Portable Recorders

A portable recorder, also known as a portable audio recorder, captures sound without a computer: band rehearsals, concerts, interviews, lectures and audio for video. Here you'll find pocket recorders with built-in microphones, such as the Zoom H1essential, models with XLR inputs for external microphones, such as the Zoom H6essential or Tascam Portacapture X8, and tiny recorders for lavalier microphones. Zoom and Tascam make up most of the range, complemented by models from Roland and XVive. Recordings are saved to an SD or microSD memory card, and most recorders run on AA or AAA batteries.

Portable recorders with built-in microphones or XLR inputs?

With a recorder that has built-in microphones, you can start recording in seconds: switch it on, place it in front of the band or speaker and record. The Zoom H1essential weighs 92 g and records in stereo using two microphones, while the Zoom H2essential has three microphones. This type of recorder fits in your pocket and is useful for rehearsals, lectures and nature sounds.

If you want to record with your own microphone, look for XLR inputs with the phantom power that condenser microphones need. You'll find these on the Zoom H4essential, H6essential, F3 and F6, for example, or the Tascam Portacapture X6 and X8. The number of tracks determines how many sources you can record separately: the H4essential handles four, the H6essential six. That way, each guest in an interview has their own microphone, and you can adjust the volume later when editing. If you need even more tracks to record your band, take a look at multitrack recorders.

What does 32-bit float recording give you?

With conventional 24-bit recording, you set the input gain in advance: too high and a loud hit will distort; too low and quiet speech will get lost in the noise. Recorders with 32-bit float, such as the Zoom essential series, Zoom R4 MultiTrak or Tascam DR-10 L Pro, capture a quiet whisper and a loud drum in the same file, and you can balance the levels later on your computer. You'll appreciate this at a concert when you don't know how loudly the band will play, or while filming when you have no time to watch the display.

Which recorder should you choose for podcasts, video or home recording?

• Podcasts: The Zoom PodTrak P2 and P4 are designed for interviews; the P2 has two microphone inputs and the P4 has four.
• Video and vlogs: You can clip the Zoom F2, which weighs 32 g, or the Tascam DR-10 L Pro to the speaker's clothing with a lavalier microphone. The Zoom F3 and F6 have XLR inputs for a microphone on a boom pole above the camera. The BWF format, supported by models such as the Zoom H5 and H6studio, also saves timing data alongside the audio for editing.
• Music at home: The Zoom R4 MultiTrak records a song track by track like a small studio, while the Zoom H5studio and H6studio have interchangeable microphone capsules.

Most recorders do not come with a mains adapter and are powered by batteries or via USB. You'll find an adapter, a larger memory card or a windshield for outdoor recording among the digital recorder accessories.