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pocket recorder for live takes?

#25
I've been using the Zoom H2 for about 4 months now, the unit is pretty amazing for $200. The recording linked below were done using the H2 outdoors, without a lot of thought about where I put it (sorta plunked down in the middle of the band, most of the vocals are coming from the monitors).

What you're hearing is the raw recording, except for running the normalization filter in Audacity to balance out the front and rear tracks.

Disclaimer!!! :help: Very commercial cover tunes, part of a promotion we're working on for one of the clubs ..... :)

This was done with a Squier Precision Standard 5 through a MarkBass CMD121P

http://members.aol.com/justabassplayer/ohlome.mp3


This one was done with an FBB 7 string through the 121P with a 151P on the bottom

http://www.members.aol.com/comfortzoneband/browneyed.mp3

Final one, with an FBB fretless 6, also through the 121P/151P

http://www.members.aol.com/comfortzoneband/domino.mp3

Now, I'd imagine if you were to really think through the placement of the unit you could get some pretty high quality live recordings ........ :cool:
 
#27
Got mine last night. 1st impressions:

Yamaha Pocketrak 2G

It's pretty small and weighs next to nothing. I'm happy about that, but it feels a little delicate - as in I'm pretty sure I could easily twist the mic right off of it. Could probably twist and mangle the whole thing if I wanted, but I guess that goes with tiny/lightweight territory. Seems sturdy enough if I don't go throwing it at things.

I'm a bit of a technophobe and ease of use is super important to me. Sold just about everything I ever bought for Korg because their product manuals make me dizzy and I never get past the first few pages. This thing is pretty easy to figure out. 15 minutes with the manual, a couple of minutes with the recorder, and I think I know it inside out. Buttons are laid out well and there aren't countless menus to have to go through.

Did a few quick recordings and I'm pleased... but I think I need a little practice. First bass recording (in HQ mp3) sounded horrible, but I realized I didn't have the mic set to stereo, and I had it placed pretty badly. After the 2 adjustments it was much better. It's a little difficult to set the levels, but that's another thing I'm pretty sure I'll get used to. The menu is wicked small as are the buttons, but again I'd rather have that than a bigger unit that doesn't fit comfortably in my pocket.

The carrying case is cool, can easily hook onto my belt. The speaker is a neat feature for checking whether or not something was recorded, it's useless for music listening but I figured that and I'm certain that's not what it's there for. Only minor peave thus far is that when listening back you can't (as far as I can see) access other menus without stopping playback. Maybe I missed that part in the manual, but it seems you have to stop whatever you're doing to mess with the EQ or do anything else. Not a big deal.

Anyhow. Looks like a keeper. I'll probably post some samples later. I'd like to hear your thoughts tom, when you get yours. Anyone else's too.
 
#28
Joe Nerve said:
I'm holding off on it right now because they said they're coming out with a new improved version that has a built in speaker and better sound. The review in BP said this particular one sounded dark with less stereo seperation than the others.
Click to expand...

I own a Yamaha 2G. The BP review got it all wrong. It always had a speaker and the ability to slow recordings down. The "improved model" (Pocketrak CX) announced about a week after I bought mine :crying: is a bit larger, has nicer mikes, uses SD cards but has inferior battery life. It's not yet shipping.

The 2G came out in July at $350 and I jumped on it right away, at $300 it's even better. I used to use MiniDiscs and this was the first memory based machine that was both smaller than my MD and had good battery life.

Good points:

1. UNBELIEVABLY TINY, it actually does fit into a shirt pocket...you can take it anywhere and be ready to record in seconds.

2. Sounds fine with the built in mikes. External mikes can be connected if you're after even better quality.

3. Not a lot of useless features (and controls to operate them). Hit one button to go into pause, use << and >> to set levels, hit the button again to start recording...about 5 seconds from power on.

4. Rechargeable battery has excellent life, getting about 12 hours per charge. Recharge is over the built in USB connection so no charger to lose. After you transfer files to your PC, just leave it plugged in to recharge.

5. File transfer is simple drag and drop, no special drivers or software required. Works fine on Macs as well as Windows.

