I think you can achieve very good results with your equipment.
Its all about how you use it and then edit it, practice makes perfect.
Good luck.

A few years ago i did an anthem for a basketball team.Was a favor for some of my friends.
I just used the Zoom PS-02 palmtop studio in the basketball court,did alright.
Bought it with my brother in 2001 when i was a still a teenager and back then it was top shit but expensive as fuck.
Though i fell for the sellers trick "it can do it all buddy". "Really sir?No mixing skills required?
"Nah kid, it does every thing for ya".
Emptied my wallet and got it.It was then mainly used for some gtr and vox fx, sturdy little fucker, still working.Made in Japan.
Want it want to say is, today you can get these tascam pocket recorders for cheap and they have a lot better mics and preamps.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Oct 29, 2016

I always wanted to do me some field recording but knew that it would suck me in and never let me go, that I would become lost in the infatuation of recording ant farts and stuff like that. I will save that for another lifetime, a future incarnation.

I would follow Baxter's lead and bump up to the Tascam DR-100mkii as I am sure the converters are a notch or two up the food chain. What kind of cables are you using? Since I cannot be trusted with a dangerous object like a soldering gun as I likely would burn an eye out (I'm stretching it a bit) I use Vovox and buy them for cheap whenever I see someone is selling some used in perfect condition. I hear the difference, but then again I can hear ants fart.

I think the weak link is your microphone situation. First off, mono field recordings are not to me capturing the dimensions of the space you are in and to me need be at least in stereo. But that's just me. A blumlein pair is crucial for me with the addition of a shotgun for focus. Also, if you just want to go with a shotgun there are far better one's than the AKG C568EB that you are using now. As with lots of things but not all, you get what you pay for. The higher in quality you go the higher quality the capture as there will be much less noise coming from the preamps and or microphone. I am so very good at spending other people's money, eh?

 

I have a H5 and i think it's not a good deal for soundfield cause it's to noisy (big hiss). I search a little equipement for recording sound in a world travel (more than 6 month). I'm looking for a sony d-100 or the future zoom F4. What do you think about ?

 

AKG K271 mkII + ZOOM H6 here.

I use it all the time to record many percussive sounds, ambiences, children at school (i'm a school assistant as a day job and my work is based on music and sound). Sometimes with the adding of some external mics.
It's a very good recorder, not too expensive.

I also use the ZOOM H6 as a soundcard to record guitars and all my synths (Prophet 6 and Sub37 mainly).
It works very well as a soundcard too.

 

Zoom recorders are all the rage with videographic types, but the Tascam units are great. I have a lowly DR-05, which provides phantom power to condenser mics (shotgun and lav), though it doesn't have XLR inputs. The onboard mics are really good - put a windscreen cover or a "dead cat," and it's like "being there." Just the other night, I stuck the recorder on a monopod and held it out my window, recording the strange sounds of violence coming from the garaqe across the alley. The recording rendered the sounds a lot clearer than my ears could hear with the given acoustics. I couldn't make-out what the people were screaming, because they were so deranged and probably intoxicated, but it sounded like they were beating someone chained to the wall. It's going on my next album. I gottatellya – Tascam!

 

after looking up the DR-100mkii ( and now there is an mkiii out , so the mkii is discounted at B&H ) I am considering an
uprgade.. , since my shmeg DR-1 is the crappiest crap mentioned so far....

 

Yeah that DR-100 MK3 looks nice indeed!!

Improvements

• Large SDXC cards support up to 128GB
• Larger 128 × 128 resolution LCD
• Better thermo stable quarz by TCXO;
• Dual Recording function recording file at different levels
• Extended Recording Information to write meta information about all recording settings
• Recording in WAv and MP3 in same time
• Headphones output improved up to 2 × 40 mW
• Work from LiIOn battery of 3950mAh (around 3x compared to old models)
• Alu case
• Better HDDR preamps. AK4558 AKM DAC with 102db signal/noise performance.
• New connectors by Amphenol for combined mic and line inputs for XLR.
• 2x Mic pre amp; Up to 192kHz/24-bit WAV recording
• And a lot more!
  
  
  

 

Blimp/zeppeliner??

Any experiences regarding blimps/zeppeliners?

