What is the best portable audio recorder that fits in your hand for recording live concerts from standing in the audience?

I own the Zoom H2n but I'm not happy with the quality of those recordings by any measure.

Great question.
Be sure to also ask over on BUY SELL, in case they dont look here... those guys/gals know [iorr.org]

Oh, please, not this one!

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SomeTorontoGirl
Oh, please, not this one!

Why not? it was good enough for Brian!




"As we say in England, it can get a bit trainspottery"

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Deltics
Why not? it was good enough for Brian!

Well, OK for Brian - it was the '60s! But I don't want the drunk guy behind me to bring one. (Seriously, those things sound like cats mating. And I think Brian's recorder was way down in the mix...not far enough, but still...)

I'm VERY happy with this one.

Back in the 70s I used this vintage Sony stereo cassette recorder to tape gigs like the Stones at Wembley in 73 and Knebworth 76.

Cool! Do you still have the recordings, Mike?

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DandelionPowderman
Cool! Do you still have the recordings, Mike?

Of course. The Wembley Sept 8 early show at Empire Pool has been bootlegged many times over the years. The Knebworth one has never been put out.

Best portable recorder for concerts?
Good question...

In our modern digital age, nearly everyone has a smartphone.
Which type of device is best for recording AUDIO?

- Android vs. iPhone?
- Specific app to record audio only (no video)?
- Which file format for recoding?
- External mic input
- Memory
- Micro SD
- share directly to cloud
- etc...

without additional equipment (maybe even with additional equipment) iPhones frustratingly only record in mono, otherwise could be a contender. I've recorded a couple local small concerts with my iPhone SE and they sound pretty good, but like I said - only mono.

ROCKMAN

I have a Zoom H4n and have had great results the few times I've used it to record a show.
I know Zoom also makes some sort of attachment which connects to your smartphone. I don't know what the reviews are though.

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Deltics

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SomeTorontoGirl
Oh, please, not this one!

Why not? it was good enough for Brian!

It was good for Mick as well.

I used to have a Sony DAT recorder like the one pictured above. Since it is now more than 20 years old and having some problems I recently switched to TASCAM DR-22WL. It's much cheaper and doesn't weight very much and it's smaller too. Thus it's easier to get in inside venues (and it has only very very few metal parts beside two batteries). And it records on cards not on DAT for sure (which are hard to find and expansive these days)
But the best thing is: the recordings made by the TASACM recorder are very good (in case you utilize external mics).
Still: there may be better recorders – but hardly at that price! (ca. 130 Euros)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-06-27 21:44 by slewan.

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Thommie

The Rolling truck Stones thing just outside .Smoke in my lungs ><

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TheBlockbuster
What is the best portable audio recorder that fits in your hand for recording live concerts from standing in the audience?

I own the Zoom H2n but I'm not happy with the quality of those recordings by any measure.

For best results it's down to using external mics, as you can only get so far with those built into recorders, however it may be worth upgrading your recorder to one which handles external mics better.

The Sony PCM-M10 is one of the most popular recorders for taping with good reason; it has excellent sound quality, battery life is excellent (a couple AA's will last you a dozen concerts), and its not much bigger than a fat mobile phone.

As for which microphones, I have heard many fantastic recordings from those who use the clip on Church Audio mics, but any quality small condensers should be suitable.

I agree with the previous post. External recorder microphones are a crucial element. Church Audio.

For reference,here is a copy of my post on a similar thread :

Maybe the Korg MR-2 if you can still find one.

If not,the best other options (going by various reviews) seem to be :

Marantz Professional PMD661 MKII

Olympus LS-100

Olympus LS-14

Sony PCM-D100

Superscope PSD450mkII-32

Tascam DR-680MKII

Tascam DR-100MKII

Honestly though,I would look into what was used to record the Stones 2006 concert in Atlantic City and also into what was used to record the Stones 2006 concert in Stuttgart.

[img1.etsystatic.com]

just got a wear a big coat; no prob.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-06-29 08:21 by hopkins.

Is it still easy to smuggle recorders in to concerts?

The last few that I have been to (London O2), I had to walk through an airport type scanner.

I've been using this mic for many years (often with the Sony DAT-player above), and it has never let me down.

PS: It's not only a microphone preamp, it's a great stereo mic for concerts, too.





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2017-06-29 14:12 by DandelionPowderman.