Hi all,
I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction or offer advice regarding the purchase of a small recording device for sessions. All I want is something that will offer good quality not over priced and is easy to use, download etc.
Thanks
If it's just for your own use, a digital dictaphone (or mobile phone with the capability) might suffice. Beg borrow or steal use of someone's to give it a try. I've used my phone during rehearsals in the past, the sound saves directly onto a memory card which is relatively easy to transfer to a computer. The quality is rough and ready, great for remembering ideas etc, but not for further recording or mixing purposes.
If you need higher quality, you might want to invest in a 4 track, (Makers such as Tascam do digital ones). Although the complexity of recording, and the need to invest in mics to get the best out of your equipment may go beyond the "not over priced, and easy to use" factor.
Depends on what you mean by "over priced". If you want good quality - by which I mean something that could be played on a CD - then you'll be looking at £100+. For that money you'll get a device that records in 44K WAV format and can download easily onto a computer.
From £20 - £100 you'll be looking at MP3 voice recorders, but these are unlikely to have CD-quality WAV facilities - or WAV facilities at all. My experience of these low-price MP3 recorders over the years is that they can be fiddly to use, sometimes with menu systems of byzantine complexity, and the quality, both build and soundwise, isn't particulary good.
Then there are the mini-disc recorders, if you can find them - not so many around now, they're rapidly leaving the market. They can give excellent recordings but the cons (apart from availability) are that some (eg Sony) are bedevilled by DRM, and most can only download in real-time - which isn't fun for a two-hour session.
So I'd be inclined to save up and go for a £100+ digital audio recorder. A very popular one is the Zoom H2 at around £140. It's very easy to use (just two presses of the red button to record), and with an USB connection your computer will immediately see it as an extra hard drive, with all the ease of data transfer that implies. It records WAV files from 44K right up to 96K, at a choice of 16 or 24-bit. The twin stereo mics hidden behind a steel-mesh grill are among the best around. I tried a test with my fiddle using the 96K WAV setting, downloaded the recording onto my PC and looked at the wave-form with a spectral analyser. It clearly showed harmonics going up to 30K and beyond. It has a very good, and clear, manual in real English.
Other hi-quality digital audio recorders in the same category include the Edirol, and models by Sony and Toshiba.
Hint: although these devices can easily be purchased on the internet (Amazon etc) I prefer to go to a store where I can see and handle them and discuss their various merits with a member of the staff. The problem can be finding a h-fi dealer who stocks them. Forget Currys/Dixons and the like. The advice I actually got from a Currys manager was to go to a store nearby that specialised in band instruments (eg electric guitars) and equipment. The bands use these digital recorders a lot, so that's where you'll find them - together with good advice from experienced sales staff.
Check out the Boss Micro BR it is a 4 track digital recorder with built-in mic. Perfect for recording sessions and doing a little home recording. There are a few demonstrations of it on youtube. Even has a built-in tuner if one be needed. Wonderful little machine.
Mark, I think the price of the H2 has gone up recently because of the fall in sterling. I know someone who bought one last June in Bristol for £100.
The store where I bought my H2 is Rikaxxe Music, 12-16 Bond Street, Bristol.
I have had an edirol for over a year now and it is brilliant. It is not cheap but is worth every penny:
-Very easy to use: difficult to mess up a recording/fail to record etc.
-High quality recordings of sessions and anything else. Mp3 and WAV
-Has the ability to slow down recordings built in. Great for practice at slower tempo ie no need to download onto computer before 'slowing down'
-Very easy to transfer files to computer: just drag and drop into windows explorer.
-Robust (it has survived a couple of falls)
If you're just looking to pick up tunes, and don't need particularly high-quality recordings, look into some of the inexpensive mp3 players that have built-in voice recording.
I have one of these. It does 1 button recording. The built-in mic picks up session instruments well, and doesn't seem to clip. If you need a higher quality recording, it has a mini jack for line-in stereo recording. (So you can take a feed off of a mixing board, for instance...)
It's tiny, and fits easily in most instrument cases.
It works just fine for easily recording tunes, and you could let it record a whole session on one battery charge, if you want.... But I don't really use it anymore. I just use my phone.
