Thanks for sharing Grazie.

I'm fighting my inner equipment junkie .... I don't really need it, but ..........

Incidentally, do you know how the "Skip to the Demo" button is put there? Can it be done in progs such as Vegas? Would be very handy, a bit like chapters,

Point 1 - Yes me too!

Point 2 - Yes, I know that SKIP is real neat! You can place buttons on a DVDA Video - yes . . ?

G

ps . . . Zoomh6 or iZoIII . . ? Or even BOTH! Madness . . .

I believe you can do this using annotations within YouTube itself.
To jump forward you use YT's ability to create a link that's an entry point in the video so it plays from say 10 seconds. Then in the annotation you add that link.

Bob.

Thanks Bob - I'll try that next time I upload.

MARANTZ PDM661 MK 11.

Costs more, but is rugged, dependable and exceptional quality recording.
Use one all the time for radio freelance work.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/898192-REG/Marantz_pmd661mkii_Marantz_PMD661_MKII_Professional.html

May be able to find older model PDM 661 used or even the PDM 660 for reasonable cost.
They don't die easily.

After reading about a distortion test someone did on the zoom recorders and how bad they were, I tested my zoom H4 using my HP8903A audio test instrument and found that the external mike inputs are TERRIBLE for distortion. At any level and gain setting.

I was wondering why it sounded so bad when I used the external inputs. It seems to sound OK using the internal mikes - much harder to test the distortion of those.

So I bought a couple of Tascam units, a DR100 and and a DR40. They sound great. Tascam specs the distortion, zoom does not and it's obvious why. Plus the user interface on the Tascam boxes is on a different, and much better planet than the zoom devices.

my $0.02.

rocky

You get what you pay for IMHO.
Does Fisher Price make the Zoom recorders?
The Tascam DR-60D 4-Channel Linear PCM Recorder looks pretty cool.

You're right, the H4N doesn't have the greatest specs but in real-world use it has been more than adequate (except for having to use an external pad on the line-level inputs.) With line-level inputs, there is typically more noise and distortion coming from the mixer and microphones anyway. That said, the higher-end Tascam recorders have always had impressive specs, even my old Tascam DAP-1 portable DAT machine had excellent microphone preamps. The Zoom H4 had all sorts of design flaws, the H4N was a magnitude better and I'm expecting the H6 to be even better. There are instances where I can really use six channels in the field and I can't justify buying a Sound Devices 788T recorder, the H6 is currently the most cost effective solution.

Here's a review of the H4N with measurements taken with a Rohde & Schwarz UPL audio analyzer: It ain't pretty.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/audio/zoom/h4n.htm

"Here's a review of the H4N with measurements taken with a Rohde & Schwarz UPL audio analyzer"

Sadly, you don't see many quality reviews like this these days. So often the reviews are merely regurgitation of published manufacturers data.

Love my R-44. however if you are recording something really quiet (whipsers, pins dropping) it really helps to put a better preamp in front of it. I think that's true of most of these smaller field recorders. but 99% of the time it's fine on it's own. I also use a ksm32 instead of a shotgun in most cases. I've always wondered if I should have gone with the Marantz, but I've seen people use preamps in front of that too.

edit:
One really nice thing about the r44 is that it boots really quick, like 2 seconds, hit record and go. no fumbling around > dedicated buttons for record/stop/playback.

as opposed to (from the review):
"It takes several seconds to turn on, sometimes 30 seconds while it "loads.""

Everyone needs to break the piggy bank open and just go for it :)
Nagra SD
It's under $1,000 at B&H and offers different mic options, depending on your needs.

Mike

I remember the Nagra open reel portable recorder. News reporters used them all the time. It was built like a tank. However, we are now in the digital age and presumably a very different company. Have you seen any quality reviews that talk about performance rather than features?

Peter, i googled it and came across the following (hopefuly worthwhile) reviews,
http://www.stithrecording.com/index.cfm/product/74_15/sd-ultra-portable-solid-state-recorder.cfm
http://www.wildlife-sound.org/equipment/recorders/nagra-sd/index.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/indepth/audio/hands-reviews/hands-review-nagra-sd
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/remote-possibilities-acoustic-music-location-recording/631785-nagra-sd.html

Mike

Thanks Mike

The reviews by Richard Mudhar (see second link) include objective noise measurements. The equivalent input noise when A weighted of several instruments he measured are as follows, in dBu (which is -2.2 dB re 1 volt) for gain set to about -50 dBu for 0 dB full scale in each case:

Nagra SD -109
Zoom H4n -115
Zoom H4 -114
Zoom H2 -99
Edirol R09HR -118
Olympus LS10 -121

The Nagra is the second worst in that group. The noise may still be sufficiently low for many recording situations, however.

In the original post, the problem of hand generated noise was raised. In The Nagra SD review, Mudhar says:

I found that hand muscle noises got through to the recording at high gains if holding the machine bare, but using the leatherette case vastly improved this

I used the Nagra SD once and I couldn't believe that they put the Nagra name on it. It was just a pretty unremarkable device all around.

Nagra is a good brand I suppose,
But no XLR inputs?
No phantom power?
And a mini-pug headphone receptacle that will have, in my experience, a limited life in real world use.
A Ford with a Ferrari crest?
Overpriced, methinks.
MO.
Marantz is head and shoulders above for two thirds the cost.

Just seen this on/from DVInfo - neat demo of the Zoom H6. AudioPhiles?:
.

For good quality interviews use a handheld xlr, lapel mic, or have a sound guy do overhead micing.

Just got around to purchasing a Zoom H6 last week, I've been playing with it and used it on my first gig yesterday. I'm really impressed with it, the mic preamps are markedly better than the H4N. My only complaint is the meters are on the smallish side but not a deal breaker. I'm going to get a lot of use out of this thing, the six channels really came in handy yesterday.

For handling noise :

http://www.rycote.com/products/portable_recorder_audio_kit/

... it works