All my 32-Bit Recorders! Which Would You Choose?

[@FreeToUseSounds]

Which Recorder Is Your Favorite?

[@wpkambiancesounds]

Don't know. I got many as well.

[@arcoholic3]

Well I only recently got the Tascam FR-AV2 and the Zoom H2 Ess - but The Zoom H1Ess and F3 are always in my bag and the Sony PCM A10 is always in my back pocket, so I guess I use these the most. Lots of larger recorders are on the shelf (Sound Devices, Zooms, Tascams etc) but I tend to stick to the EDC smaller models.) Did I mention I like sounds and sound gathering?

[@btsr2553]

First of all, thank you very much. As I wrote in my comment, my current favourite is TASCAM. But I keep looking at Sound Devices. Essential for my setup is the automatic line level recording with additional the five-second pre-recording. So five seconds are additional recorded before the record button was pressed.

[@KirillSavchenkov]

Hi! Many thanks for this extremely useful video! I have a good experience with the combo h1essesial + clippy mics. but the preamps are questionable in h1E I think Tascam fr-av2 is the best thing for the portable stereo pair system now. Also maybe the price of fr-av2 will go down that happened with tascam x8 what do you think about zoom H1 XLR (the part of the essential line)? it could be a good device for the recordings in between of cases for h1E h2E and f3\tascam fr-av2 Thank you!

[@digme]

The recorder that's in my pocket, ready to record. 😉 It used to be my smartphone with a Shure MV88 mic, but in 2025 it's likely to be the Zoom H2e. However, the Tascam FR-AV2 and a slim powerbank fits in a Tenba Skyline 4 pouch and may end up as the most used recorder in my kit next year.

[@jonesthestone]

Fantastic video Marcel, thank you for taking the time to film it,

[@keinpodcast4053]

My H1n's, H2n's and Tascam DR-05's had a big smile on their displays when they heard your words at 15:52 . Together we wish you both a merry christmas 🎄. Viele Grüße - Til.

[@cryptotrader2779]

Nice. It's a surprise to see that you still carry around all that gear from country to country. Anyway, I still love my F3 with the LOM Usi's because it's so easy to take anywhere in a sling bag. But I'd love to take a closer look at the FR-AV2, X6, and the H2e. Thanks for another great video, and I wish you and Libby a very happy Xmas.

[@aaronmarshall]

The Zoom F6 sounds amazing. I can't stand how you constantly need to update the time/date on it. It's enough to make me want to jump ship to another product. It's an incredibly annoying problem imo. The preamps sound great on them. The Zoom F3 came out a little later and it doesn't seem to have that issue.

[@captteemo9133]

What do you mean?

[@sarge3294]

It's a bug

[@christiannikodemus]

I love the Sound Devices mix pre-6, it's the perfect little recorder in my opinion!

[@gauntmon]

Hey just as a heads up, the Centerence XY microphones are meant to be used with a recorder with the XLR ports facing each other so they would work with a Zoom H1 XLR or Centerence’s own recorder which is discontinued but not an F3 or the FR-AV2.

[@gregwilsonnaturephotography]

Hey Marcel, what's your opinion on the best between the Zoom F3 and the Tascam FR-AV2.

[@ww1www]

I loved this roundup. For some mysterious reason, I am captivated by the beauty of recorders. Would enjoy to try some that you showcased here :)

[@crumpetsbuttered]

Good to see your posting regularly again, enjoyed the video.

[@FreeToUseSounds]

Thank you so much for showing up too! :)

[@fabimesizae]

Definitely the Sound Devices MixPre-6 II since I already have all the others.

[@TiredEyes77]

You put in so much work and it shows. Hands down you have the best audio recording gear reviews on KZbin. I’m a music producer and have been considering the f6 but I think you’re right.,. I’ll wait until they drop the update for it. I have the Sennheiser Ambeo headset for my phone and am pretty happy with what it provides. Thank you so much for putting in so much time with all this gear.

[@FasFas160]

Question about the Tascam FR-AV2: Can you record through both of the xlr inputs and the 3.5 mm input simultaneously? I'd love having the option of using the mikroUši to record stereo through the 3.5mm input, while simultaneously using the 2 XLR inputs to record stereo with another set of mics.

[@chucklarsen]

I love my Zoom products. I have the original Zoom H2n the new Zoom H2essentials and the Zoom R4.

[@arcoholic3]

As always, very informative and infectious enthusiasm. Season's greeting to you both. x

[@FreeToUseSounds]

Thank you so much!!!

[@timdanyo898]

With the mixpre 6.. can you send two separate channels out to two separate cameras in?

[@MaxoticsTV]

If you take a 1K sweep from say -30db to 0db, play it from a speaker, and record it in both 24-bit and 32-bit float, on some of those float recorders you will note more harmonics (distortion) in the 32-bit float. It isn't doing what you think it's doing. Sorry. For field recording, I'd stick wit 24-bit and make sure limiters aren't engaged or signal processing.

[@johnrohdejensen1218]

I recently bought the F6 after careful consideration and I'm loving it. The headphone output might be a bit on the noisy side but the ability to use NPF batteries is a huge advantage. I can record all day on a single NP-F970 battery.

[@emreparin]

thank you so much

[@janelacibernetica]

Olá amigo. Sou Luiz Antonio do Brasil inscrito no seu canal. Uso o Zoom H1Essential, mas captura muito ruido na gravação mesmo em Studio. Você tem alguma dica pra diminuir a captação de ruido? Você poderia fazer um vídeo de como fazer a melhor configuração no Zoom H1Essential. Obrigado.

[@btsr2553]

Thank you 🙏 very much for this video. I still own and use the indestructible TASCAM DR-100MKIII recorder. It has a function that is completely indispensable for me. It is the automatic line level recording. The recording starts automatically at a certain volume and stops as soon as the volume falls below this level. The combination of everything being recorded five seconds before the recording is essential for me. The question that arises for me except the Tascam successor so the Portacapture series does have this function, right? Not even the little TASCAM FR-AV2, right? I asked Sound Devices via their support team about it several times. They politely replied that they might think about it, but so far as I know this function is apparently not yet available. Have a great Christmas and thanks again for all your efforts. A "Servus"🖖 from Bavaria.

[@razcarsey6635]

You should take another look at the Zoom M4 Mictrack. I rolled the dice on one recently when it was on sale and it seems Zoom fixed the EMF noise issue. To my ears, it is basically an F3 but with in-built cardioid mics, line-in and combo jacks. The form factor makes it look like some kind of karaoke toy microphone, but it is extremely comfortable to hold compared to the rectangular recorders. The mics are fixed in XY, but I really like that they are protected by the cage and that it is the right size for a lot of existing covers. Great video!

[@FreeToUseSounds]

Heya! So glad to hear you’re enjoying the Mic Track. When we come across a shop that carries it, we’ll definitely take another look. Thank you so much for watching and supporting us!

[@solotakephoto]

you forgot DJI Mic2

[@Fredo.heavyy]

My Tascam X6 got fried after 3-4 months of use and my Zoom F3 is still going strong. The best 32bit float mic that didn't make your list is the Comica VM40.