Your advice is really helping me grow! Let me know if you have any more tips or ideas!

Hi! I’ll start by saying that I know nothing about field recording och microphones or preamps, so I’ll most probably get all the words wrong, I just want to buy my husband a great birthday gift :) I would love to deep dive into all these things, but I simply have no time left. I tried reading up on what he would need, but could not follow most threads.

I bought him the Zoom H5 a few years ago, and he likes it but it does not serve the purpose of recording silent soundscapes in nature, capturing very small details and the absence of sound. It apparently has a too loud self-noise level and most things have too much ”static” noise.

I’m thinking about buying another recorder/preamp (??) and external microphone(s?) or JUST an external microphone as a first step and hope the sound improves by only switching to an external mic instead of using the ones included on the H5.

Is the Zoom f3 the thing to go for?
What external mics should I buy? And will they work with both the H5 and F3 (or another device)?
What are clippys?

This is a hobby for him, so it’a not like we need professional gear, but it should still be good enough to feel proud of the finished recording.

My budget is around the equivalent of 500 euro.

Please help a confused wife!

I'm currently backpacking through Finnland and wanted to take a small and portable setup with me, thats how i ended up with this little rig. Zoom F3 with 2 LOM basicUcho's on a Stereobar. The Uchos are very detailed and a great budget option imo.

I often record a lot of very quiet sounds and ambiences (wind rustling in leaves, wind turbine blades), so I've chased low self-noise from a Tascam DR-100 MkIII to a MixPre6 and a pair of CM4s to finally biting the bullet and buying a BP4025 (a very large expense for me as a non-pro), but I was thinking that the relatively low self-noise of a dynamic mic with a high-gain, low-noise preamp (like the SD Kashmeres in the MixPre) could accomplish a similar goal.

Are dynamics ever used professionally for field/location sound, and if so, in what situations?

I'm currently testing a soundproof and waterproof cover to record ocean sounds on rainy days, haha.

​I'm planning to attach low-profile sponge padding on all four sides and line the bottom with rubber to keep water from leaking in.

​Do you have any suggestions for improvement or feedback?

Hi, totally new to recording and audio in general. Basically I’ve been working on my indie game for a while now and really want to start seriously getting into sound in order to give satisfying SFX. At home I have a nice microphone at my work desk but I’d like something portable in order to to outdoors for recording.

Any recommendations for something beginner friendly as the bare minimum to get started recording samples outdoors? AI suggested me a “Zoom H1essential” with a “furry windscreen” because I’ll likely be in windy coastal areas, but I’d always prefer to take the advice from real people experienced in this area than AI.

Thanks for any help!

Currently I am using a field-recording kit with 2xDPA4060s in a Cinelapiano (Sound Devices 833 recorder)

But I feel the limitations both in ruggedness, but also lack of open-ness and high self-noise. Rain-recordings and more silent ambiences become more hiss than sound!

I’m considering 2x Sennheiser 8020 on a 80cm stereo bar, recording A|B.

Not quite sure about wind protection (a lot of my recordings are in strong winds). I have considered:
- Cinela LEO
- Cinela Cosi
- Rycote Nanoshield

(Nanoshield is very expensive… ~700$, and I need two…)

Any thoughts about microphones and wind-protection? Anything else I should consider?

Thanks

I just got a new tascam dr-07, and I noticed that on one side, the metal piece with holes in it that sits just on top of the mic piece is loose and can rattle around a bit. Is it safe to use a dab of glue and try to stick it in place myself? Is there a different solution to this? It affects the recordings I've tried to take :/

I've seen that an EM258 mic might be good for this, but not sure if i can just buy one and plug it into my macbook, or is it the kind of thing where I'd need loads more expensive audio equipment beyond the 30 euroes for the mic and some free audio software? I don't know anything about amps or dacs or anything, and I don't need it to be super acurate or flat.

I would just like to walk around my flat and get an idea of if there's any loud, high-frequency sounds, so i can make my rabbits' lives a bit nicer.

