• macg1
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  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
  • Posts: 1,020

Topic: Tascam vs. Zoom vs. Olympus PCM. recording performances for reference

Greetings all, I am going to buy one of those PCM digital recording devices soon so that I can have a sound reference for my band's rehearsals and live shows.  Have any of you used one and have a preference?  If you are not sure what they are, this is what I mean:

http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/audio/p … ders-audio

I know all three companies in the topic have products, but want something simple, since it is used for reference only (I am assuming these give a much better recording quality than say an smart phone).

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  • From: NH - USA
  • Registered: 2010-11-08
  • Posts: 149

Re: Tascam vs. Zoom vs. Olympus PCM. recording performances for reference

A good all around field record i happen to like and use a fair amount for everything from quickie rehearsal recording (for reference) to recording voice for Podcasts and so is the Zoom H4n.

However (in the interest of full disclosure) i do not personally have experience with many other recorders of this type.

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  • Registered: 2006-06-30
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Re: Tascam vs. Zoom vs. Olympus PCM. recording performances for reference

I have a Tascam & it works great....today they all work about the same

And so castles made of sand melts into the sea, eventually.........
  • From: N.Wales, UK
  • Registered: 2009-03-06
  • Posts: 2,183

Re: Tascam vs. Zoom vs. Olympus PCM. recording performances for reference

Olympus LS10 I had was superb.

  • From: York, PA
  • Registered: 2010-08-27
  • Posts: 1,749

Re: Tascam vs. Zoom vs. Olympus PCM. recording performances for reference

I have a Zoom R16. It's bonehead simple to use and yields nice results. It's more along the lines of "entry level" but very user friendly and turns out a nice recording. Has 2 stereo microphones built in and can run on batteries or can just plug in to area mics and capture practices, gigs etc..

Also those small handheld devices with 2 small condenser mics on are perfect if you're not looking to do more than live performances and stuff. My friend has one by Zoom as well and it's great. Runs on those SD cards for memory.

  • macg1
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  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
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Re: Tascam vs. Zoom vs. Olympus PCM. recording performances for reference

yeah those things with the condenser mics is what i was referring to.  Thinking that the Zoom H4n is the way to go.  has a few more features "just in case".  my buddy actually just bought one today.  will get a first hand sampling.  Thanks for the sage advice dudes!

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  • From: York, PA
  • Registered: 2010-08-27
  • Posts: 1,749

Re: Tascam vs. Zoom vs. Olympus PCM. recording performances for reference

Sure thing! I don't use my R16 as much as I thought I would but its nice when I want to set up some simple recording scenarios.

I would like to get one of those H4s or something similar also. I see open mic people, solo acoustic guys and comedians use them to get some recordings of their shows. Good way to put together a demo to get some gigs, and they REALLY give you a good recording. You can also tweak the recordings in Garageband and stuff afterwards.