# Best Digital Audio recorder for Mac



## cupwithwater (Jun 20, 2008)

Does anybody know what one of the best digital voice recorders would be for mac?

im looking for a hand held recorder ideally for recording personal memo's and interviews.

not the H2's but thanks for the suggestion


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## bryanc (Jan 16, 2004)

cupwithwater said:


> Does anybody know what one of the best digital voice recorders would be for mac?


If all you're recording is voice, there are lots of good mics. But I've been pretty happy with the H2.

Cheers


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## kb244 (Apr 23, 2002)

I've used a free program called Audacity, a good mic is recommended tho.


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## The Shadow (Oct 28, 2006)

bryanc said:


> If all you're recording is voice, there are lots of good mics. But I've been pretty happy with the H2.
> 
> Cheers


I'm rockin the H2 also for field recording and sampling, it's a great unit. I found it better the Edirol R-09 I had before.


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

For sound quality you won't beat the H2. It's pricey but I find it well worth it.

There are some iPod based alternatives if you have an iPod and would consider that route. There are even some on eBay for as little as $15 with retail pricing on iPod based recorders between $39 and $79 or so.

I wouldn't bother with the "traditional" voice recorders as they are pricey and don't necessarily interface well with your computer.

#1 - H2 (portable, self-contained, good sound quality, pricey though)
#2 - iPod based (portable, essentially self-contained but not as well as the H2, reasonable sound quality, less expensive)
#3 - recording software on your laptop with a decent USB microphone (portable but bulky/unwieldy, good sound quality, not particularly expensive if you already have a laptop)

You'll want some sort of management for the audio (you can do it in iTunes but it's not really ideal to mix with your music and such). You could probably throw together a Bento database to house your meeting files pretty easily and allow capturing of written notes and data alonside the audio.

Good luck.


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## makuribu (Oct 26, 2005)

I take it you're referring to the Samson - Zoom - H2
It looks pretty nice.



The Shadow said:


> I'm rockin the H2 also for field recording and sampling, it's a great unit. I found it better the Edirol R-09 I had before.


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

makuribu said:


> I take it you're referring to the Samson - Zoom - H2
> It looks pretty nice.


That's the one


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## Guest (Jun 25, 2008)

LOL I'll put in a vote for the H2 at well. The OP said they didn't want the H2 but all these votes for it seem to paint the picture pretty clearly ...


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## lilainjil (Oct 23, 2003)

This here device from Belkin is supposed to be out this summer.

Is That A Podcast Studio In Your Pocket? - Podcasting News


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## The Shadow (Oct 28, 2006)

lilainjil said:


> This here device from Belkin is supposed to be out this summer.
> 
> Is That A Podcast Studio In Your Pocket? - Podcasting News


That looks pretty interesting...a little cumbersome, but interesting. I would worry about the iPod falling out.


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## Ravindra Mohabeer (Oct 14, 2003)

That Belkin device looks cool but it's not for every iPod I expect - another in the long line of 'does not work with iPod Touch' cool things. But that H2 looks good - a bit limited for a 'pro' application but perfect for what I'd do. Where would you go to find such a thing. I couldn't seem to figure that out from their webpage. 

Alternatively, to be more helpful to the OP, are there any good places for this sort of Mac friendly audio recording device? I haven't found any and had a hell of a time finding a simple mic much less a compatible portable recorder.


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## Flipstar (Nov 7, 2004)

Ravindra Mohabeer said:


> That Belkin device looks cool but it's not for every iPod I expect - another in the long line of 'does not work with iPod Touch' cool things. But that H2 looks good - a bit limited for a 'pro' application but perfect for what I'd do. Where would you go to find such a thing. I couldn't seem to figure that out from their webpage.
> 
> Alternatively, to be more helpful to the OP, are there any good places for this sort of Mac friendly audio recording device? I haven't found any and had a hell of a time finding a simple mic much less a compatible portable recorder.


