What’s the Best Audio Recorder for Me? |
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In need of a compact device that you can make high-quality recordings with? An audio recorder, or field recorder - is the solution! Since there’s a lot to choose from, we offer some help with the questions and answers in this Buyer’s Guide! If you can’t find the answer to your question here, feel free to contact us. What is it? | Audio/Voice | Reporter | Studio | Music | Models | Microphones | Storage | Omni/XY | Phantom Power | More 1. What’s an Audio Recorder?An audio recorder is usually a compact device that can be used to make high-quality recordings on location. As such, it’s often referred to as a portable recorder or handheld recorder, although the name ‘field recorder’ is probably the most common. Field recorders are used for studio productions, foley and soundtrack recording, journalism and reporting, interviews and concert recordings.
2. What’s the Difference Between an Audio Recorder and a Voice Recorder?Just like an audio recorder, a voice recorder is a compact device designed to capture sound. The difference lies in the purpose of the recordings, meaning that a voice recorder is essentially a memo recorder that can be used to record meetings and conferences or even any thoughts, ideas or concepts you come up with and would like to save. Voice recorders do often use audio compression, and while this results in lower quality audio, the trade-off also means a huge amount of recording time. Intelligibility remains the most important aspect. In practice, an audio/field recorder is more versatile and designed to register the entire sonic spectrum, while a voice recorder is limited to the frequency range of speech. Therefore, audio recorders are better suited for pure, true-to-life recordings.
3. As a Reporter, Do I Need a Voice Recorder or an Audio Recorder?If you work for a newspaper, magazine or online media platform and you’re simply looking to literally quote your interviewees based on recordings you make, then a voice recorder is what you need. If you work for an (online) radio station and want to playback your recordings for your listeners, an audio recorder offers the improved audio quality you need. In addition, some models even allow you to connect one or more microphones, such as a reporter mic. Camera journalists deserve a special mention here, because for them, a special camera-compatible field recorder (see Question 6) is probably a better choice than a standard handheld recorder. All Field Recorders
4. Are Audio Recorders Useful for Studio Productions?They certainly are, and can be used to record urban sounds, passing cars, the crashing of ocean waves, the wind rustling the leaves of trees in a forest and more. All of these samples can serve well as ambient, environmental noise for film productions or music. Granted, there are a lot of commercial sample libraries available, but recording and using your own sounds is often not only more fun, but tailors better to what you may have in mind.
5. As a Musician, What Can I use an Audio Recorder for?Audio recorders can come in handy when you’re rehearsing with your band, since it can be used to record sound - possibly via one or more additional microphones connected to the recorder - which can be listened back to at home so you can figure out which parts need to be improved at your leisure. There are also people who use their audio recorders to capture entire concerts. Needless to say, the audio recorder easily beats the voice recorder in this area, and the difference in recording quality compared to your smartphone is of course even bigger.
6. What Kinds of Audio Recorders Are There?We offer up three different kinds of audio recorders, the first being compact models that look like large voice recorders but offer better recording quality. Most people will have no problem quickly finding their way around one. There are also recorders that you can plug multiple microphones into. These are basically the modern versions of old DAT recorders that news reporters used to carry around. There are also models that have been specially designed for use in combination with cameras and camera stands and take care of the audio recording while the camera takes care of the visual recording. Lastly, there are the ‘other’, more miscellaneous audio recorders, which include tiny recorders that can be plugged into the XLR socket on the back of a microphone.
7. Why Would I Use More Than One Microphone?In short: using more than one microphone ensures a more flexible set-up and a more focused way of working that creates better recordings. Most audio recorders that offer multi-track recording feature microphone inputs. This means you could use the two built-in microphones to capture the total sound from a distance while using the additional microphones to record musical instruments at close range. This way, you can easily give the instruments more presence in the mix and still retain spacious, ambient sound. Also, when conducting radio interviews on location, a reporter microphone makes for a great alternative to the built-in mics of an audio recorder. If you know you’re going to be working with one or more external microphones, check out the specifications listed below each of our audio recorders to see if they feature one or more microphone inputs. All Field Recorders
8. Where Are The Recordings Stored And How Much Can I Record?This differs from model to model and more information can be found in the specifications listed on our product pages. In most cases, recordings are saved to an SD or microSD card, which may come included with the recorder. It’s a good idea to keep a spare memory card handy though, in case the first one runs out of storage space. When you’re done recording, you can transfer them to your computer via USB or by loading them in from the SD card you’ve used, either via a built-in or external SD card reader. Before recording, you can often select whether you want to record in low, standard or high recording quality. Recording in low quality means you’ll be able to store a lot of recordings on a single 4GB SD card, but if you opt for CD-quality (44.1 kHz/16-bit stereo), the file size per recording quickly starts to add up to about 700 Mbs (0.7 GB) per 80 minutes of registered audio. If the recorder is able to record 24-bit audio, you’re looking at more than 1GB per 80 minutes, and even twice the amount if you’ve been recording to two tracks. You get the idea, so make sure to pick an SD card that meets your needs and audio quality standards!
9. Omni? XY? What Does This Mean?These are tricky terms if you’re unfamiliar with the studio world. In a nutshell, when two microphones are aimed at the centre or slightly off to the side, it’s called an XY configuration. This is used to create focused (stereo) recordings with barely any noise picked up from outside the recording-based ‘field of view’. There are also recorders with little microphones fitted to the side and an indicator that says ‘omni’ next to the mics. These kinds of recorders are great for capturing ambient sounds and will even pick up the sounds of a fridge running in the back of the room. While not as suited for music, these omnidirectional recorders are perfect for recordings in forests and city centres, near the sea and more.
10. Do I Need Phantom Power?That depends on the external microphone you might want to connect to your recorder. A dynamic mic won’t require phantom power, but a condenser model will. Whether or not a particular recorder features built-in phantom power or not can be found in the product specifications. You’ll find that most audio recorders equipped with additional microphone inputs will offer a phantom power supply.
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