If you search the cheapest on the net, then take this and the site link into a local shop, they may well offer you an even better deal. Digital Village in Clifton Village, Bristol offer this.
You can upload MD recordings faster than real time if you have a Hi-MD recorder. You use a USB cable and Sony's Sonic Stage software. There's no DRM issue with recordings you make at sessions as far as I know (I've never had a problem anyway). With MD recorders you need a separate mic (which needn't be very expensive, but it's another bit of fiddling around). You can get spiffin' good recording quality at Hi-SP setting and this will give you eight hours on a Hi-MD disc. If you're skint, and you already have a little lapel mic or similar, buying a cheapie MD recorder could be a good option for high-quality recording, but the Edirol and Zooms have superseded MD for this purpose with excellent quality, built-in stereo mics and recording to SD cards which are cheap and high-capacity these days. Morrisons are selling 4Gb SD cards for less than eight quid, which ismore than enough for the most marathon of sessions at CD quality. If I had my time again I'd go for an H2. Buy online for cheapest price. You're protected by distrance-selling regulations in the UK.
Shock horror! For the second time this year, I find myself agreeing with Llig.
Sessions are about live music, not recorded music. And some folks might not like being recorded.
Save money. Just get a small notebook to jot down the names of any tunes played that you don't know. Then you can learn them at home, and join in with them the next time.
Mark
I got mine from Amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0019RZT1S
I see the've gone up to £144 but they throw in a tripod and a cover as well as the 4Gb card (or you can get just the H2 for £134)
Thanks, domnull. I've heard some nice recordings done with the H2, including a church choir and organ in surround sound! I have quite a lot of recording gear, but it would be great for those times when I've thought of a nice accompaniment or tune variation and want to record it before it goes out of my head.
This statement is definitely true. I used to have a live recording business. Once, while setting up for my clients, I recorded the open mic session prior to the gig to get levels. I was just going to burn the tape, and didn't figure anyone would mind. Boy, was I wrong! Lesson learned.
"..learn them while you are there..."
I would love to be able to do this, but I can't figure out how to accomplish it without noodling, faking it, or waving my arms, stopping the session and asking the players to go over that last bit.
Seriously, how does one go about learning a tune that you are hearing for the first time being played at full speed at a session?
Hi all, thanks for all your replies and advice, my brother ordered a H2 Zoom yesterday in the UK, got the lot for £144 as quoted above by domnull!
I searched several websites but very few delivered to Ireland and the price for just the H2 on it's own in Ireland was 199euro.
Just to put the record straight the piece of equipment will be used to record sessions that I take part in with friends and family.
My mother has a huge collection of cassettes of family sessions either taken in the house or out and about over the last forty years but times are moving on and technology is improving all the time.
Thanks again for all your ideas and input
Fab - I'm sure you'll love your purchase. I must get one - loading stuff of DAT or any other non-memory-card format is just such a pain and feels so prehistoric!!
Recording Device for Sessions
Recording Device for Sessions
Hi all,
I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction or offer advice regarding the purchase of a small recording device for sessions. All I want is something that will offer good quality not over priced and is easy to use, download etc.
Thanks
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by london lass
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
I use my memory. It's not terribly reliable, but it has the most incredibly sophisticated filter. And it never gets full.
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
If it's just for your own use, a digital dictaphone (or mobile phone with the capability) might suffice. Beg borrow or steal use of someone's to give it a try. I've used my phone during rehearsals in the past, the sound saves directly onto a memory card which is relatively easy to transfer to a computer. The quality is rough and ready, great for remembering ideas etc, but not for further recording or mixing purposes.
If you need higher quality, you might want to invest in a 4 track, (Makers such as Tascam do digital ones). Although the complexity of recording, and the need to invest in mics to get the best out of your equipment may go beyond the "not over priced, and easy to use" factor.
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by ciaranbradley
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
Depends on what you mean by "over priced". If you want good quality - by which I mean something that could be played on a CD - then you'll be looking at £100+. For that money you'll get a device that records in 44K WAV format and can download easily onto a computer.
