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gig recorder for old guy

morebass!

morebass!

I'm all ears
Supporting Member
May 31, 2002
1,683
311
Madison WI
#1
I need a simple-to-use, compact, recorder for getting good quality recordings of my band live. It would best if it could fit in my pocket or sit on a nearby surface. It also needs to be easy to operate and have a very easy to read display as my eyesight ain't what is used to be. I don't know much about all the formats and interfaces but there again, simple is best.

There are a lot of these things out there and I really have no clue so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
#2
I have a Yamaha Pocketrak CX. I would be a little leary of just laying on a surface because of vibrations (might work fine; never tried it), but when I use it on a camera tripod it does a great job IMO, better than I anticipated when I bought it. Comes with Cubase software, pretty simple to make decent CD's of your live work.
Fits in a shirt pocket just dandy too.
 
#3
I think the best bang for the buck is the Zoom H2 ... best money I've spent in a long time. Fits in a pocket, has a small stand for table top use, an adapter to fit into a mic clip to mount on a mic stand (use the rubber mic clips for isolation). Four mic capsules (L/R front/rear), any number of digital audio formats and resolutions (WAV and MP3), USB connection, and more. Can be used as a USB mic into a DAW if that's your thing.

The only criterion on your list that it doesn't meet (or exceed) is the display ... it's pretty tiny. Once it's set up though, there's nothing to play with, and the button interface is simple and intuitive. And if it matters, I'm not an "old guy" at 55 ...
 
#5
the H2 has a crummy screen and a ton of features and choices that can be kind of a pain but from a quick start stand point, turn it on, push the red button twice and it's recording. Push the button again and it's stops and saves the file.

The rest of it can be easily ignored.
 
#6
I've used a Zoom H2 to record band rehearsals for several years now. I can't speak for the other brands, but this unit is easy to use (I'm an old guy myself), inexpensive in comparison to the other brands, and records with a sound quality that is excellent for what it is. This model has also been on the market for a long time, which for me translates into it's very reliable and bug-free.
 
#8
So the H2 is pretty hard to read? That might kill if for me. Given a little time with a unit, I can figure things out. But if I can't see it... sheesh, I practically need reading glasses to read my settings on my preamp. Still interested in more input. It's been great so far.
 
#14
I bought a yamaha pocketrack 1 year ago for $300. They dropped the price to $150. I'm a little pissed about that, but I'm still absolutely certain I bought the right recorder for me. I don't need 10 different mic position options and 25 menus to sort through. This thing is unfathomably easy to use, has a built in speaker that sounds pretty decent if you put it against your ear (don't nead any kind of earphones to make sure I'm getting what I want), I plug it directly into my computer to recharge it, it can run on AA batteries if I want extra time, I literally don't even know I've got it in my pocket (I'm pretty sure it's the smallest of the mini recorders), and it take all of turning it on and pushing the play/record button 2X to get it to work. I cannot praise this thing enough, and with the new price I honestly believe it's the best deal out there. Oh yeah, the quality is fine for me, I hear all instruments clearly in a loud rehearsal. Has play speeds and a couple of other cool things on it too. I wrote a review on the american musical website but they seem to have nixed it when they dropped the price.

I did lots and lots of research and this is where I landed. Invalid Link Removed
 
#15
Another vote for the H2 from a 51-year-old. In fact I recorded a gig with it last night. I used one of these for the first time, and it made a big difference in the sound:

Invalid Link Removed

I wish I'd tried an add-on mic sooner!
 
#16
for best sounding results, but feature-packed + kind of difficult to use (for some)- zoom h4n is THE recorder.

the easiest to use (as well as smallest) is the yamaha pocketrak 2g. i had one for a long time, if you click the link in my sig all of those were recorded on a yamaha 2g..
 
#17
Budget?
The H2 and H4n are great for the price. Although I find the H2 menus a little clumsy to navigate.

A netbook or small notebook with a good interface can do a good job of recording, and the screen is easier to read. Take along a CD burner and copy rehearsals for band mates.

If I had big money I might look at at an Alesis ProTrack plus with an iPod touch. Big easy to read screen. And the iPod is just a single tasker.

There are so many choices, and all of them good.
 

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