Field recorders

if I didn’t already had a Zoom F6, i would get this new Tascam one, 32bit float alone is worth the money, thou there are slight problems with all 32bit float recorders, but they are very rare and very specific, so kinda easy to avoid most of the times.

I’ve tried a few Gorillapods, I didn’t like those and too expensive.
The Ulanzi Octopus tripods are better and much cheaper also :smiley:

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Ordered. Thanks!

Asked tascam about the mics on the portastudio and if they were capable of ultrasonic recording. Not a very surprising answer, bit thought I’d share it anyway :slight_smile:

Thank you for your interest in Tascam products.
The built-in microphones of the Portacapture X-8 are constructed for musicality and neutral accuracy, but not measurement purposes.
For properly capturing signals above 30 kHz please refer to specialized microphones or measurement mics. If they have an XLR output and can run on 48V or 24V phantom power, the X-8 would be a great recorder for such signals.

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This thing looks such af. Only wish it had 1/4” or XLR outputs to be more at home in a live setting.

Brand new out later this year is the Zoom F3 compact field recorder. Two channel 32 bit floating point at up to 192 kHz.

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I love this recorder. Small, portable, battery inside, good sound. Awesome!
Biggest problem with it, I tend to forget to take it with me.

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Wow, I was eyeing the new Tascam X8 (to reolace my ageing Zoom H4n), but the new Zoom F3 might fit my needs even better!

Edit: announced for 349 euros on Thomann.de

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I wish Zoom would make a 32bit recorder with built-in mics…

I’ve had the Tascam X8 on order from Thomann since December but the delivery keeps being pushed forward. The Zoom F3 is also listed as within 10-13 weeks so it could be a while before it actually becomes available, unless Zoom has their supply better sorted.

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What are those probs?

There have been reports of issues with recording

Oof that seems like bad interference noise in the circuit… 192khz is not my main intended use for this. 48khz is fine for me. But it sure seems ludicrous putting out that feature with such noise up there.

I have one very short Tascam experience: DR-100mk3. Swiftly returned it when it appeared extremely prone to picking up RF from cell phone, wifi, etc…

I am so unlucky with my search to replace my H2N. After the DR-100mk3 failure I ordered a Sony PCM-D100. They were being retired at that point and Thomann still had one in stock for very reasonable price. I wasn’t home when the delivery came. It was dropped at a pick-up point night shop. Window blinds were down and the shop never reopened. I never heard from the investigation by UPS and Thomann. Thomann put a new order in for me. Was going to take 2 months but they guaranteed it would come, to my surprise. Waited 2 months, 3 months and after 4 months I canceled and got a refund.

It’s an Olympus recorder, right? I have a DM-550, which is about 13 years old. But it sounds much better than my Zoom H2N.

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That’s nice. Fits my purpose better as well.

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If you want that kind of clean, you’re probably going to have to step up to the Sound Devices stuff. Shouldn’t have to, but.

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No definitely not… Those 2 noise tones look just like the interference I was getting on the pre-amp circuit prototypes for a sound art project of mine. But I hardly know what I’m doing. On the other hand, you’d think a corp like Tascam would know…

IMHO if you don’t foresee needing combo-jacks, then the F3 is a great choice. However, it’s lack of even a 1/8" stereo plug-in-power input was a deal breaker for me. I also like having 1/4" inserts for things like EMF recordings, which is why I ended up with the Tascam X8. The artifacts at 50khz and above (when recording in 32/192) are definitely there, but they haven’t presented any real use case issues for me yet, and one could easily remove them in post, if you’re the type to pull up all your audio recordings in Spectralayers or iZotope RX anyways. Not trying to deter anyone from the F3 by any means. Just doesn’t offer enough flexibility for me.

You have one? How is it in use? Do you hear touchscreen manipulations when using the internal mics?

Yup! The internal noise and handling noise isn’t bad. It’s a little sturdier than my H4n Pro, therefore the handling noise is better when using the attached XY/AB mics, especially if you’re using any grip attachment instead of just holding it in your hand. More times than not, you won’t be messing with the screen or the levels while you’re recording, you’d set them prior by hitting record once which allows you to monitor the audio and set levels, then hit record a second time to start the recording. So, I can’t comment definitively on the touchscreen manipulations but I’ll play around with it today.

I usually use Clippys (same capsules as the wonderful but typically sold out LOM UsiPros) on a tripod (stationary) or clipped to my backpack straps if I’m mobile. This allows me to leave the recorder in my bag. I have the bluetooth adapter, so I can monitor levels from my phone’s screen if I need to. The mobile app ended up being pretty nifty and responsive. Worth reiterating that the bluetooth adapter does not transmit audio to external devices, it simply serves to allow you to use a phone/tablet to control the unit’s touchscreen.

Hope this helps. Check out FreeToUseSounds if you’re interested in seeing more examples of the X8 in the wild and an honest review of its pros/cons.

EDIT: And the bluetooth adapter is sold separately, which is annoying, but most companies are going that route. :rage:

Update: @dtr Confirming no discernible touchscreen manipulation/tapping noises when recording.

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Ah yeah , overlooked that :sweat_smile:. Need jacks

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