Best portable/pocketsized audio recorder with 3.5mm input?

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joeyluck
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17 Aug 2018

Looking for some opinions from some of you who might be using some of these or have recommendations of other recorders. This recorder will primarily be used with my in-ear binaural mics using a 3.5mm input.
They'll be arriving soon, and to start, I will be recording with them via the 3.5mm input on my Zoom H5.

While the H5 is a really great recorder and certainly handy, I'm looking for something a bit more portable that can potentially fit in my pocket. The mic input of the H5 is actually located on the modular capsules. It would be convenient if I could leave the capsule off and still connect to a 3.5mm input...but can't do that.

So here are some recorders I am looking at, and of course being a fan of Zoom and familiar with their products, most of my list currently is made up of Zoom products. And it ranges quite a bit from recorders without built-in mics to even a camera. Figured some of you might have experiences with some of these or other brands that I have never used and would really appreciate your input. I'm still trying to gather info on noise floor and which portable recorder has the cleanest 3.5mm input.


Zoom H1n
Input Gain: -∞ dB to -39 dBm

Image

Pros:
- Fits in a pocket easily
- Smooth, variable level adjustment

Cons:
- I don’t need the onboard X/Y mics
- Input level can’t be locked (can be bumped when in a pocket)



Zoom F1
Input Gain: -12dB to +36 dB

Image

Pros:
- Extremely portable. It can fit in a pocket or be clipped onto a belt
- I can use my other Zoom mic capsules with it (when not using the 3.5mm input)
- Durable metal casing

Cons:
- Recording levels are incremental (low, med, high, auto, etc.)
- Battery door looks to be a bit fiddly



Tascam DR-10L
Input Gain: +14dB to +38dB

Image

Pros:
- The absolute most portable I’ve seen. Even smaller than the Zoom F1

Cons:
- Tiny display
- Recording levels are incremental (low, med, high, etc.)
- Same price as Zoom F1, with less cool features such as the interchangeable Zoom capsules



Zoom H2n
Input Gain: 0 to +39 dBm

Image

Pros:
- Adds a different tool to my setup with the “surround/spatial” audio of the onboard mics (when not using the 3.5mm input)

Cons:
- Can technically fit in a pocket, but not as comfortably as others.



Zoom Q2n
Input Gain: –∞ to +39 dB

Image

There’s times of course when I plan to record video with another device and sync it, but if I can be happy enough with the image from this, it would eliminate that step of syncing audio and video. Better options in terms of cameras with 3.5mm mic inputs?

Pros:
- A camera to record with. Would give visual reference to the audio I capture
- Has a 3.5mm line/mic input, unlike GoPro cameras which require an adapter

Cons:
- Probably not the best quality camera, but it’s decent.
- Technically fits in a pocket, but might be a little bulky (less so than the H2n)


Other recommendations and opinions? Thanks!

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selig
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17 Aug 2018

Seems like none are a perfect ‘fit’ as per your requirements. Wish I had some experience to help, but I will be watching (and listening when you post recordings) to see if this is something I’ll be doing as well.

What about using a iOS/Android device for this job?


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joeyluck
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17 Aug 2018

selig wrote:
17 Aug 2018
Seems like none are a perfect ‘fit’ as per your requirements. Wish I had some experience to help, but I will be watching (and listening when you post recordings) to see if this is something I’ll be doing as well.

What about using a iOS/Android device for this job?


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I thought about that. My phone is old and sucks lol. And I have an iPad Mini which is portable when I'm working in the theatre, but not portable enough for me when recording audio on the go.

I might have to see what some stores have locally and see how some of these recorders fit in my pockets...while of course also letting an associate know what I'd doing :lol:

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selig
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17 Aug 2018

joeyluck wrote:
selig wrote:
17 Aug 2018
Seems like none are a perfect ‘fit’ as per your requirements. Wish I had some experience to help, but I will be watching (and listening when you post recordings) to see if this is something I’ll be doing as well.

What about using a iOS/Android device for this job?


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I thought about that. My phone is old and sucks lol. And I have an iPad Mini which is portable when I'm working in the theatre, but not portable enough for me when recording audio on the go.

I might have to see what some stores have locally and see how some of these recorders fit in my pockets...while of course also letting an associate know what I'd doing :lol:
How you feeling about the mic’s so far - anything to share yet?


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joeyluck
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17 Aug 2018

selig wrote:
17 Aug 2018
joeyluck wrote:
I thought about that. My phone is old and sucks lol. And I have an iPad Mini which is portable when I'm working in the theatre, but not portable enough for me when recording audio on the go.

I might have to see what some stores have locally and see how some of these recorders fit in my pockets...while of course also letting an associate know what I'd doing :lol:
How you feeling about the mic’s so far - anything to share yet?


