From Unassuming to Irreplaceable: My favorite gear purchase of 2023 (so far)

Not affiliated, not sponsored, and have never communicated with the manufacturer: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BQQTBKGS (not an affiliate link, I don’t make money off a sale here)
0:00 Patch Previews
0:30 Field recorder selection
1:50 Audio Sample: airport
2:30 So what is it?
5:14 Audio Sample: Painting bat houses
6:04 Unessential Accessories
6:52 Audio Sample: Rain runoff through a culvert
7:43 More opinions
9:55 Patching the A Case
13:49 Panharmonium
17:18 Beads
20:32 Guillotine
22:50 Pressure Points
25:40 Tweaking, drones, horror composing, and more
32:00 Final thoughts
32:22 Outro sounds
You can really tell in this one that I'm not a camera expert. I tried to make things better and it ended up kind of out of focus the whole time. Sorry bout that.

[@thismeanswarbasse]

Sorry if you clicked on this and didn’t know it was gonna get weird with modular gear in the second half. Also chatgpt wrote the most of the video title because I'm terrible at that part of youtube.

[@TomHazledine]

Haha - what a hack! Writing titles suuuuuucks. Shoud I be obscure? Fill it with keywords for SEO? I dunno. Makes a lot of sense to get the robots to do it for us 👍

[@DelmaRaySmithJr]

Thx for letting us know when it's not you, loving what you're doing here, all of it.

[@SebticSmile]

haah, of course it went weird with modular!

[@krsp420]

Just gorgeous stuff. Came back just for a re-listen.

[@adustyblanket3455]

Love it! Ordered it within the first 2 minutes!! Really feel like your picture of disposable cameras is true to this thing. Thank you so much.

[@chitlun]

What an excellent wee device and what an absolutely glorious racket you created from it! I am currently awaiting the arrival of a Lúbadh, which I can’t wait to get stuck into! Great video man, cheers 👍

[@thismeanswarbasse]

Those two hour long crazy tutorials Instruo has for the Lubadh are incredibly good. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

[@yellowecho]

cool, thanks for sharing!

[@artofambient3]

It’s crazy to me how you went from mundane field recording, to “happy bouncing” with beads, to a “freaky circus” with Guillotine, to what one might call “wet industrial” 🤔 Quite the journey but really dig your process as usual. Thanks for sharing!

[@thismeanswarbasse]

how do i trademark Wet Industrial 😄

[@caleydorrell]

​@@thismeanswarbasseit sounds like a boutique distortion pedal.

[@DelmaRaySmithJr]

really like listening into that

[@orpheuscreativeco9236]

I have the Tascam DR-05, it might be something to consider. Pretty fantastic 👍 Thanks for sharing this spy-tech. Low profile, very cool ✌️

[@thismeanswarbasse]

Hah! it definitely has like a discount spy tech vibe to it. I’ll have to take a look at that tascam

[@thankyoumisterspell]

Absolutely love what you were able to do here. Definitely going to have to look into one of these. As small as the Zoom H1N is, I'm always looking for something smaller and definitely agree with what you said about the phone. Yeah, I always have it on me, but I don't want to use my phone for that lol Will probably be grabbing this soon!

[@thismeanswarbasse]

Phone totally works and probably even has better quality, but there’s just times where a stand alone thing is a better reminder, situationally easier to use, less obvious, and a tool that I just prefer for the job. I still might pickup a h6 or F series someday to play with hi-fidelity stuff on the go, but these little recorders are a ton of fun

[@thankyoumisterspell]

@@thismeanswarbasse I've had my H6 for years and years and I love it, but it is a bit of a brick

[@megamodularis]

Nice Video! I think this would be very useful in my modular music making, I’m always out hearing sounds that I wish I could capture at least half decently 👍🙂

[@TomHazledine]

Me too. I've got an H5 which I love, but it's really big and burns through batteries so fast! This looks like a cool little compromise

[@weaponofvoice]

Thank you Warbasse, just what I needed!

[@mmoncur]

I picked one up, there's a 50% off coupon right now so it was a no-brainer. I like to leave a recorder sitting for hours recording, which means my phone won't work, and my Zoom H1 won't last 2 hours on a battery... Thanks!

[@thismeanswarbasse]

Oh nice! Incredible deal with a half off coupon imo. Let me know how it works out for ya

[@DelmaRaySmithJr]

can't get enough of what you've got, thx

[@thismeanswarbasse]

thank you!

