I am getting a field recorder, mainly for music performance. My choice, after research, narrow down to Tascam Dr40xp and Zoom H5Studio, whose specs looks similar on the paper (except that the zoom mic can be changed)

I would like to know if the built in mic in Zoom is better than in the Tascam, in terms of audio quality and build quality. The fact that the mic in Zoom made of plastic, make me think twice about how long it would last. Also the preamp noise floor on the paper looks similar, but in the real world is it different?

How would you recommend? Does anybody experience with both units?

Recently started my own project and as I live in a city urban environments are probably gonna be what I record the most. Anything out there that could give me some inspiration?

Hi everybody,

I just received a parabolic stereo microphone from Dodotronic that comes with a 3.5mm jack connector (PIP).

Since it's been expensive I don't really want to waste its potential by connecting it directly to my Sony a7V.

I am looking for a field recorder that has the following specs:

-32 bit audio

-stereo output

-PIP

-3.5mm jack input

-not a zoom h1/4essential

-affordable, ~300€ budget.

I've done some research on Reddit + AI and it seems that zoom F3 + jack to dual XLR PIP connector is my best bet but its gonna be at least 400€ (300 for the zoom, ~100 for the adapter) and on top of that i am not a fan of adapting cables.

Any idea?

Thank you

Hi there! ^-^

I am working on a college project; the main task is to find some menial, trivial or otherwise unnoticed type of 'signal', going unnoticed precisely because of its randomness, abundance/saturation, and thus the brains natural tendency to adaptively pay no mind to it. The next step would then be to gather enough recorded instances of XYZ to turn them into data, analyze them and chart them. The objective isn't to find patterns and then present them as some sort of discovery, it is explicitly to demonstrate how easy it is to..

A. impose arbitrary categories, ones that may be essentially identical, but the fact that one is looking at such a specific, non-specific 'thing' with such discriminating precision gives an invitation to maximize very menial differences.

B. find trends, correlation or causality through sheer volume of data points, whether there is or isn't anything present.

It was rather easy for me to decide that I would just pick.. noise - which essentially IS what was outlined in the task, so this is not exactly a decision . But I thought of very literal, audio(-visual) noise. I live in a very thin-walled and well-populated multi-story building, so sounds of all kinds (bangs, loud thumps, people stepping so hard that I start suspecting a sumo ringer is living above me..) are plentiful and, importantly, generally impersonal and meaningless.

So that's the cause + use case.

What i imagined was running my main Tower PC as a sort of hub that runs 24/7, with multiple microphones permanently on and listening, but only actually recording / saving anything to my hard drive when they do pick up something; this would force me to repeadetly find a noise floor, which might be the biggest problem, since without manual intervention it does not occur to me how I could automate the differentiation between eg. loud thumping (quantifiable, in the most basic sense) and an old fridge beggining to run a cooling cycle, buzzing continously for minutes, then turning quiet again..

I would want these to be very sensitive in the low dB range, even very low volume stuff should be clear and distinguishable when played back later. The microphones should also be directional and narrow at that, since I lack any location to run all this at, other than my own apartment. And seeing as I still want to move around in it, it would be cool if eg. me turning around in Bed didn't instantly completely crowd out everything else.

Advice for what type of setup would work for this is very appreciated, whether it be suggestions for affordable microphones, software solutions or other advice to help me get this thing on the road. Optimally all of the above of course, but anything helps as I have not done anything even remotely similar in my life, you can also dm me if you prefer I don't mind.

I'm totally open for compromise in any area, I am aware that this was more of a wishlist than hard criteria, but I don't know what I don't know so I haven't got a clue of the limitations or possibilities yet. Forgive me if it's a ridiculous proposition as it is standing now T^T

Thanks <3

Due to the 24bit nature of CLIP = BYE BYE, I tried to ''predict'' the strike of the thunder before it hit, thus adjusting the gain live as I recorded - moving up or down 2-7 points in gain

The challenge: the DR-40X plastic body made it hard, so I did it as quietly as possible by covering the button and using my fingertips to push the button end, not middle.

I will probably need a 32bit float recorder, but in the meantime, I'd be happy to hear your feedback and what could've been done differently, thank you.

First time testing the PRUTKA stereo pair mics -omnis, 110 ORTF - a bit more tha 17cm apart

Tascam DR-40X + PRUTKA PMO—01—S—XLR

+48V with gain 36

I did not expect these mics to be this sensitive and way warmer than my MKE600 ... it's beautiful!

