I'm not audio expert, but I recently had to answer a similar question for
recording frogs with a similar budget. My research (which didn't include
this list unfortunately) lead me to the LS-10.
I'm not sure there is another $200 recorder that can beat it.
The new LS-14 looks comparable, but I much prefer the old fashioned manual
gain control dial on the LS10/10s/11.
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, TX
From:
On Behalf Of Iowa Tom
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2012 11:28 PM
To:
Subject: [Nature Recordists] What to buy to record insect stridulations
Hello all. I just joined this group to seek advice about buying a portable
digital recorder to obtain decent cricket/katydid stridulation sounds. For
years I've had a tiny condenser mic planted some 100 feet in back of my
house, out near a graveyard fence. A little preamp propels the audio signal
through a coax cable I planted underground. It ends at an amp upstairs. It'=
s
a super cheap setup yes, but it has enabled me to hear all kinds of sounds
of things I did not previously know were in the cemetery, or my yard. I cal=
l
the experience, "camping out, indoors". I love hearing the audio in the
background while I work at the computer.
Anyway, I figure that I better get going with recording some of what I love
to hear before I lose the ability to hear it. Born in 1950, and not getting
any younger, I can no longer hear the high pitch katydid chirps but can at
least get an idea of what I used to hear by lowering the pitch with
audacity.
Is there a unit - around $200.00 or so - that an amateur like myself would
probably be pleased with? I have been ordering through B&H for decades.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Portable-Digital-Recorders/ci/14934/N/424=
8
Message: 627700.
Subject: I sure would like to start with a unit with a built in mic.
Here are some of the recorder requirements I read about.
(1) option of manual recording level setting
(2) display of recorded level
(3) microphone input
(4) designed for music recording
(5) capable of recording in at least CD format
(6) Ein of better than -116dBu
(7) uncompressed recording format of at least stereo 44.1kHz sampling/16
bits
(8) record up to 96 kHz
Thanks!
Tom Iowa USA
|