6. Comes with a free copy of Cubase :cool:

Bad points:

1. No memory card. 2GB is what you get, period. At WAV quality that's 3 hours, enough to record a night's gig or leave rolling throughout a rehearsal (nothing gets missed, edit the dead air later). If you need more capacity at mp3 rates you can go nuts...35 hours at 128k (no 256 or 320 :hmm: ) and at 32k (lo-fi) 284 hours :eek:

2. No fancy features...if you want a recorder that's also a 4 track, a practice aid, PC audio interface, etc, this aint it.

I recommend it highly.
 
#30
mine needs to be signed for, and nobodys home during the day..shouldve gotten it today. really hope i get it tomarrow for that concert im going to, to post some samples.

i'd love to hear what youve recorded, joe nerve.
 
#31
i got mine yesturday, took probobly 20 minutes to really understand it. brought it to the show i went too, but thats not a good judge of the sound quality, because i happened to be litterally right infront of the stage, and the pocketrak was about 6 inches away from the subs the whole time..and that disregarded, it actually came out pretty damn good, especially for leaving it in my pocket and completely forgetting about it.

pros- very easy to use. its reasonable, and the small size, although initially thats the last thing i cared about, is very usefull. if i had bought a zoom, id never leave it in my pocket. itd get annoying..this thing is smaller than the smallest ipod..you dont notice its on you. the internal USB is an awesome thing to have..yeah more memory would be good, but 3hrs at its highest resolution isint really going to cause any problems for me. i diddnt do any recordings at any other resolution, but im assuming itll sound awfull..another plus is it has no extra features (might be a negative for some..) i wouldent use any effects or any of that nonsence- i want something to record my jams. not edit them to try and make demo songs, and extra features would just complicate the thing. rechargable battery included, also.

cons- really the only thing is that the recording quality isint absolutely amazing, but still really really good. along with the small size makes it seem less than indestructable, but overall im not worried about it failing/getting damaged (its so lightweight that dropping it probobly wont do anything at all.) the software they include with it is pretty useless, too.

overview, its definately a keeper. im probobly going to leave it in my case, and record just about every gig, rehearsal, whatever..will post clips of a 3 piece jam in a day or two.
 
#33
Very clever set of mic options (four mic capsules altogether), and astonishing audio quality and recording time. My only complaints are that the LCD screen is too small and too dim when running on batteries, and the user-interface (ie navigating around functions and options) is a bit primitive and counter-intuitive.

But for the money, these disadvantages are far outweighed by how well it does its main job.
 
#34
blitheringeejit said:
Very clever set of mic options (four mic capsules altogether), and astonishing audio quality and recording time. My only complaints are that the LCD screen is too small and too dim when running on batteries, and the user-interface (ie navigating around functions and options) is a bit primitive and counter-intuitive.

But for the money, these disadvantages are far outweighed by how well it does its main job.
Click to expand...

I couldnt agree more. I use my H2 all the time and just love it. My next project with it I will be able to run it through the FOH board so I am interested to hear the difference in audio quality compared to the internal mics.
 
#35
FWIW I've been really happy with my M-Audio Microtrack 24/96. Here's the newest version:

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I've got a coupla' threads cooking with samples, as well as others on my website...
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=480169
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=477009
Link Removed

If I were in the market today, I'd also seriously consider the Zoom H2 & H4. My only real complaint with the 24/96 is battery life. A/C power is a must, but I understand the new (much more expensive) model is greatly improved in this regard. Otherwise, it's been a great investment for the $300 I originally spent. I record onto 8GB CF via 16-bit 44.1 kHz .wav files and have been really impressed with the quality. At some point I'd like to run external mics to get a better mix, but that obviously hurts the whole portability thing.
 
#36
VroomVroom said:
FWIW I've been really happy with my M-Audio Microtrack 24/96. Here's the newest version:

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.
Click to expand...

+1 on the Microtrack II. The weak points of the 24/96 were all addressed and it kicks butt. Everybody I jam with has been floored by the recording quality it gets in a completely unideal audio environment. After a listening session, my geetarist and drummer looked at each other and simultaneously said "that sounds better than that [informal] studio session we did last year".

I didn't get it for recording practice jams though. I got it for stealth recording concerts :ninja:

It works great for that. And don't worry, personal use only. None of my recordings have ever been released on the internet, let alone sold for profit.
 

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