Audio Recorder Question
 

While covering the Obama Rally last week, I was talking with another video shooter who highly recommended about having a separate audio recorder for those times when one needs b-roll equivalent audio content.

My work is primarily for the web, working as a web video journalist and I'm considering the Zoom H2 as a portable audio field recorder with an external mic.

Any thoughts on having an separate audio recorder when shooting video - especially when shooting video journalism content???

Not sure how you plan to use it. The Zoom H2 looks like a pretty good recorder to me. Are you looking to do handheld interviews? It would be nice to have something with XLR inputs. The H2 seems to have some really neat stereo mics, but they don't seem right for your application. I'd rather have a handheld dynamic mic. Guess you could get an adapter for that, but it's more stuff to fumble with. How about the Zoom H4? It has two XLR connectors and two TRS 1/4" phone jacks which would be way easier to get a feed from a soundboard from, in addition to letting you use other mics. You'd might have to carry an attenuator though.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...reo_Field.html

More money, but really cool is the HHB flash mic:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...DIOID_MIC.html

Are you doing everything yourself? Or are you doing the interviewing with a camera person and a sound person?

Having had the H2, I can tell you that it does not work well w/ external mics - crappy pre-amp and barely functional input level control. But for $200, it's OK, if you don't mind the Fisher Price build quality. I ended up w/ a Sony PCM-D50, and am quite pleased.

Have you used it with external mic(s)?

I've used it successfully w/ a Giant Squid lav for voice. I prefer using the built-in mics, keeping it small and self contained. Keep in mind that there's plug-in power, but no phantom power.

I agree with Tsu on the Sony PCM-D50 with its built in mics. It is wonderfully clean for under $500. It's shocking how good it sounds. I keep mine in my kit wherever I go. Hooking a Countryman B6 into the unit did not yield as good of results as hoped for, but for external mics I'd step up to the new Edirol R-44.

Thanks much. I'm also thinking to use it by itself because of size and convenience, but was also thinking about maybe using it as a pocket recorder with a wired lav instead of trying to run cable or go wireless to the mixer.

I've just had mine a couple of days and have fooled around with it a bit and am so far quite happy with the quality of recorded speech using the built in mics. Haven't used it for music yet.

Sometime in the next couple of weeks I'll be recording a demo disc for a classical guitarist.and I'm thinking of setting the Sony up right below my regular mics and getting a good comparison.

check out the fostex fr 2le.

I have used the PCM-D50 with a Neumann KMS 105 mic and a Denecke external phantom power supply for interviews and general vocal recording. I am very, very happy with the results.

Best,
Peter
The Bloom Blog: Wildflowers of California and Arizona
http://www.parkfilms.com/sandblossoms08.html

I've had great results with two ecm 77 wired lavs or (and MKE2 - slightly hissyer) plugged via a 2 x XLR - Mini jack straight into the mic input. Very handy resource. Line in is great too when attached to the SQN mixer I have.