[@non-sequitur]

I was out of town last week, there were a few times I thought "I should record that sound!" and yet I didn't because that meant having my phone ready, but I also needed to take pix of my daughter's graduation at the same time. I just ordered this recorder, I know it'll come in handy. Also - just dipping my toes into modular, and am loving what you're doing with your recorded audio! (I'm doing this stuff on iPad right now, it's cool, but I'm ready to expand)

[@thismeanswarbasse]

Great example for all the commenters asking “why not phone??” It’s not the fanciest mic but it’ll do the trick for just that. Come on into the modular world, waters warm and full of possibilities

[@aasheehy]

This is great! I have a similar setup in a 6u 84hp case (Lubadh + Panharmonium; Arbhar instead of Beads, 0-ctrl outside the case instead of Pressure Points, modulation sources + VCAs instead of Starlab) that I use mainly to manipulate double bass performances. It's really cool to see how you patch it.

[@thismeanswarbasse]

Awesome, sounds like a lovely setup. How do you like Arbhar? I’ve always been curious about it

[@aasheehy]

@@thismeanswarbasse I'm still learning the Arbhar, but I really like it. It's kind of noisy, and not the most powerful granular engine (I had a Tasty Chips GR-1 for a long time), but it is really hands on. I enjoy using it as a weird sampler, and its organization into layers makes it powerful for that. For example, each one can be a granular "chord cloud" and then a second lane of sequencing can shift those clouds v/oct. Add some modulation to other parameters, and it can sound incredible. That's just one use case-it's a pretty deep sound design tool. Also, V2 firmware is supposedly on the way soon!

[@thismeanswarbasse]

@@aasheehy sounds awesome. If I had the HP I might swap beads out for it… maybe someday!

[@JessicaFEREM]

it's like the audio version of a pen and paper in your pocket for writers.

[@thismeanswarbasse]

great analogy

[@snörre23]

Amazon link does not work, so we will never know what it is.

[@eph_kni]

I found one on amazon by a brand vivaniir for $50 and another for $20 - searched tiny voice recorder

[@wariusgaius]

Love the video’s you make!

[@iamsimonmorris]

Brilliant

[@MrArpSolina]

By experience, I don't recommend this device (or similar dictaphone devices) because the mics don't record any low level "field" sounds far away from you. I use to use some LOM sensitive devices and sensors specifically designed for field recording, sound design and unusual sonics.

[@spookydirt]

thanks - that's what I was thinking of getting one for, nature sounds, etc, that I use Tascam DR05 for at present (or phone). When he recorded outside it really didn't sound great. That's a shame.

[@pataguan]

genial, podrías sugerir algunos micrófonos básicos para experimentar grabar esos sonidos?, Abrazos

[@MisterRorschach90]

I truly wonder how you guys can even find stuff. If I was constantly buying new devices, modules, effects, controllers, etc I would lose track of what I have. Lol even when planning out the things I want for my own studio I forget what I already chose. Haha

[@linewizard]

Secret Extreme Pro Tip: The on/off switch was rattled around a ton on mine, causing a huge amount of noise during recordings. I opened it up and stuffed a couple small pieces of cotton under both sides of the switch. Took about 5 minutes total, and it's silent now.

[@thismeanswarbasse]

hey mine does the same! I never really noticed it but thats a great solution. thanks for sharing

[@McEnroe911]

What do you think of the new make Noise spectraphon? Seems up your alley.

[@thismeanswarbasse]

From what I've heard, it seems neat but not anything I'm lusting after at the moment. I'm all for big modules that take up a lot of HP if they warrant it, but I haven't seen a use case yet where it'd do something I couldn't do with Panharmonium + 8hp. I love that more manufacturers are getting into the FFT and resynthesis space, but just like the Blukac Endless Processor (which I bought and sold within a week) - dual channel mono vs true stereo is a real playability hit for how I typically patch. I've gone through that over the past few months with the dual 100grits and only now have settled on mid-side as the solve.

[@mcstabba]

Cool! I'm sold. I think I'll get one or two, mainly to fast and easy capture musical ideas when they pop up.

[@thismeanswarbasse]

I’d recommend a few experiments to get a sense for how long it takes from flipping the switch to when the recording actually starts. It’s several seconds, wouldn’t want you to miss the idea be being to quick

[@mcstabba]

@@thismeanswarbasse Gotcha! I'll do that, I can be impatient but can probably curb my enthusiasm a few seconds without the idea vanishing ;) Thanks!