From £20 - £100 you'll be looking at MP3 voice recorders, but these are unlikely to have CD-quality WAV facilities - or WAV facilities at all. My experience of these low-price MP3 recorders over the years is that they can be fiddly to use, sometimes with menu systems of byzantine complexity, and the quality, both build and soundwise, isn't particulary good.
Then there are the mini-disc recorders, if you can find them - not so many around now, they're rapidly leaving the market. They can give excellent recordings but the cons (apart from availability) are that some (eg Sony) are bedevilled by DRM, and most can only download in real-time - which isn't fun for a two-hour session.
So I'd be inclined to save up and go for a £100+ digital audio recorder. A very popular one is the Zoom H2 at around £140. It's very easy to use (just two presses of the red button to record), and with an USB connection your computer will immediately see it as an extra hard drive, with all the ease of data transfer that implies. It records WAV files from 44K right up to 96K, at a choice of 16 or 24-bit. The twin stereo mics hidden behind a steel-mesh grill are among the best around. I tried a test with my fiddle using the 96K WAV setting, downloaded the recording onto my PC and looked at the wave-form with a spectral analyser. It clearly showed harmonics going up to 30K and beyond. It has a very good, and clear, manual in real English.
Other hi-quality digital audio recorders in the same category include the Edirol, and models by Sony and Toshiba.
Hint: although these devices can easily be purchased on the internet (Amazon etc) I prefer to go to a store where I can see and handle them and discuss their various merits with a member of the staff. The problem can be finding a h-fi dealer who stocks them. Forget Currys/Dixons and the like. The advice I actually got from a Currys manager was to go to a store nearby that specialised in band instruments (eg electric guitars) and equipment. The bands use these digital recorders a lot, so that's where you'll find them - together with good advice from experienced sales staff.
Have a look at http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/19072 where I asked the same sort of question you're asking, and got some very useful replies. I selected a Zoom H2 as a result.
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
Check out the Boss Micro BR it is a 4 track digital recorder with built-in mic. Perfect for recording sessions and doing a little home recording. There are a few demonstrations of it on youtube. Even has a built-in tuner if one be needed. Wonderful little machine.
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by Mac Donn
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
I also bought a Zoom H2 - £127 including 4Gb memory
Search for "ZoomH2" in the discussions section here and you will get lots of advice
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by domnull
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
Ja!
Zoom H2.
I've got one and it's fab. Perfect for loads of applications including sessions...
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by Krick Stahlschwanz
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
Domnull, where did you get yours from?
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by Mark Harmer
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
Mark, I think the price of the H2 has gone up recently because of the fall in sterling. I know someone who bought one last June in Bristol for £100.
The store where I bought my H2 is Rikaxxe Music, 12-16 Bond Street, Bristol.
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
I will second the motion for Zoom H2. Very good recorder, easy to use. Just do a search for cheapest price Zoom H2 on the web.
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by old and in the way
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
I have had an edirol for over a year now and it is brilliant. It is not cheap but is worth every penny:
-Very easy to use: difficult to mess up a recording/fail to record etc.
-High quality recordings of sessions and anything else. Mp3 and WAV
-Has the ability to slow down recordings built in. Great for practice at slower tempo ie no need to download onto computer before 'slowing down'
-Very easy to transfer files to computer: just drag and drop into windows explorer.
-Robust (it has survived a couple of falls)
I bought it online from the Roland edirol site http://www.edirol.com
I had a Sony MiniDisc for several years before and it caused my nothing but grief.
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by dontshoutout
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
If you'd like pretty good quality for less money in a very small package, see the devices discussed in http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/20115/. The Olympus DS-30 is at or below $100 in the U.S.
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by boxist
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
Where to buy the Zoom H2 in Galway?
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by Pere
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
If you're just looking to pick up tunes, and don't need particularly high-quality recordings, look into some of the inexpensive mp3 players that have built-in voice recording.
For about $30, you can get a Creative Zen V Plus (http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=15306)
I have one of these. It does 1 button recording. The built-in mic picks up session instruments well, and doesn't seem to clip. If you need a higher quality recording, it has a mini jack for line-in stereo recording. (So you can take a feed off of a mixing board, for instance...)
