Tape Recorders and Microphones        [recorder]

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Opinion and recommendations

I have received a considerable number of inquiries about tape recorders, microphones, and related equipment, with people asking me for specific recommendations. Because of the volume of these requests I have assembled this opinion page that gives information on my own use of equipment. As I outline for software, a final choice depends on a variety of questions that narrow down your particular needs; there is no "perfect" recording system!

My own preferences? I use a combination of equipment, and pick-and-choose depending on the particular use. What I record for research purposes are birds, and we have the benefit of commercially available audio (music) recorders that do a good-to-excellent job of recording signals, such as bird songs, that fall within their range. Recognize that recording signals containing either too-high or too-low frequencies would require either analog equipment with adequate high tape speed, or digital equipment with a high enough sampling rate to accomodate the upper frequencies. For example, many small mammal calls or insect calls contain frequencies too high to be recorded by any of the machines I discuss here. I have a section on ultrasound, but this is an area I'm not that familiar with. If you know of useful pages in this area, please let me know

For various reasons, I use all three main types of recorders (reel-to-reel, cassette and DAT) and each is preferred under particular circumstances:

Cassette Recorders:

My most-often-used set-up is pictured in my opening page: a professional-quality monaural cassette recorder (This one's a "bird-modified" Sony TCM 5000, although others are also quite good), a small parabolic reflector, and a good microphone (the one in the picture is an AKG, although I mostly use one of several Sennheisers). I find the portablility, good (not great) sound quality, reliability/durability, and good engineering of cassette recorders an excellent choice for recording signals for general things like repertoire studies, etc. Further, the very wide availability of cassette players/recorders/equipment makes them very practical for things like classroom demonstrations, exchanges with other researchers, etc. With the wide availability of noise reduction (filtering, etc.) on computer programs, it's possible to easily remove the tape hiss inevitably associated with cassette recordings, and use those signals for things like sound playbacks.

I also have a portable stereo cassette recorder (Marantz PMD 430) for certain two-channel uses, like recording two birds countersinging (with separate dishes, they can be readily separated later), or during playback trials, I often use one (mono) tape recorder for the playbacks, then use the stereo recorder for recording the responses of the subject (one channel, with dish), and simultaneously dictating notes (with a clip-on mic, clipped to my hat rim). Works nice!

Reel-to-Reel Recorders:

If the best analog quality is desired, for example as playback stimuli, careful analysis of signal details, or to archive recordings, I'd recommend using a good reel-to-reel, both Nagra and Uher recorders are excellent. I have several Uher models, and their quality is excellent (if you can find them, as I believe they are no longer made). I'd recommend the Uher 4200 Report Monitor- a super reliable workhorse of a machine! Further, with a higher tape speed, a good reel-to-reel should be able to record signals with a relatively flat response up to about 18 kHz (as opposed to maybe 13 kHz for the best cassettes). As people are using these less and less they can be found easily for reasonable prices. The main problems with these machines is finding the connectors for them (Uher has its own microphone input connectors), and the fact that they weigh a lot-- if you're packing equipment into a remote area, these machines are heavy. If they quit working, however, you can always use them as a boat anchor! Also, since fewer people are using them, trading tapes sometimes requires transfer to cassette.

DAT Recorders:

If a "broadcast" or "studio-quality" signal is needed (e.g. for television sound), a reel-to-reel or DAT would be both desirable and in some cases necessary. I have used DAT equipment, mostly when recording natural sounds for use in "studio" settings and I was impressed with the signal-to-noise ratio. I'm not yet willing to forego the convenience and ruggedness of the analog equipment. Their reported unreliability and short battery life make them undesirable as a primary recorder, especially in regions of high humidity, like the tropics.

Mini-Disk recorders

The main advantage of minidisk recorders is their impressive portability. For bird watchers who wish to immdiately access particular locations on the disk (they store digital sounds on tiny disks, hence their name) these are unmatched. Many who use these recorders for accurate replay of sounds rate them highly.
The main disadvantage in the research arena is that mini-disks save space (most digital signals require considerable storage space) by a "compression" technique that alters the original signal, rendering it smaller (in file size). The technique is designed around the human ear, so the signals sound quite good, but if a researcher wishes to conduct any refined analysis of the actual signal, it is unrecoverable. Most researchers have warned against them.
Visit NatureSongs for a "pro" discussion of mini-disks, and LNS for an "con" opinion.

Hobby (nonresearch) recording recommendation:

If you're either recording "just for fun", or are a "poor" graduate student (I get a number of questions from people who put themselves in one of these categories), or if you want some reasonable setups for students to use, I make the following suggestions.
First, recognize that I'm talking mostly about bird recording here.
I know from experience that most of the reasonably well-made cassette recorders coupled with a reasonable microphone mounted in a dish make for a pretty good recording system. In other words, get a fair microphone and cassette recorder, and find a good parabolic dish and you can make some pretty impressive recordings.
Most bird songs fall in a relatively truncated range of frequencies between about 500Hz and 13kHz or so. Most microphones cover a broader range than this. If purchasing a new one, make sure the upper frequency goes at least to 12-15kHz. Some, designed for human speech, roll off around 8kHz (your telephone rolls off around 3-4 kHz!). More expensive microphones will have higher upper frequencies.
Any reasonable microphone will be improved by mounting it in a parabolic dish. I have a few sites (on equipment page) with information on building/fabricating your own dish. This will greatly improve both the amplification and the directionality of any microphone.
Because most cassette recorders cover the range of most bird songs, readily obtainable cassette recorders are reasonable for recording birds. Even the portable boom-box styles are OK. When looking at different models, there are a few things that are essential to look for. First, make sure they have a microphone input jack. Some units have built-in mics only, which are pathetic; you need to be able to plug in your own microphone. Second, a lot of the smaller recorders have either an automatic recording level (record level is automatically boosted when the signal is low, and vice versa) and/or voice operated recording (recorder will pause until it "detects" a signal). Neither of these features is compatible with songbird recording. If the unit has either, make absolutely certain that they can be switched off. If you are at a store, ask the salesperson to get the manual and read it carefully. They'll whine, but every display model has the box with manual somewhere in the store.
Features that are very nice to have, but not essential, are: tape counter, VU meter (to monitor signal levels), headphone jack (for monitoring also), tape/source monitor switch (to listen to either the source from which you're recording, or the tape as or even just after it's been recorded), and a carrying case/strap (for ease of use in the field).
There are some good links on the equipment page for field recording tips/techniques. What I'd say is to get out there and record; you can always erase what's not good.

Hope this is helpful!

Comments to: Steven L. Hopp
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Steven Hopp
Updated Oct 31, 1999