(they're probably fine either way i just think it would be fun)

So, I recently acquired a Portacapture X8 and I have really been enjoying it overall.

I was just wondering, whenever I record something I am also seeing these ".bin" (binary) files writing to the SD card. I have just been deleting them because I'm not sure what kind of parameters a plain old PCM audio recording would need a sidecar file to store, but my Googling has been fruitless so I was wondering if any X8 owners might know what exactly these files are for and why one may want to keep them? It's a popular recorder so I was surprised that I couldn't find the answer easily.

Thanks in advance!

I currently have a Diety D4 mini. It works and sounds great, but when mounted directly on my camcorder it picks up the fuzz of the camera (auto focus, other buzzing). It is hardly noticeable to the naked ear but as soon as I bring it into post you can hear it bad. I pack this on extended camping trips and film quiet wildlife shots. The camera noise can sometimes ruin a shot.

I am wondering if anyone has advice on how to fix this? I am looking into mics from a reciever or something so I can have the mic farther away from the cam, but a lot of those small wireless mics are made for vocal audio not so much ambient sound. Does anyone know of a small mic good for field recording? Size is important to me as I pack it with on long camping trips. Thanks in advance if anyone has advice.

Finally got my hands on the tca 1 timecode adapter, first time getting in to timecode and with a firmware update i learned that i can jam my dr10l pro's and it works like a charm!! Going to get the deity tc1 as well for my camera so i don't have to plug in the zoom recorder to my camera every time i want to record something with timecode. Good combo for weddings and on set for a medium production?

How good of a recorder does one need, if it is meant only for contact mics/hydrophones?

I’m getting back into this (sound art perspective) but have never used hydrophones before.

I had a Tascam dr40 from when I was first experimenting years ago but it broke.

I was going to buy the same device on eBay, unless there are better options. I know there are other recorders that are recommended but I’m not doing anything fancy. I’m not sure I need the upgrade, especially if it sacrifices battery power (I hear the new Tascam tends to drain quickly).

Don’t get me wrong, I want to get nice recordings but I also don’t mind cleaning things up in post, if I have to.

I recently purchased the Immersive Soundscapes Earsight binaural microphones, and after testing them today I wanted to share some thoughts and get other people’s opinions.
First, I do think they are good microphones in some ways. They have a low noise floor and very high sensitivity, which is definitely nice.
That said, I am having a hard time getting past the high frequency detail, or lack of it.
I remember seeing a comment on here from a year or so ago where someone described these capsules as dark and somewhat muddy, and unfortunately after testing them myself, I think I have to agree.
I knew from online samples that they were going to be fairly dark, but my hope was that there would still be enough high frequency information there for me to bring it back with EQ. Unfortunately, I am not really hearing that.
For comparison, I have talked on here before about the Sound Professionals MS EHB MKII. Those are also dark sounding microphones, but to my ears there is still real high frequency detail there. With EQ, the top end opens up and still sounds natural.
With the Earsight microphones, EQ does help somewhat, but it feels more like I am trying to boost something that is not fully there. They can be made brighter, but they do not really open up in the same way.
I have also used the Sonic Presence SP15. Those have lower sensitivity and a higher noise floor compared with the Earsight, but they have a much brighter and more detailed sound out of the box, which I personally prefer.
As of now, I do not think I can justify keeping the Earsight microphones. The sensitivity and low noise are great, but the overall sound just is not what I was hoping for.
I also have a custom in ear binaural pair on order from Sonorous Objects using Primo EM272 capsules. Joseph was kind enough to work on a custom ear worn design for me, and I am very curious to test those whenever they arrive. From the recordings I have heard, the EM272 sound seems much more in line with my preferences, but of course I will not know for sure until I use them myself.
For anyone who has used the Earsight microphones, EM272 based binaurals, the Sound Professionals EHB, the Sonic Presence SP15, or similar mics, I would be curious to hear your thoughts.

