Portable Audio Recorders

Today’s portable audio recorders are incredible devices that allow you to capture high fidelity audio easily and affordably. Read information on selecting an audio recorder.

The recorder I use most often and have been very pleased with is the Zoom H6.  This is the recorder I use in my classroom and for recording my concerts. I even use audio recorded with this unit to submit my orchestra’s application for the Midwest Clinic in 2018.

The unit retails for about $350. It comes with several detachable microphone capsules, a wired remote control, and more. Additional accessories are available to purchase. The unit can be used as a stand-alone recorder with its built-in internal microphone capsules, but also expandability with 4 XLR/TRS combo connectors to attach additional external microphones or equipment.  

The unit records to standard SD cards and has got a lot of great features like the ability to use it attached to your computer as a USB microphone, etc. The unit will record up to 6 tracks at a time and will also record a mixed down “safety track” (-6dB) in case the levels peak too high and are clipped/distorted.

Typically I use the internal capsules for classroom rehearsal recordings, and add four external cardiod condenser microphones for concert recordings. I attached a Rode NT-4 Stereo microphone to use for my center pair and use a matched pair of Rode NT-5’s as an A-B stereo pair spaced about 15 feet apart.  All of the microphones are mounted on high stands. I use very tall studio light stands that fit with an adapter about 4-6 feet on the floor in front of my stage. Spacing depends of the acoustics of your concert hall and experimentation to find the best mix of direct/reflected sound is best.

I import the 4 tracks into Apple Logic (you can use Garageband too) and adjust the levels on the microphones to get the sound I want. Once mixed, I bounce those tracks into a stereo file and edit in Amadeus Pro.

If the Zoom H6 is out of your price range, the Tascam DR-40X is also a great choice.  It has 2 XLR inputs for extra microphones and only costs $200.  I have one of these and really like it as well.

New! The new kid on the block is the Tascam Portacapture x8, it features a really nice touch screen with presets that make it simple to record in different scenarios. One of the biggest features of this recorder is the new 32-bit float recording technology which is ultra-high fidelity and helps reduce issues with clipping when recording levels are set too high or too much noise when levels are too low. Check out the video below for specs.

Please let me know if you have any questions about audio recorders!