Need a good recording solution

[KashGarinn]

Hi there.

I've recently started taking singing lessons, and also joined a choir, and I want to record the lessons and the choir practices, and I've been wondering what options there are available for me.

Thus I wondered if you knew of any solutions which have worked well? I'm not sure of the budget yet, but I'd like a mobile solution which I can just set up, preferably stored in a digital format and have a USB connection so I can copy it to a pc afterwards.

I'm kinda lost in where to start, so any advice appreciated.

K.

 

[CSMR]

One thing you can do is get an mp3 player with a line in. I use an ihp-140 with rockbox but there are one or two others. Then all you need is a preamp (balanced in, unbalanced out) and a mic. The mic is the most important thing naturally and I don't know what's best for voice recording.

Another approach is to get a dedicated recorder like the m-audio microtrack.

Or if you have a laptop you could get something like the E-MU 0404 USB and just plug a microphone straight in.

There are lower quality options also.

 

[gsellis]

Sampson Zoom H4 for the win.

H4 at B&H

 

[mshan]

Garage Band on an Apple Macbook? ($999 AR at Amazon.com).

Also, MacBooks just got Core2Duo, so you may be able to find a good deal on the origianl Core Duo MacBooks.

Really cheap (can be found under $100 on sale) solution is an Aiptek MPVR digital camcorder. It has a clean built in microphone for low noise recordings (forgot format it encodes to) that can later be transfered to pc. Add something like a 2 GB SD card and you can record for quite some time. And because it's flash based, it's got good battery life too.

http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=70497&forum_id=92


You can also get an Ambico V-0612 mini tripod for cheap off of eBay. They work well and look quite good with the Aiptek.

 

[gsellis]

Discussion on the H4 DVInfo "Now Hear This" H4 thread.

 

[KashGarinn]

The Zoom H4 looks excellent.. I'm very tempted to buy it.

What do you know about the H4 ? Are the microphones built in directional or ambient? Do I only have to point it in the general direction?

I'm also wondering how much you could record on the 128MB SD card.. and where's the best deal on a 2GB card.. as well as wondering what's the deal with the AA batteries? Are they a discomfort? are you always changing the batteries?

If you've no idea, then that's fine, but that looks to be an awesome gadget.

K.

 

[oynaz]

128 Mb gives you about 15 minutes in Cd quality (44,1 Khz, 16 bit).

The H4 is a good solution, but consider using a good microphone in a Minidisc or mp3 player. If you get a Shure 58 or Beta58, you can record in decent quality, and you can use the mike for practicing or live performance too.

 

[KashGarinn]

I bought the Zoom H4 off amazon.com, plus a 2GB SD card.. they were linked together, so it sounded like a good idea.

As I'll be using it quite alot on the go.. I just have to find a good rechargeable battery solution.. can't be bothered to be always buying new batteries.

Thanks for the tips, helped alot

K.