Straight outta recorder

Recording telephone pole cables with a contact mic to re-create the iconic blaster sounds from Star Wars. You can also get this sound from lots of other sources like radio tower cables, bridges and a slinky. In this video I used a Oaka Instruments Tellus contact microphone, bluetack and the Zoom F8n Pro

Recorded at Praia do Santinho in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, this approximately nine-minute field recording captures Atlantic waves beneath a mist-covered mountain, with distant bird calls, swimmers, surfers, and people moving along the beach.

Captured using an iPhone 16 Pro Max with its built-in microphones while standing and holding a DJI phone mount by hand. This was done to maintain the best available vantage point, resulting in a little more movement than in some of my other field recordings with the mount on a stable surface.

I edited selectively to remove distracting human sounds, machinery, and the most intrusive periods of wind. Light EQ was applied to reduce wind noise while preserving the natural character of the waves and surrounding ambience. No music or additional sounds were added.

I’d be interested in feedback from other field recordists on how the coastal ambience comes across, particularly the balance between preserving the character of the location and controlling wind noise in an exposed beach environment.

https://youtu.be/5BH3wlzXJX8

Hi folks, wanted to present my first real product of field recording so far. Recorded on a Zoom F3 and a couple of Immersive Soundscape Earsight Omnis I tried to catch the ambience of Tokyo’s Yanaka Cemetery and the train tracks nearby. The mics were spaced probably around 25-30 cm apart from each other, which I now know is not ideal. The height of the mics was probably 90cm - 1 metre off the ground. I never knew recording these soundscapes would be so much fun. Still got a lot to learn but so far this community (and the other fieldrecording one that doesn’t do youtube links) helped immensely, thank you so much!

Recorded near Pedra Azul, Espírito Santo, Brazil, over approximately 90 minutes and carefully edited into this 28-minute field recording by removing only periods where excessive wind, vehicle noise, and other intrusive sounds overwhelmed the natural ambience.

Captured using an iPhone 16 Pro Max mounted on a DJI phone mount, using only the built-in microphones. No external microphone or added music.

I'd genuinely appreciate any feedback on the recording or suggestions for improving this kind of minimalist field recording setup in a cost-effective way. If anyone also recognizes any of the bird, insect, or other animal calls, I'd love to know the species and, if possible, the timestamp.

https://youtu.be/r41txYfXt3M

The following video captures the sound of the water waves forming from behind the boat, a chaotic but not too chaotic sound - STEREO

Tascam DR-40X

Gain 36

No filter/nr

No effect, just gain balance in post

Hi all,

I am new in the field recording game. My setup is pretty minimal: a Clippy EM272Z1 stereo mic, mounted on a holder I designed and 3D-printed myself on a small stereo bar and mini tripod, into a Zoom H1 Essential as the recorder.

Just uploaded my second video — an hour of rain with distant thunder, cleaned up and looped for length: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOYLJTnIVXU&t=18s

Would love honest feedback, especially on the recording itself — stereo image, handling noise, the loop point, anything that stands out to someone with more experience than me. Not trying to build hype, just want to get better at this.

Thanks for reading.

Something I have been working on a bit. Now I have a way to record and post on a map. Thought you would appreciate it.

https://listentoyourcity.com

Hi all, weird as it sounds, I bought a brand new Tascam DR-40 off ebay in 2014 and only just got around to unwrapping it.

I'd like to go into my city centre (will be incredibly noisy in general) and capture a bunch of sounds and I was wondering if you can recommend a cheap but decent mic for city recordings, if you think it's even necessary.

I know the Tascam isn't the best recorder but it's the one I have (together with deadcat protection), and I don't want to spend loads of cash for something that might be a temporary project, so the best band for the buck is what i'm looking for here. I don't know much (anything, really) about mics. I can get a used Sennheiser ME66/K6 from ebay for less than £50 but I have no idea if that's suitable for my use case.

Any tips?

Afternoon fellas,

i'm comparing the SO.3 LAVs with the MikroUŠI Pro for nature sounds and stereo recordings.

The difference in price is 100€ (SO.3 import tax US-CROATIA)

In a stereo image, isn't it better to have a cardioid pair than an omni pair?

The recordings were made on June 6, 2026.

As basic materials, I used a piece of Styrofoam clamped in a vice, a small bamboo stick, a metal spinner, as well as the contact microphones in my possession.

Equipment used:

KORG CM 300
SYROInstruments
Geophon interharmonics
Metal Marshmallow Pro

Recorder: Zoom F3

Dry and Wet version for each microphone