[@thismeanswarbasse]

@@mcstabba either that or try and record a few takes always might be another good bet

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

I have been using some MP3 sticks over the past 17 years now their voice recording / dictation features but sadly mostly they had some really god awful compression and low resolution for their recordings. which made them pretty useless for such things as field recording, even though they COULD have done better already back then. The only one that didn't suck was the Soundman DR2 that even offered WAV recording, which was sold by the same company who produced these "kunstkopf" stereophonic mics that you plugged into your ears like earbuds. Sadly the Soundman DR2 was ADPCM but hey, still better than everything else that size that ran with just 1 AAA battery. I really loved that thing even though It sometimes had a little soundglitch in the recordings which had a weird swelling high pitch noise squeal. It was capable of stereo recording too and i kinda wish there would have been a more modern model like that with replaceable battery, instead of built in Lithium batteries. And also a fullsize USB plug that doesn't require cables.

[@GongMaster]

impressive, creative, and certainly very entertaining

[@domek.]

That was some great droney soundscape at the end! Did you look into the Zoom F3 whilst researching recorders? I use mine for almost all recording now, 32-bit float so no clipping, and very compact, though not as compact as the one in this video! Might have to look into getting one of those.

[@thismeanswarbasse]

I honestly would love to pickup an F3 or something similar someday. For me, that'd probably get the most use with one of my stereo condenser mic setups, likely not mobile or as portable once I gather up all the various gear. Still a really cool piece of kit though

[@domek.]

@@thismeanswarbasse It's nice not having to set levels. Works really well with my contact mics, where sound can be quiet and loud in extremes.

[@mchaelhb]

very interesting! I understand your preference to not use your phone, and that you enjoy the simplicity/purity of the device, but I am still curious how it compares to the mic on your phone in terms of clarity/quality. I see that it has some in built noise reduction - does that allow you to better record sounds in the distance compared to using a phone?

[@thismeanswarbasse]

I’d probably hunch that a phone would have better quality, but I haven’t tried to do a perfect side by side comparison. I wouldn’t look to this little thing for high fidelity, but it hits the mark for convenience and capturing candid recordings without too much worry. Maybe I’ll do a better side by side in a follow up

[@mchaelhb]

@@thismeanswarbasse thankyou! I figured it was more the immediacy rather than the sound itself but I'm curious because some small voice recorders seem to be quite good

[@ejsrocket]

Your audio sample has zero noise floor. I just bought the Vivaniir recorder that has a screen on it and I've got a really loud fuzzy noise floor. Did you have to manipulate the recording? Maybe I got a bad one..

[@thismeanswarbasse]

Ah that stinks. No manipulation or processing in this video, mine were straight from the recorder into premier to pair with the random b-roll I took with my iPhone or just replacing the audio from my voice over sm58 in a couple spots where I demo it. I don’t even think I did any basic gain adjusting in premier. I would not be surprised if quality control isn’t the best or if “vivaniir” is a label that is slapped on completely different electronic products just for the sake of white-labeling and being a distributor vs actual manufacturer. Someone else in the comments said they found the exact recorder I have under a few other brand names. So maybe many companies are probably doing the same thing - no idea

[@mattsil3nc3]

This is a good gear, but I don't know how you do for editing sounds recorded with, Ican't open with Ableton, Reaper neither Audacity, i can only read samples with the computer, but editing it with ableton for exemple, chop it or eQ it, before send it in my Morphagene or my Assimil8or ... I've no solution yet

[@DarkMetaOFFICIAL]

voltage for the win 😆

[@MisterRorschach90]

Now I know you have made your choice and I haven’t finished the video but did you not try out the teenage engineering field recorder? It’s super pretty. Lol

[@thismeanswarbasse]

It is super pretty, but I don’t think it particularly scratches the same itch as these little budget recorders. I also haven’t looked at enough to figure out if it starts to get into the territory of being it’s own instrument or what. Kind of a mystery to me still

[@taylorstep8135]

this field record make things sound like its from the early 2000's

[@weaponofvoice]

Reminds me of the monolith in 2001, A Space Odyssey

[@DAMAGR]

Dude. I've been looking for something exactly like this for the same reasons you mentioned. Thank you. And it's not $200?!

[@thismeanswarbasse]

😄 looks like Amazon’s automatic couponing (I’m guessing ) is still running after the mild traffic spike, I’m seeing 30% off of 35.99 on my end. It’s not going to give you perfect hifi audio but it’s wonderfully iPod-shuffle-esque

[@Daphoid]

Awesome, so affordable. Unsurprising it's offered by a few different brands on Amazon, some noting it as 150H vs 60 (maybe they have more storage inside?) Either way; awesome.

[@thismeanswarbasse]

Yeah it definitely seems like one of those products that’s just relabeled or re-housed by a bunch of brands. This is the only one I’ve tried, no guarantee it’s the best but I think it’s size and thinness is great for easily pocketing. I’d wager that most of them are nearly identical in the end 🤷‍♂️

[@dustyoverstreet648]

just got mine and the wav files wont load into my any of my DAWs but play fine on vlc. what am I doing wrong?

