After spending the entire December testing different equipment, in
different combinations, this would be my personal choice of a BUDGET equipm=
ent:
Edirol R-09 because of it's low price, very easy to use and
trouble-free function. Never a problem with it. It is quick to start
and use. It has regular 1,5V standard batteries. What I dislike is
the "tremolo" effect which is applied during monitoring, but it is
not recorded.
Then I would chose my own mic amp, as the mic input of the Edirol is a joke=
.
Zoom H4 is also a joke. Except you don't laugh. My advice is to
forget it. Next model might be better.
I have seen ads as: "At last - a mini four-track recorder for the
highest quality studio recordings!"
Why isn't it a one year jail penalty for such advertising??
MicroTrack 24/96 has a much better mic preamp than the Edirol, (as
good as the HiMD???) - but it's handling is troublesome. Example: I
takes time to load the firmware. I always have problems to connect it
to my PC. The toggle switch has a contact bounce which often makes it
move two or three steps, even if I touch it only once. Thereby it's
easy to erase the wrong recording. It's phantom power is unreliable.
I don't like that it has a internal accu, which means that you have
to have a special battery powered charger with a USB output, to
recharge with. (Is such a charger available?? Can you use the 24/96
for recording, while charging it?)
I have not tested the 24/96 phantom power with the NT1A. If it works,
it would maybe make it a better choice than the Edirol.
So: If you know that you are not going to use phantom power for some
time, go for the Edirol and a simple, but low noise, preamp. If you
have NT1A's or MKH mic's TRY!!!! them with the MT 24/96 before you
buy! Listen carefully for "hiss", in a very quiet environment. It
COULD BE a better choice than a Edirol + a preamp with phantom power.
HiMD has excellent sound quality for it's price, but is troublesome.
It makes mechanical noise which is picked up by the mic, you have to
wait while it writes to disc etc... Sonys Sonic Stage can't make
anybody happy...?
But as a super-budget recorder, the NZ700 is fully acceptable.
NOTE: I have NOT tested the new HiMD model!!!
This is not the final word about equipment, just my own personal judgements=
.
Klas.
Telinga Microphones, Botarbo,
S-748 96 Tobo, Sweden.
Phone & fax int + 295 310 01
email:
website: www.telinga.com
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