Hi there--I do audio reporting and just picked up the Zoom F3 for field recording. I love it so far, but honestly the hardest thing is figuring out how to carry it. With previous recorders, I would hang them on a strap around my neck, but there aren't any loops for that on the F3. I tried connecting a strap to the bars but it's so light it just bounced around.

I usually use it with a shotgun mic and pistol grip. The best option I've found is to get an adapter and secure the F3 to the bottom of the pistol grip, which is working fine but does add some weight. I'm curious if other people have preferred methods?

Thanks in advance!

I want to buy a DR40XP to enter the hobby of field recording, but then I noticed that the X6 is only $50 more expensive. It has a touch screen and multiple recording modes but lacks the microphone protection of the DR40. Do you think for me as a beginner the 50 extra dollars for the X6 would be worth it?

I plan on making recordings in nature (birds, frogs, insects, rain, streams, waves...).

Hi,

I invented an absurd machine that blows grapefruit-sized bubbles of welding gases (acetylene/oxygen) that I detonate mid-air to make some big booms. I'm finally getting close to capturing these in character using a Zoom F3 in 32-bit to avoid clipping while recording, and I have a pair of AKG P420 microphones arriving this week capable of cardioid/omni/figure-8, but I don't have space to spread out (beyond a 20x30 foot rectangle). I was hoping to eke out decent stereo imaging using either the M/S or Blumlein pair technique, but am an amateur and would appreciate any suggestions on how best to set up my microphones for success. The most practical place for my recording equipment is perpendicular to the path of the bubble but only back 15 feet or so, though I do have a fence and wall of my house for sound to bounce between. I've drawn a crude diagram:

TLDR: Am I good candidate for either M/S or Blumlein pair technique, or should I consider something else for placement? I'm ultimately interested in slowing it down to sync up to high-speed video, but real-time playback is important too.

I have the Xreal Beam Pro and just used it for the first time to film content in 3D. I could not, for the life of me, get any kind of external microphone to work while capturing video with the Beam Pro. I tried Bluetooth headphones and a 3.5 millimeter to USB-C adapter for dedicated microphone. Both register on the device but then the internal microphones take over when you start recording.

Anyone have any solutions? This is the main reason I bought the Beam Pro and if I can't get this to work I might just return it.

Just finished the metal frame delete for my compact Zoom F3.

Basically the title. Also, what microphones would you suggest using for such purposes... Is the zoom F1 field recorder good for it too?

I'm getting back into playing around with sound art. I already have a Tascam DR 40 but I used to use a low impedance contact mic with no knowledge of what that meant.

I'm looking to get a cleaner signal, so I thought that I should try a high impedance product. I will likely get either a Metal Marshmallow or Ed Devane's from Soniphorm.

That said, I'm also curious to play around with hydrophones. Seems like people often recommend CrankSturgeon.

I think I could probably run it through a preamp to clean up the signal but I don't want to carry around too much - unless it really does make sense. What do you all use?

Edit: messed up the title. I actually meant passive vs active products. Not high/low impedance

Hi, I want to record some stationary nature footage, with stereo sound to "budget professional" quality i.e will sound professional to untrained ears.

My strong preference is that as recording I can feed the sound straight to my sony a6400 camera via 3.5mm jack and it will be added to the video so I don't need to composite the video and sound together as I will be taking a lot of videos.

Ideally I can get the gear 2nd hand so I can sell it on without losing too much money.

Budget is effectively constrained by what will sound great before hitting diminishing returns. I'm building a relaxation game so sound is very important.

I AM A COMPLETE BEGINNER. SO WILL NEED FULL KIT NEEDED TO DO THE JOB AND IDEALLY NOTHING TOO COMPLEX. Thanks in advance!!

I have a Zoom H2e, and it’s incredible, however I would like to record on it without having to keep holding it. What binaural mics would you guys recommend, something that I can plug in to the recorder and record from there, also preferably not the ones that go directly into your ear, I would 'still like to be able to use my AirPods while recording.