I am new to sound recording and wanted a portable device to record family gatherings (storytelling), friends playing musical instruments and singing, children talking and various environments while travelling. I just received an Olympus WS310M digital recorder and ME51S microphone that I ordered from an online shop. Maybe it is just me or I am expecting too much, but the recording results were terrible! The background hiss that is apparent when recording in a silent room is horrendous, and there are faint little electronic noises (artifacts?) apparent in the background. This is at the highest quality recording settings. I swear my Dad's 20 year old portable tape recorder had less static hiss than this thing. Needles to say I am attempting to return these devices.
Can anyone recommend a device for me that won't create recordings that make a silent forest sound like a beach onto which Wavesare constantly crashing? I realize you get what you pay for and will sacrifice digital interoperability for quality if need be. I would spend around $US200 (I am in Australia). I wanted to go digital for archiving and editing purposes. Perhaps a little handheld tape recorder with a decent mic might be apt?
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You would be lucky to get a decent recorder and microphone for t
You would be lucky to get a decent recorder and microphone for that sort of money.
I would look at a second-hand minidisc recorder (from Ebay?), which is about the only place now you can find them with microphone inputs. Check the specs carefully before you choose. Then consider a single-point stereo microphone. The Sony MS957 is a good unit for this purpose, but maybe out of your price range once you have bought the recorder. There are cheaper single-point microphones available, all the way down to the Vivanco EM216.