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They'll be arriving tomorrow hopefully :puf_smile:

The other benefit of me getting a separate recorder is being able to do direct comparisons between my Zoom H5 X/Y mics and the binaural mics. Which I can still do, just can't record both at the exact same time (unless I get an adapter to go from the 3.5mm to two XLR inputs).

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sublunar
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17 Aug 2018

What is it you're trying to accomplish? And what's the deal with the binaural mic/headphones? I saw your post about those earlier but it didn't make a lot of sense to me what microhone earbuds would be useful for. Are you just trying to record stereo? Is the appeal that you get stereo mics and headphones for one price? Not trying to seem dense, I'm just not really sure what sort of situations the mic/headphones would be useful for hence my interrogation.

I'm a bit of a photographer/videographer myself and I discovered that there are some devices which can record good quality stereo without batteries, but it's designed to mount on a camera hot shoe so it probably doesn't count and it's only a stereo mic anyway. I picked up a Tascam TM-2X Stereo X-Y Microphone for my DSLR and I'm very happy with it. No batteries and good quality audio which naturally is synced up to my video files since it plugs into the Mic input on my camera.

Previously I was considering a Zoom H4n pro for field recording and I still might pick one up some day but the cheaper and battery-less Tascam I picked up has so far been filling the need.

It looks like you have a good selection of pocket recorders already selected and I'm not sure you'll find better, but I'm not sure what you're looking to accomplish. Maybe I need to read your threads again.

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joeyluck
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17 Aug 2018

sublunar wrote:
17 Aug 2018
What is it you're trying to accomplish? And what's the deal with the binaural mic/headphones? I saw your post about those earlier but it didn't make a lot of sense to me what microhone earbuds would be useful for. Are you just trying to record stereo? Is the appeal that you get stereo mics and headphones for one price? Not trying to seem dense, I'm just not really sure what sort of situations the mic/headphones would be useful for hence my interrogation.

I'm a bit of a photographer/videographer myself and I discovered that there are some devices which can record good quality stereo without batteries, but it's designed to mount on a camera hot shoe so it probably doesn't count and it's only a stereo mic anyway. I picked up a Tascam TM-2X Stereo X-Y Microphone for my DSLR and I'm very happy with it. No batteries and good quality audio which naturally is synced up to my video files since it plugs into the Mic input on my camera.

Previously I was considering a Zoom H4n pro for field recording and I still might pick one up some day but the cheaper and battery-less Tascam I picked up has so far been filling the need.

It looks like you have a good selection of pocket recorders already selected and I'm not sure you'll find better, but I'm not sure what you're looking to accomplish. Maybe I need to read your threads again.
I have a Zoom H5 that I use for recording, such as stereo recordings from the X/Y mics. I upgraded to the H5 from the original H4n, which was also a great recorder.

The binaural mics are for capturing audio with the binaural effect. Folks also refer to it as 3D audio (not to be confused with 360 audio, which allows you to navigate within a space, using something like the H2n along with 360 videos). You can compare the in-ear binaural mic concept to the Neumann KU 100 dummy head. So, having the mics in-ear help to achieve that effect. The ones I ordered from Sound Professionals are just mics (not headphones) and they are the only ones I have found on the market that are worn the way they are, without obstructing hearing greatly, and sit furthest within the outer ear, which I feel is important for the effect. Most others sit further outside of the outer ear, sometimes all the way outside, only accounting for your head and not ears.

So now I'm just entertaining the idea of a more portable recorder when capturing binaural recordings. The H5 is certainly portable, but won't fit in a pocket and I have no need to hold it when I'm not using the onboard mics.

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sublunar
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17 Aug 2018

Thanks for explaining. If I may ask, what are you recording with these? Performances? Foley/field recordings? Asking because I'm always interested in different ways to capture/modify audio and this intrigues me.

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joeyluck
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17 Aug 2018

sublunar wrote:
17 Aug 2018
Thanks for explaining. If I may ask, what are you recording with these? Performances? Foley/field recordings? Asking because I'm always interested in different ways to capture/modify audio and this intrigues me.
Mostly field recordings. No ASMR stuff lol. I have happened upon so many ASMR videos just researching the best binaural mics.

I'll probably record some shows that I work on to see how well I can capture sound from the audience's perspective. Since my designs often involve surround sound, these might help somewhat in hearing that in a recording with headphones. Being able to truly and properly experience that of course still requires you to be there in person, but binaural mics are particularly good when there is motion in the sound (such as something moving from the front to back). But if you listen to a recording, and it's just a sound playing in the back and not moving, you might not be able to place it's location. Visual reference also helps. But we'll see!

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selig
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17 Aug 2018

My only experience with anything binaural has been with the old Crown SASS microphone. It used the ear-spacing trick but not the outer ear design, and used Crown boundary microphones on basically a (well designed) box.
Image

The “reveal” as to the realism when listening on phones was when recording a test recording for a band during sound check, then playing back the recording and was about to take off the phones to ask the band to stop playing so I could hear the recording, only to realize they were not playing - the recording had actually fooled!