It's tiny, and fits easily in most instrument cases.
It works just fine for easily recording tunes, and you could let it record a whole session on one battery charge, if you want.... But I don't really use it anymore. I just use my phone.
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by Reverend
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
Thanks for that link Reverend. I just bought a refurbished one for $19 bucks plus shipping.
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by Fishmonger
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
I've used my digital camera, set to record sound only- saves on weight and space if you're travelling.
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by Here Lyeth
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
I keep going into mobile phone shops and asking if they have any new models have an improved record feature One day. .........
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by bazouki dave
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
If you search the cheapest on the net, then take this and the site link into a local shop, they may well offer you an even better deal. Digital Village in Clifton Village, Bristol offer this.
# Posted on January 13th 2009 by suesinger
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
You can upload MD recordings faster than real time if you have a Hi-MD recorder. You use a USB cable and Sony's Sonic Stage software. There's no DRM issue with recordings you make at sessions as far as I know (I've never had a problem anyway). With MD recorders you need a separate mic (which needn't be very expensive, but it's another bit of fiddling around). You can get spiffin' good recording quality at Hi-SP setting and this will give you eight hours on a Hi-MD disc. If you're skint, and you already have a little lapel mic or similar, buying a cheapie MD recorder could be a good option for high-quality recording, but the Edirol and Zooms have superseded MD for this purpose with excellent quality, built-in stereo mics and recording to SD cards which are cheap and high-capacity these days. Morrisons are selling 4Gb SD cards for less than eight quid, which ismore than enough for the most marathon of sessions at CD quality. If I had my time again I'd go for an H2. Buy online for cheapest price. You're protected by distrance-selling regulations in the UK.
# Posted on January 13th 2009 by Steve Shaw
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
Shock horror! For the second time this year, I find myself agreeing with Llig.
Sessions are about live music, not recorded music. And some folks might not like being recorded.
Save money. Just get a small notebook to jot down the names of any tunes played that you don't know. Then you can learn them at home, and join in with them the next time.
# Posted on January 13th 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
Or better still, learn them while you're there and you won't turn up next week with a different version.
# Posted on January 13th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
Mark
I got mine from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0019RZT1S
I see the've gone up to £144 but they throw in a tripod and a cover as well as the 4Gb card (or you can get just the H2 for £134)
# Posted on January 13th 2009 by domnull
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
Thanks, domnull. I've heard some nice recordings done with the H2, including a church choir and organ in surround sound! I have quite a lot of recording gear, but it would be great for those times when I've thought of a nice accompaniment or tune variation and want to record it before it goes out of my head.
# Posted on January 13th 2009 by Mark Harmer
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
"And some folks might not like being recorded"
This statement is definitely true. I used to have a live recording business. Once, while setting up for my clients, I recorded the open mic session prior to the gig to get levels. I was just going to burn the tape, and didn't figure anyone would mind. Boy, was I wrong! Lesson learned.
"..learn them while you are there..."
I would love to be able to do this, but I can't figure out how to accomplish it without noodling, faking it, or waving my arms, stopping the session and asking the players to go over that last bit.
Seriously, how does one go about learning a tune that you are hearing for the first time being played at full speed at a session?
# Posted on January 13th 2009 by Rhychawr Catsmeat
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
Hi all, thanks for all your replies and advice, my brother ordered a H2 Zoom yesterday in the UK, got the lot for £144 as quoted above by domnull!
I searched several websites but very few delivered to Ireland and the price for just the H2 on it's own in Ireland was 199euro.
Just to put the record straight the piece of equipment will be used to record sessions that I take part in with friends and family.
My mother has a huge collection of cassettes of family sessions either taken in the house or out and about over the last forty years but times are moving on and technology is improving all the time.
Thanks again for all your ideas and input
# Posted on January 14th 2009 by london lass
Re: Recording Device for Sessions
Fab - I'm sure you'll love your purchase. I must get one - loading stuff of DAT or any other non-memory-card format is just such a pain and feels so prehistoric!!
# Posted on January 14th 2009 by Mark Harmer