Tascam DR-05x or Zoom H1n or something else?

[aybesea]

I pulled the trigger and bought VIP for the upcoming NMSOS show at Royal Oak in October. I am absolutely thrilled, and I'd like to record/share this with you good people at Y!

I used to tape, back in the day, but the rig was huge and cumbersome. Nowadays, I see these little mini recorders and figure I'd love to pick one up.

So, I'm currently eyeing the Tascam DR-05x or the Zoom H1n. Am I thinking right? Which one? Pros/Cons? Is there something else that I'm missing? I don't want to spend a load, and it has to be small/easy... but ultimately, it needs to make a great recording!

If I wear a regular button up shirt and shove this in my breast pocket, will it create a good recording? I see people talking that they do this, so I'm thinking that should be okay?

If anyone has any ideas on ways to get this past a metal detector at the gate, please shoot me a PM... it has been a long time, and things have changed a whole lot security-wise.

I trust this community immensely, so any help will be a huge help. Besides, then I'll have the "tapes" to share with all of you.

And what's your thoughts on the new show name, "Echoes"??? Too cool to even imagine! I'm am seriously geeked to see these songs live. I couldn't make any shows the first go round, so I'm trying to make up for it.

[MrFender]

The internal mics on a DR-05 are surprisingly decent. You'll want to be closer to the stage/speaker stack with the built in omnis. If you're say 25 meters back, it's going to sound really hollow/thin. If you're farther out, you'd need something like the DR-22wl which has cards however it's not quite as compact. Something like the Sony PCM-M10 (long out of production) or the Roland R-07 are much smaller but I've never used the internal mics on either. Don't have a H1 so no idea on that one.

As far as putting it in your pocket, if you're closer to the front with VIP tickets, it should work ok. Just remember it's going to pick up any "face" noise you make

For getting it in the door, discussion is best saved for PMs.

[Swirling Panpot]

For getting it in the door, discussion is best saved for PMs.

Thanks for that! Totally agree. All such discussions should be offline. You never know who might be reading these forums.

[aybesea]

For getting it in the door, discussion is best saved for PMs.

On second thought, I agree. So I've modified my OP, removing that discussion but adding "If anyone has any ideas on ways to get this past a metal detector at the gate, please shoot me a PM... it has been a long time, and things have changed a whole lot security-wise."

Thanks!

[oldpink]

I'm no audiophile by any stretch, but I can say that I'm entirely satisfied with the results that I have gotten with my Tascam DR-07.
I will be taking it to record NMSoS for the second time later this year.

[jchrist1946]

For whatever it's s worth, I used the original Tascam DR05 for taping up until Covid hit. Some of my recordings are on TTD, if you want to listen to them to get an idea what the DR05 sounds like. I just upgraded to a Zoom H4N Pro about three days ago and taped my first show. Like others have said, the DR05 pretty decent for what you pay for. But there is a huge difference in sound quality as you get better gear.

[78jazz]

I'm no audiophile by any stretch, but I can say that I'm entirely satisfied with the results that I have gotten with my Tascam DR-07.
I will be taking it to record NMSoS for the second time later this year.

The DR-07 was what I used (for the last time) for my pull in St. Louis in 2019.

It may be because I am on my second Tascam, but between these 2 I would probably lean towards the Zoom. If you are trying to just put one in your shirt pocket, I would go with the Tascam. The Zoom I would be after would be the H1N and given the way the mics are setup on that device, a shirt pocket may not be the ideal place for it.

I have also seem some recent prices online pegging the Zoom at about $75.

[aybesea]

Hey brain trust people, how much difference is there in sound quality between the DR-05X and DR-07X? Should I just buy that instead? I see that the DR-07X is larger... is it too large to fit comfortably in a shirt pocket? Is it too large to get into the venue?

I've received the DR-05X, and it seems doable. But if you guys think there's a lot of difference, I'll just order a DR-07X and send this one back.

Thanks for any info!

[MrFender]

I think the main differences(other than size) are the mics on the DR07 are cards vs the DR05 omnis, the ability to switch them between A/B and X/Y, and a few more features. It's going to depend on how you anticipate it will be used in the future. If you will always be up near the front of the stage or speaker stack, won't be taping many shows or cost is a major factor, the DR05 would be a good choice. The DR07 mics are going to allow greater recording flexibility - you could set them to A/B up close or X/Y if you're farther back.

[kbrubaker]

I've been considering the Tascam DR-05 as well, but would it be better to plug in a pair of external microphones? (Can you even plug external mics into a DR-05?) What mics would the experts recommend, bearing in mind that I don't want to spend more than a few hundred dollars for them?