Portable Audio Recorders

[neepheid]

Up until now I've been recording band rehearsals with a number of devices, minidisc recorder with external microphone, various smartphones and video camera (extracting the audio from the video file) and the recordings are ... ok.  By ok I mean fine for a reference or an aide memoire, but not excellent.  I've decided to pony up and get the right tool for the job, an actual audio recorder.

 

From my limited looking online, it seems there are two main players - Zoom and Tascam, and from what I've seen I think the Zoom H2n looks like a pretty versatile but not eyewateringly expensive device.

 

Anyone got any experience with these things or recommendations?

[framheim]

i've got the cheapo zoom and it's pretty ace.  the H2n is meant to be better still.  I also use the Edirol R-09HR at work and it's ace (though a bit more expensive than the H2n).

[Stroopy121]

Zoom R16. 8 tracks of simultaneous tracking to an SD card. Also works as a USB interface. Not TOO expensive, really user-friendly and uber portable. Amazing. It's about the size and weight of a standard keyboard (as in the keyboard for a PC, not the musical instrument.)

 

xx

[neepheid]

Zoom R16. 8 tracks of simultaneous tracking to an SD card. Also works as a USB interface. Not TOO expensive, really user-friendly and uber portable. Amazing. It's about the size and weight of a standard keyboard (as in the keyboard for a PC, not the musical instrument.)

 

xx

 

Interesting.  Question: how would monitoring work in a band rehearsal situation?  Would you use this instead of the PA inputs and then take the output of this device to PA power amp?  Then record while the band plays?