Zoom H2 Handy Recorder
Quality digital recorders have shrunk to the point where they fit *inside* a hi-fi microphone, like this Zoom model. You can hold the mic and the recorder in one hand. This very compact recorder/mic can capture music in the studio or in the field at surprising high audio quality in stereo. I am more interested in recording voice and sounds for radio, and flash-card-based units like this one are more than adequate for that purpose. I was guided to the Zoom by the audio geeks at Transom, an online hangout for radio journalists. They review the best gear for NPR reporters and the like. (This stuff changes quickly so check Transom's tool area for the latest recommendations).
I've been using the Zoom H2 because it was among the least expensive choices for a professional level digital sound recorder. It contains its own decent microphones (no fooling around with auxiliary plugs, boosters, adapters, etc.), it records on cheap flash cards, it has an earphone jack so you can monitor the actual feed, and it comes with a nifty removable handle so I can hold it in front of interviewees. It also comes with a short mini-stand for studio recording. The Zoom H2 gets good marks for the quality of the mic and stereo recording. The resulting edited files sound as crisp and full as anything you'll hear on radio or CD. And the street price for this microphone/recorder combo is about $180.
Remember when $200 digital cameras were able to take a picture as rich and detailed as a professional 35mm camera? Recorders like the Zoom H2 have crossed a similar threshold for sound. For under $200 you can record music, voice, sound at a quality nearly undistinguishable (for 95% of uses) from anything a professional model would do.
-- KK
Zoom H2 Handy Recorder
$168
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Samson
Zoom H2 on Wikipedia
Favorite (15)
Splicer
Let me add a personal endorsement of this product. I work as a Production Director in a "major metropolitan" radio station (remember radio?) and use this product on a regular basis. It's perfect for on-the-street interviews or press conferences and I've even used it to record interviews that, lo and behold, came out sounding excellent. It's lightweight, portable and digital - my dream come true.
Paul McEvoy
You might also want to check out the Olympus LS-10. The Zoom has some documented shortcomings, the LS-10 is maybe the first of these recorders to not have some fatal flaw. The file structure system is really annoying, and the start stop button is really bright and kind of a pain but otherwise the thing seems bomb proof. I've had it for 4 months now and really like it, and use it constantly. Here's a review:
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2008/05/22/olympus-ls-10-recorder-review.html
Paul
paulmcevoy.net
Kelly Walker
I bought the H2 before the LS-10 was released and if I had it all to do over again, I'd pick up the LS-10. The internal speaker alone would be a very welcome addition.
Still for a lot of folks getting into quality audio recording, the price differential is enough to make a difference and I wouldn't dissuade anybody from trying the H2. In fact, I just had an enterprise client buy two for gathering field sound for their podcasts. I still use my Marantz PMD660 for most pro work, but having any "point-and-shoot" recorder in this class in my bag all the time has let me catch a lot of everyday sounds I would have otherwise missed.
A nifty accessory you might consider picking up for the H2 is a tabletop camera tripod like this:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=workaround.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=247932&is=REG
The tripod that ships with the H2 is a bit low and offers limited isolation from sounds created by bumping the surface on which it sits. The tripod linked above also makes a nice mic handle, which lets you pack one item that does the job of two.
Michael Clark
I bought several of these units for field interviews, and I second the recommendation. The sound quality is stunning, and with the microphone patterns the imaging is very good; I was able to listen to a recording of a focus group and could hear where everyone in the group was sitting. I haven't tried recording live music with the recorder yet, but I imagine that the results will be equally as good in that application.
Film Pigs
We use the H2 to record our DVD commentary podcasts (16-bit/44.1kHz WAV recording, converted to 32kbps MP3 in Audacity for a reasonable download size). Aside from the minor clunkiness of the tiny display, the unit works great and the price was right. Also, it records at least 3 1/2+ hours on a single set of batteries (our longest recording test). - http://www.filmpigs.com
Davey
If you're going to do professional-level audio, you probably want to edit what you've recorded. For those of us who don't do Windows, the format then becomes a crucial parameter. Any hints on which recorders use open, or at least truly multiplatform, audio formats?
TL Gilbert
Wow!
The H2 looks ok, but I'm all excited about Transom!
More pro audio production info than you could shake a stick at...
(Their comprehensive reviews also made me want to look harder at the LS-10 than the H2)
Kevin Kelly
Yes, the LS-10 may very well be superior. But it costs more than twice as much; I am not sure it is twice as better. I would call the H2 an entry level machine.
J.E.B.
I have pro-quality (and price) audio gear in my house, and I've recorded loads of times in actual pro studios. One of the guys I play music with bought one of these Zoom H4s and I had pretty low hopes for it, but I am absolutely _floored_ by how good the sound quality is. Combine that with the feature set and convenience factor and the H2 and H4 are insane deals. I'm going to buy an H2 for myself.
Gary
I recently bought one of these Zoom H2's as well, after comparing other brands and the Zoom H4, as well. The September 2008 issue of Recording magazine has a glowing review of the unit, as does the O'Reilly website (where the audiologist there compares all recent models from other manufacturers, too).
I bought mine for field recording and live music.
Something not mentioned here yet - the unit has FOUR microphone capsules - both in X/Y orientations. The front mics are at a 90 degree angle, and the rear mics are at 120 degrees. When using all four mics at once, the unit creates two two-channel files. You can then import them into a couple of different programs on Mac and Windows, and from there, create a 6-channel 5.1 DTS recording that can be played back on any surround sound system that can decode DTS discs!! I can't wait to record some live music in this way..
Oh, and by the way, the file formats it records are open standards - WAV and MP3, at various bit depths and sampling frequencies.
Gary
Kevin,
Append to my previous comment that both the H2 and H4 function as USB audio interfaces, and the H4 is also a 4-track recording studio..
Curtis
It's unclear to me - is this device problematic for Mac users?
Kevin Kelly
@ Curtis, I have a Mac, it is not problematic, but I just use a card reader instead of trying to mount it as a drive - which I have not tried.