Wilco Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Do these little things pick up bass ok if positioned in the right spot in a rehearsal room? Any advice on devices that work well in the above context much appreciated. Looking to get one that doesn't cost the earth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andydye Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 had a first go with my zoom h4n at last week's rehearsal and it captured everything, at listenable quality, I took it as a trial and just sat it next to my knee on top of a case, everything is audible and with better placement of it I'd be happy to use it for demo recordings, the bass is clear and deep, electric guitar is crisp, vocals are present and sound good (if distant but that's down to where the unit was sat). I was just using the inbuilt stereo pair of mics too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Zoom devices are great for sticking in a corner and pressing play and forgetting all else bar the level. If the band mix is ok... Zoom will deal with it well enough. They have a very generous sweet spot for recording and the mic compresses well enough. If you have a screwed mix on these..your rehearsal mix would have been very poor anyway For a plug n play device at their price point, I'd say they are pretty unbeatable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacko Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 You can pick up the mark 2 version of the Zoom H2 on evilbay pretty cheap. (comes packaged with the power supply, mini tripod, cables etc. I've used one for quite a while and find the sound quality is excellent. good enough to use on your band website or example. Has 4 mics so you can record in 'surround sound' or stereo . Gives you plenty of options for setting up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Another vote for the Zoom recorders. I have the "H1" which is the basic version, and I'm happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 I've had great results from a Tascam DR07. Once you get positioning and levels right they're great - certainly good enough for rehearsals or pub demos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 I used to have a Zoom H2N and got fed up with the interface/buttons. Found it was pretty unintuitive but it may just have been me. Sound quality was ok. Sold it and bought an Olympus LS14 and I think its huge improvement. Particularly with the bass sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panamonte Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 (edited) +1 for the Zoom H4n. I've been using mine regularly for a couple of years now to record rehearsals & gigs, to capture ideas I have when I'm playing around at home (without having to fire up all the studio gear), and for work (recording radio interviews). Very dependable and versatile - there's a 4 track recorder with effects tucked away in there too. Edited December 11, 2015 by Panamonte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japhet Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 We use a Tascam DR 05 and get very good results with it. Dead simple and we've got a decent live demo for next to nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.c60 Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Another Zoom HN4 user. I record most rehearsals and a lot of our gigs with it. As others have said, what you get is down to how the band sounds, but actually I find that a good thing - it records what you actually sound like in the room! If you don't like it.....you know you have to change something. For rehearsal recordings I use the mic stand attachment so I can put it where it works best from experience in our regular rehearsal room, and get good results every time. Recording at the highest sample rate gives you about 3 hours, which is plenty. Combined with simple editing and labels via Audacity works for me to split it into tracks and convert to mp3. Recording rehearsals is a great way to remember exactly what it was you all decided about tops and tails etc. but be prepared to invest some time editing, labelling and archiving if you want to get the best out of it. There's no point in having hours of recordings if you can't find what you want! One thing - they eat batteries, so if you are recording something that's important to you and where you need to put it means you can't use the mains adapter, always use a fresh set, but this can get expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Used the Zoom HD and it works pretty well. Got mine new from Soundslive in Newcastle for £70 but think they have been bought over by someone ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockfordStone Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 i use a tascam dr-2d and it records the practices pretty well. i find its all about the location Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 (edited) Our keyboard player has a Zoom H4n and records all rehearsals, gigs etc. I always find the sound to be pretty good and rounded - the bass sound is usually very good - and the balance is good - if the band are balanced in the first place! It has fallen off his keyboard a couple of times and has had one of its mics superglued back on, but it is still going strong. He did say that he uses his with batteries only to save messing about with a PSU but it eats batteries, which may be a consideration. Edited December 11, 2015 by Huge Hands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 (edited) I've got a Zoom H2 as well, and have had it for over 7 years. Very versatile device - I've used it on low sensitivity to record band rehearsals, at which it performs admirably. It's bass response could be better, but I wouldn't be surprised if newer iterations improve upon that. I've also used it on medium sensitivity to capture close-up vocal work, and I'm very pleased with how it performs in that role too. Minor complaints are: [list] [*]the hinge for the SD card slot trapdoor is weak, and has broken. This just means that there's no cover over the SD card slot, it still works fine. [*]I've never been able to get it to work as a USB microphone - I get a lot of stuttering, and have never found out how to fix that. It just means that I'm constrained to recording onto the SD card and then transferring the files to my computer. [*]User interface is a bit awkward. Again, I hope that newer versions have improved upon this. [*]Battery life isn't spectacular - you get about 4 hours out of a pair of AA batteries. I recommend a decent stash of low-discharge rechargeables and a good charger to go with them. [/list] S.P. Edited December 11, 2015 by Stylon Pilson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Zoom H2n user here, and I'm very happy with the rehearsal recordings it picks up, including the bass. It accurately captures the PA and acoustic limitations of our rehearsal room Gain set to manual, gain wheel down to ZERO and it doesn't clip, but only just Placement in the room is probably important (like don't sit it next to the drums). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHW Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 I'm not sure of the model but our vocalist sometimes uses a little zoom jobby to record live gigs, the sound is always pretty good and the bass is always there in the mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 ZOOM! Why not record the performance too in glorious HD along with superb stereo sound? I've used the Q3HD for years - the Q4 and now the Q8. Love upgrading! The Q8 for example allows you to record on stereo mics and run a stereo line in feed as well as the video stream with the option of having all five media streams separate for editing later! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyd Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 [quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1449827741' post='2927187'] We use a Tascam DR 05 and get very good results with it. Dead simple and we've got a decent live demo for next to nothing. [/quote] I've got one of these and it's great for live recordings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 I too use a Zoom. It records perfectly well. Its weak spot, for me, is I have never found it easy to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1449825450' post='2927129'] Zoom devices are great for sticking in a corner and pressing play and forgetting all else bar the level. If the band mix is ok... Zoom will deal with it well enough. They have a very generous sweet spot for recording and the mic compresses well enough. If you have a screwed mix on these..your rehearsal mix would have been very poor anyway For a plug n play device at their price point, I'd say they are pretty unbeatable. [/quote] what he said. A bit of experimentation will allow you to find the best place to place the recorder, but you'll get a decent recording anywhere, really. I use a Zoom H2. So many of our songs have come out of jams that were recorded in this little thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameronj279 Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 We use a Zoom Q3 to record all of our rehearsals. It's enough for us to hear each instrument clearly. Can send you over some recordings so you can get an idea of the audio quality if you wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassman Steve Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 (edited) Zoom H2 with the limiter set to Live 2 and you can't go wrong (at least I haven't. Never had any problems and can get very decent results out of it. I believe there are some limitations if you rely on the battery - I recall some functions don't operate when it's being powered by the battery. Edited December 12, 2015 by Bassman Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 I know the quality might not be there but I just took my laptop along to rehearsals last week, recorded them using audacity and the laptops microphone did the job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Adding a data point to the already made point, I use the zoom z2n for both rehearsals and gigs, I like to listen to parts of gigs afterwards if there was something that messed up to find out what went wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 I'm just so pleased with how the Zoom recorders pick up a stereo sound field! - With such clarity and don't distort like c@ppy 'phone microphones do. A while ago, I very carefully recorded a thunder storm and for a laugh played it back on a separates cinema system with a nice big sub. Frankly, with the volume cranked, it was lie being outside again. Very impressive in the lows and crystal clear in the highs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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