Really? There are a lot of audio places spread out across the GTA. Long and Mcquade, Saved By Technology, and I'm sure Carbon Computing's audio department can assist as well.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Nobody mentioned it that I could see, so let me throw this in here:

Griffin Technology: iTalk Pro

Certainly can't compete with the H2, but this is a perfectly adequate, inexpensive device that integrates with most "regular" iPods so doesn't add bulk. If you happen to already have a compatible iPod, this will do the trick.


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## Ravindra Mohabeer (Oct 14, 2003)

Flipstar said:


> Really? There are a lot of audio places spread out across the GTA. Long and Mcquade, Saved By Technology, and I'm sure Carbon Computing's audio department can assist as well.


I tried Long and Mcquade but I couldn't find anything in my price range (i.e. under $200 for a full recorder) but I didn't try the other two. I think the niche that's being missed is the one that this H2 seems to fill nicely and/or the Belkin.

I've tried the iTalk Pro. I didn't like it that much. It works fine but if you plug in an external mic both mics work simultaneously and you get a lot of ambient noise just by holding the device when you're recording. The built in mic on the device is pretty good, though, but I would have preferred more gain as it recorded (for me) a little low.

If anyone wants one I don't expect that I'll be using mine any more - only used it for a couple of days and a total of about 3 hours of actual recording since buying it about a month ago. Get in touch and I'd be happy to sell it.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Put a Classified ad in here at EhMac and you'll sell that thing lickety split.


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## TimJ (Jul 16, 2008)

I can advice Macvide Audio Recorder.
Very good tool.


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## sergeg1 (Sep 22, 2005)

I have used the iTalkPro for a couple of years and by far I think its the best in its class. I've tried a few others along the same line and found them to be very poor in quality.

The iTalkPro on the other hand has given me the best so far, really good quality, and I almost always use it with an external lapel mic I got a Circuit City (the old Radio Shack) and have never experienced it picking up other ambient noises through the device along with the lapel mic.

I used to have some of the Sony Digital Recorders and as soon as I tried the iTalkPro, I dumped the Sony devices.

On the iPod, the iTalkPro records in wave format so if you don't need to edit, its burnable to a CD right away, or convert it to an MP3 with Audacity (free), or use a commercial one like Amadeus Pro (excellent software) or even Sound Studio 3.

I like the iTalkPro for portability and ease of use, can take it anywhere, and I use it for business mostly, recording workshops, conferences, presentations and consultations.

Cheers


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## makuribu (Oct 26, 2005)

*Dragging this thread back up the list*

I came across a reference to this on MacInTouch:
 Olympus LS-10 Linear Pcm Recorder Box

The comment was that it's Mac compatible.
It shows up as an external drive and works with iTunes.


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## The Shadow (Oct 28, 2006)

makuribu said:


> I came across a reference to this on MacInTouch:
> Olympus LS-10 Linear Pcm Recorder Box
> 
> The comment was that it's Mac compatible.
> It shows up as an external drive and works with iTunes.


That looks very handy. Specs are decent too for a unit of that size.


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

The Olympus looks interesting but with a price tag of $399 srp it's even more expensive than the H2. More expensive that the more versatile H4 as well. I would be interested in seeing some direct comparisons between the H2, the Olympus and the similarly mic'd H4.

BTW - has the original poster come up with a workable solution yet?


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## The Shadow (Oct 28, 2006)

Macified said:


> The Olympus looks interesting but with a price tag of $399 srp it's even more expensive than the H2. More expensive that the more versatile H4 as well. I would be interested in seeing some direct comparisons between the H2, the Olympus and the similarly mic'd H4.
> 
> BTW - has the original poster come up with a workable solution yet?



$399...that's definitely a buzzkill. H2's definitely a better value.


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

The Shadow said:


> $399...that's definitely a buzzkill. H2's definitely a better value.


The $399 was suggested. Apparently these units can be had for about $200US which is in line with the H2 pricing.


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