and no multi-track separation options. I sure like my Edirol. Mics are great for DB in my opinion and battery lifetime seems to be 3-4 hours.
Small Affordable Recorder

jumbosilverette · #19 11-04-2007, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shwashwa

zoom h2. all you'll need.

+1

drurb · #20 11-04-2007, 02:03 PM

+1 on the Zoom H2. It is a fantastic bargain! I'm amazed at all of the features they packed in for $200. By the way, it, like it's big brother (H4) is also a four-track recorder. I have experienced no problem at all with pre-amp noise. Over and above recording myself and rehearsals, it has been really convenient for transferring some precious vinyl recordings to CD.

You can read all about it here.