I own the first one and Im really satisfied with it, but it can only carrie a shotgun because it´s made of foam and therefore doesnt provide room for other types of microphones.

What would be your choice??

Reinhardt Soft-Zep MKll

Røde blimp KM2

Rycote Super Blimp

 

Here´s a recording I did 12 day ago!

I have shrinked it from 24bit to 16bit!

Link:
http://www55.zippyshare.com/v/xors9hlO/file.html

 

Ok.... Do you have any suggestions .... because the AKG C568EB I have now isnt exactly a cheap microhpone!?!

 

That doents seem like a light and easy to go setup to me
I have actually considered a Røde NT4 for stereo recordings, but again then I´ll have to buy me another blimp as well!
Cables: Van Damme and Neutrik!
If I should buy another recorder Im sure I´d go for the DR-100 MK3 instead of the MK2!

 

Interesting topic!
We discussed it earlier, just to bring to public attention. A pair of Primo EM172 do wonders. I haven't yet tested them personally, but the specs are great:
Sensitivity: -28dB
EIN: 80dB

I use Zoom H5, which is great portable recorder, only mine is a bit faulty - doesn't work well as DAC. With EXH-6 the hiss is gone.
Stationary setup for outdoor could be
Two AT2035 (low-noise) through EXH-6 powered through DIY phantom supply and Primo EM-172s on In1/2 powered by two CR2032 in series (2.2kOhm resistor and 10uF cap on the output).
2035s focused on the source you want to capture, 172s in reverse direction (172s are omnis) for ambience. This should capture 4-tracks with the ability to mix ambience w/ your source, and is also 5.1 compatible

Just 2c

PS: Be sure to pack large packs of silica gel for 2035 in case you're recording in moist environment. Best is to insert it between windscreen and microphone.

Some demo for you
(one AT2035 through Zoom H5's In1)

 

Last edited: Oct 30, 2016

@phloopy nice babbling brook sounds... very crisp recording


@Andrew can't decide if you are inside or outside.. I hear the birds.. but also
your breathing !.. Then of course.. there is a major thoroughfare nearby..
with the traffic hum.... going to check out one of those AT2035 pretty good sensitivity already !

in fact it sounds great at its price point... comes with the shock mount too.. it just made my
Christmas list.. $150

​

 

Last edited by a moderator: Oct 30, 2016

Yes, I was crouching about 1.5m from the mic.
It was recorded in a nearby forest, unfortunately living in a "transit town" does have its drawbacks in regards to ambient noise.
One has to venture further in order to get rid of it. But I thought it'd be a good benchmark for the setup (me breathing, birds, wind in the trees and all the traffic).

 

Thanks Herr Durr. The challenge with that recording was to move the blimp/mic around without shaking too much .....!

Yeah traffic is a pain really if you want "the silence of nature". On the other hand: If you honostly want to reflect the situation you´re recording ... ppl, traffic etc often will be a part of it ....... and you can always cut out what you dont like afterwards!

 

Last edited: Oct 30, 2016

Awsome ... I need to save for a few months

 

Last edited: Oct 30, 2016

I´m using an Olympus LS100 since three years or so and I´m very happy with it. At the time I bought it, it was best value for the money. The other portable recorders i tried had pretty bad internal mics, the handling noise ruined the whole recording and the quality of the casing was pretty poor. I wonder if those things are better with the new models. The new DR-100 seems to be much better than the previous model, but the the features that are shown as brand new are mostly integrated in my LS100.
I would appreciate it if someone could give me some tipps about which external microphones are best for field recording.

 

You can see what I have: AKG C568EB which I think do a good job. Its a so called shotgun microphone (condenser) and can still be bought for about 400 - 450 pounds even it´s discontiniued and replaced with the C568B which is about 388 pounds.

I dont have much insight in microphones at all, but I´ve heard Røde makes good shotguns for the money.

A shotgun is afaics only a mono solution, so if its a stereo solution you´re looking for Im afraid Im of no help!

Btw: I bought my AKG C568EB second hand (nearly 25 years old but never really used) for 60 pounds. had it checked if it was working ok and found out everything worked perfect! So it is not always necessary to spend a fortune getting something of good quality.

 

Last edited: Oct 30, 2016