The best of these setups sound great over speakers too (or they would be too specialized for most use), so the advantage on phones comes almost as a bonus IMO.

The coolest (and weirdest) new binaural microphones I’ve seen are the 3Dio, which probably attract far too much attention and why I would consider the “in-ear” approach as Joey is doing.
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joeyluck
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17 Aug 2018

Yeah I had seen the 3Dio as well. Which for me, like the Neumann KU 100, would be great for placing somewhere stationary where you don't want it to move at all or somewhere you can't be and/or aren't available. And I agree...I figure, if you yourself are free and walking about, why not use your own head and ears :)

Also, these don't account for the head and focus on just the ears.

Not to say they aren't weird, as I'm sure they'd still turn most heads. I dunno if I'd call them the weirdest... At least when people look at those they can sort of relate to seeing a set of ears...

But then when they see you carrying this model around...lol
Image

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EnochLight
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17 Aug 2018

Similar to a camera, I feel like the best portable field recorder is the one that you have on you at all times. Hence, I use my iPhone.

I realize your phone is old as dirt, but maybe consider it an opportunity to upgrade your phone instead of buying another field recorder? You always have your phone in your pocket, and you'll likely never forget it. If you require a 3.5mm input or binaural mic, that may complicate things though.
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joeyluck
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17 Aug 2018

EnochLight wrote:
17 Aug 2018
Similar to a camera, I feel like the best portable field recorder is the one that you have on you at all times. Hence, I use my iPhone.

I realize your phone is old as dirt, but maybe consider it an opportunity to upgrade your phone instead of buying another field recorder? You always have your phone in your pocket, and you'll likely never forget it. If you require a 3.5mm input or binaural mic, that may complicate things though.
Yes indeed it does. Especially now that you need an adapter just to use headphones! Haha.

Zoom does have some nice attachable mics for iOS devices. What do you use with yours?

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EnochLight
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17 Aug 2018

joeyluck wrote:
17 Aug 2018
Yes indeed it does. Especially now that you need an adapter just to use headphones! Haha.

Zoom does have some nice attachable mics for iOS devices. What do you use with yours?
I've got the iPhone 7 Plus and usually end up using the built-in mic, since that's what I always have with me . :lol: But when I'm planning, I also have a Shure MV88 that works great, but it's a stereo condenser mic. I haven't tried a monaural mic with it yet. That said, in the Shure MOTIV app that comes with the mic, there are mono bidirectional settings which is pretty cool.
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selig
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17 Aug 2018

joeyluck wrote:
17 Aug 2018
Yeah I had seen the 3Dio as well. Which for me, like the Neumann KU 100, would be great for placing somewhere stationary where you don't want it to move at all or somewhere you can't be and/or aren't available. And I agree...I figure, if you yourself are free and walking about, why not use your own head and ears :)

Also, these don't account for the head and focus on just the ears.

Not to say they aren't weird, as I'm sure they'd still turn most heads. I dunno if I'd call them the weirdest... At least when people look at those they can sort of relate to seeing a set of ears...

But then when they see you carrying this model around...lol
Image
HA! Indeed…
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selig
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17 Aug 2018

joeyluck wrote:
17 Aug 2018
EnochLight wrote:
17 Aug 2018
Similar to a camera, I feel like the best portable field recorder is the one that you have on you at all times. Hence, I use my iPhone.

I realize your phone is old as dirt, but maybe consider it an opportunity to upgrade your phone instead of buying another field recorder? You always have your phone in your pocket, and you'll likely never forget it. If you require a 3.5mm input or binaural mic, that may complicate things though.
Yes indeed it does. Especially now that you need an adapter just to use headphones! Haha.

Zoom does have some nice attachable mics for iOS devices. What do you use with yours?
For iPhone stereo recording, I use a Zoom mic that uses the power input and has an 1/8" headphone jack built in - best of both worlds!
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ljekio
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18 Aug 2018

But Zoom mics haven't input for external mic with plug'n'power.
And I dunno about devices with that option.

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etyrnal
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18 Aug 2018

The Android app called field recorder is awesome.Image

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etyrnal
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18 Aug 2018

etyrnal wrote:The Android app called field recorder is awesome.Image

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Along with field recorder I use wavepad audio editor and Donin audio editor. Both of them are great. I use each of them for different reasons. One of them is overpriced. I can't remember which. I tried a lot of different audio editors.

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joeyluck
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18 Aug 2018

Yeah would still need to have a good mobile device and an adapter for mic input that can provide plugin power...

I prefer to go with dedicated hardware.

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joeyluck
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29 Aug 2018

For those following, I ended up buying a Zoom F1 to add to my tool box. It arrived today!

So far so good after some preliminary tests! The size and build are really great. And cool that I can use my H5 capsules with it and having the lav is an added bonus.

Now hopefully I will have some time in the near future to put it to use and get some cool binaural recordings :)

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