Digital Audio Recorders - Recommendations?

[Flip Martian]

Well yesterday I was asking whether there were any USB turntables worth investing in, and it looks from reading around online that the USB bit is usually the weak link, if one is bothered about decent transfers, recording vinyl. So perhaps use the money to buy a better non USB machine.

So, changing tack slightly, does anyone use a digital audio recorder? I know you can buy small portable things with mics on to record sound onto memory cards but just wondered if anyone had any experience of one with line inputs? Analogous to a cassette deck in an old hifi system, recording sources thrown at it that I could then edit on PC later? Ideally recording to a lossless format, rather than MP3.

I am really trying to avoid hooking up my hifi to an external soundcard to then record all that into a laptop, then move those files to my studio PC for editing. I'm doing some browsing around but any personal experience would be useful. Thanks.

[nyt]

no personal experience, but this might help: http://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-relea...

[FurtiveFreddy]

Have you thought about using something like Audacity on an old laptop with a line input?

[TheRainMaker]

Zoom H4n or Zoom H6, I own both, they will be all you need

[Flip Martian]

Cheers for the reply chaps!

nyt said:

no personal experience, but this might help: http://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-relea...

Thanks, not quite the solution that would work for me within my budget.

FurtiveFreddy said:

Have you thought about using something like Audacity on an old laptop with a line input?

I have the software already - I do internet radio and music at home, so quite au fait with the software. Its the hardware side that needs sorting.

TheRainMaker said:

Zoom H4n or Zoom H6, I own both, they will be all you need

Thanks - yes, just been looking at Zooms. I'm thinking the 4 and 6 might be overkill for me - I just need straight stereo recording without all the multitrack stuff. The 1 or 2 might fit the bill just as well. Thanks for that - the sound quality seems superb.

[Flip Martian]

TheRainMaker said:

Zoom H4n or Zoom H6, I own both, they will be all you need

Having a look at each model, it looks like the inputs on the H4n are unbalanced, is that right? It looks like to record line level signals (from a stereo amp) I'd need to have attenuator adaptors on the inputs, would that be right? The build quality of the 4n looks far better than the 1 or 2 so was erring towards the 4n after all..

[TheRainMaker]

Flip Martian said:

TheRainMaker said:

Zoom H4n or Zoom H6, I own both, they will be all you need

Having a look at each model, it looks like the inputs on the H4n are unbalanced, is that right? It looks like to record line level signals (from a stereo amp) I'd need to have attenuator adaptors on the inputs, would that be right? The build quality of the 4n looks far better than the 1 or 2 so was erring towards the 4n after all..

No need for attenuators.

Will have to dig out the manual ref balanced inputs.

[Flip Martian]

TheRainMaker said:

No need for attenuators.

Will have to dig out the manual ref balanced inputs.

Thanks for that. Weird. There's two YouTube videos I found insisting they're required... Did seem unlikely. I'll see if I can dig up a manual online

[Flip Martian]

The manual seems to suggest that the xlr inputs are balanced but using phone jacks switches them to unbalanced. A bit of a pain as the leads are a bit more expensive. But do-able.