[@thismeanswarbasse]

hmm no clue, I've never tried to import them into a DAW. maybe there's something strange about the way it writes the files? can VLC re-export or do any kind of conversion?

[@dustyoverstreet648]

@@thismeanswarbasse that actually worked! must be some weird meta data layer. easy enough workaround VLC can do batches.

[@thismeanswarbasse]

@@dustyoverstreet648 yeah I wonder if maybe the way it powers down doesn’t close or wrap up the final encoding of the file or something? Not at all my area of expertise, but I’m glad you found a work around!

[@lucidfer8713]

@@dustyoverstreet648 can you please shar the work around it doesnt seam to work for me either. i tried converting them to flac with vlc but didnt seam to do the trick any advice?

[@JessicaFEREM]

considering how crap it is, it takes suprisingly good audio

[@krsp420]

I've been wanting to make a "radio music" module because I cant find any for sale really. Would be great to load something like that up with samples and have it iterate between different samples via CV. Anybody know of something like that for sale?

[@thismeanswarbasse]

it'd be a lot more HP and maybe overkill but you could use something like the Sample Drum or another sample-based but drum-focused module to do the same. Just the name of that module reminds me of a different direction that I also am a fan: an FM radio module and a looper. I've got ST Modular's FM radio, it can get a couple local stations with the right patch cable as an antenna.

[@krsp420]

@@thismeanswarbasse I like the idea of the local stations but am thinking I'd like something more predictable for live performance etc. Apparently the BASTL Instruments grandPa Dual Granular Sampler...may do the trick.

[@msz4598]

Why is it better than using my phone?

[@PandaPotPies]

if you put two envelope followers in here... to make events happen at the audio peaks

[@Juksemakeren]

The voice recorder: 64 GB *RAM*? Does that mean everything gets erased as soon as it runs out of power? Does it consume lots of power even while "off"?

[@thismeanswarbasse]

64gb of storage. From what I can tell it doesn’t consume any power when “off” unless you’re using the voice activated feature - which I think only operates if the switch is “ON”

[@now_its_dark]

@@thismeanswarbasse It just has a 64gb micro sd card inside it, with a tiny bit of rubbery glue holding the card in place. Btw, confirmed that it can use other sizes of cards, so could easily upgrade it to a larger capacity. 😄 the device is incredibly easy to open too.

[@thismeanswarbasse]

@@now_its_dark oh! super smart. I hadn't even bothered trying to open it. thank you for checking that out, what a neat hack

[@now_its_dark]

@@thismeanswarbasse totally! hehe I've just gotten in the habit of opening up everything to check for hidden secrets.

[@OmegaSlice108]

The algorithm is one son of a bitch 🙏🏾

[@thismeanswarbasse]

😄 is that in a “why on earth did I get suggested this?” way or a “glad I got suggested this” way

[@PandaPotPies]

i love u

[@Sharpened_Spoon]

Would be a no brainer if it had line in. Having some portable synths its nice to sketch ideas and to be able to save those outside of trying to sequence them as you’re stumbling through chords would be very reassuring that an idea wont get lost.

[@ScottofOakland]

I just use my phone if I need to grab some audio. Never felt the need for anything else.

[@NicleT]

Same and today's audio quality is perfectly acceptable.

[@Satwamassive]

I think everyone does, but his point was that he doesn't like using his phone in case he needs to use it.

[@VagPoop_]

it's a way for him to make money from you buying the item from his referral link in the descriptions.

[@thismeanswarbasse]

Not an affiliate link, just to be clear

[@spyspy4236]

@@VagPoop_ lol why so cynical pay attention he said it's not affiliate and he hasn't spoken to the company. some people are just sharing what they like not forcing you to buy stuff

[@SebticSmile]

you lost me at 'on / off switch', WAY too complicated 🤣🤣

[@GeorgeLocke]

I mean, just turn it on. Done. Simple. Off? No. Why off? On. Simple.

[@SebticSmile]

@@GeorgeLocke right!

[@diegob6729]

At this point just record with your phone for this quality 💁‍♂️ Try a zoom h2n if you want to get mind blown 😏

[@alexmitchell1592]

Sounds like a phone mic. Why not just use your phone.

[@shittyrecordingstudio]

@warbasse is there any kind of USB-C to TRS cable alternative to the headphones that I could use to play back into my Morphagene without having to go to the computer first? Thanks for the review!

[@thismeanswarbasse]

There is a little dongle remote thing it comes with that goes USB-C to TRS and has some menu buttons. So in theory maybe? I haven’t tried. If it did work, it’d be at like level and not modular level for sure