Knight Digital Media Center
Multimedia and Technology Training At the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
Multimedia and Technology Training At the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
Olympus WS-300 series dictation recorder ~ $75 - $150 | |
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| Expect a "hiss" sound on your recordings. Great for note taking, terrible for multimedia. If you're on a budget, we recommend using a professional microphone. It won't be perfect, but the difference will be dramatic. | |
Samson Zoom H2 ~ $200 | |
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| A great sounding recorder that offers very high quality audio at a great price. It is marketed to garage bands that want to record music, so it includes surround sound capability with the built-in mics. However, these features aren't very useful to journalists. One of the drawbacks is that the menus are hard to see, especially in the field. Adjusting the audio levels is clunky and done by pulling up a menu. Other drawbacks include: no XLR input, and SD-only (No SDHC support) option limits you to 4gb cards maximum. But you really can't argue with the price. | |
Tascam DR-1 ~ $250 | |
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| A good recorder at a very good price. It has a "balanced" tip-ring sleeve (TRS 1/4" Stereo Jack) mic input which is just like XLR, except that it's easier to pull it out of the socket by accident. We don't have a lot of personal reports on this device, but on paper it looks like a really good deal. The only possible issue is that it takes special rechargeble batteries that could die in the field. But, they are removable so you can buy several backups. | |
Samson Zoom H4 ~ $300 | |
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| Likely one of the cheapest (if not the cheapest) recorder that includes XLR inputs. These XLR inputs really lift the quality of the signal from microphones, and to top it off, the inputs double as TRS inputs. The audio quality is also really good, and this recorder is fully capable of field reporting. Some of the drawbacks include the same issue the H2 runs into. It's made of light plastic which is very susceptible to hand noise. Also the LCD is hard to see, and the audio levels are difficult to set, especially in the field. | |
M-Audio Microtrack II ~ $300 | |
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| This is a really good sounding recorder that consistently gets great reviews for its ability to capture clear, crisp audio and its inclusion of a TRS 1/4" Stereo Jack. However, this recorder suffers from one fatal flaw: its non-removable rechargeble battery. If this device dies on you in the field, you're pretty much out of luck. However, we have heard of one work-around that many organizations have used: you can charge this device with a mini-USB plug - the same type of plug used on many cell phones. So, this allows you to use a portable cell phone charger and gives you some extra time. | |
Marantz PMD 620 ~ $400 | |
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| Marantz's higher end PMD 660 is considered the bread-and-butter of audio recorders. The 620 is Marantz's attempt at courting a prosumer market, however this device's first debut was plagued with some issues. The monitor sound in the earphones was delayed from the real sound, which drove operators crazy. Reports are that this was fixed in a firmware upgrade. Otherwise reviews have been good. The 1/8" mini jack is located at the top of the device which makes it easier to use while in a pocket or small bag. | |
Edirol by Roland R-09 ~ $400 | |
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| Edirol has always been well known in the audio industry as making some of the top tier equipment, and this model is no different. High quality audio, easy to read LCD displays and plenty of features make this recorder one of the better of the bunch. But, at this price range it lacks some of the features one would typically like to see, like TRS or XLR inputs. However, the mini 1/8" stereo jack is conveniently located at the top of the device, so that it can be used in a pocket or pouch. The built-in condenser eletret mics are touted by the manufacture as superior quality, however in our tests we found that an external hand-held dynamic mic did a much better job hands down. | |
Olympus LS-10 ~ $300 | |
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| This is one of the best audio recorders for its size. It is very highly reviewed, incredibly compact, and performs phenomenally. It comes with 2 gigabytes of built-in memory, but with an SD expandable memory slot. The display is easy to read, and the built-in mic is pretty good considering it's a hand-held. The biggest drawback of course is the price. This recorder will easily put a hole in your wallet, but it's compact nature makes it an attractive option for reporters who may want to use it for both note-taking and clear multimedia audio capture. | |
Sony PCM D50 ~ $500 | |
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| This recorder just feels good in the hand. It's aluminum body screams durability, the knobs are incredibly smooth and the buttons are very accessible. While the form factor is the high point of this device, the price doesn't really justify the features when comparing this to other recorders in its price range. It does come with four gigabytes of built-in memory; something that would have probably been more attractive before the price of 2gb of SD memory dropped to under $20. The mini plug is built of metal making it more durable than other recorders with this same jack. This recorder also only records in Stereo tracks. It's a great recorder all around and people who buy it seem to be very happy with its purchase. It has a very loyal following among audiophiles. | |
Marantz PMD 660 ~ $500 | |
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| Currently, one of the most common digital audio recorders used for professional news gathering. Used by almost all of the staff at National Public Radio for field recording, this device pretty much has it all. Two XLR inputs, phantom power, CF card slot and to top it off it uses AA batteries. It's a very simple device to use, and it's really easy to set the audio levels using a knob on the top. It's bulkier than some of the newer hand-held recorders on the market, and it has a very plastic feel to it. The built-in speaker is pretty much worthless, and the built-in mic is very susceptible to handling noise and button presses. The School of Journalism at UC Berkeley purchased about a dozen of these, and we found that the earphone jack has consistently broken on several of these devices. Also, the radio program here at the school has detected high EQ hiss that occurs due to a hardware flaw in the preamp. A company called Oade Brothers will sell these devices with a hardware modification for an extra fee. | |
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