Audio Recorder reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 197 Reddit reviews across 26 subreddits and 47 posts to rank the best Audio Recorder brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/LocationSound, r/videography, r/fieldrecording, r/Filmmakers, r/DJs. Top-rated brands include Zoom (4.1/5), Tascam (4.4/5), Sound Devices (4.2/5).
Stats
Reviews197
Subreddits26
Posts47
Brands40
Products84
197 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Zoom
4.1
(86)
"I use the Zoom F6 and really like it."
"Zoom F6 is pretty goated!"
"The F8n Pro is preferred for its dual and backup recording capabilities, which are crucial for avoiding issues with faulty SD cards."
"It's excellent. I haven't compared it to a mixpre but I have no complaints at all."
"Very very very easy choice. The best is the Zoom F8n."
"Super affordable, and to my non-audio-engineer ears the quality of the built-in microphone is great."
"I'd recommend the Zoom F3. It's a solid unit with low noise."
"Great for interviews over the computer with a built-in audio interface."
"Zoom F6 is awesome, or F3 if you don't need as many inputs."
"Definitely get something 32bit float capable."
#2
Tascam
4.4
(27)
"Tascam DR-40X"
"Tascam DR-40x don’t need anything else. For years."
"Tascam DR-40X has the cleanest line inputs of the portables."
"It's not expensive, has excellent features and a very good quality."
"If you need more inputs DR-60D is even a better option (albeit at a little cost of portability)."
"Tascam makes excellent recorders for the money."
"Cheap, cheerful and reliable. It also has a great line-in level."
"I’ve been using the Tascam DR40 with an XLR cable usually out of the DJ’s speaker for 3 years and it has been perfect."
"The Tascam DR-40X has been working just fine for me. I carry around three different ways to hookup and they’ve all worked so far."
"My Tascam 60D has served me flawlessly for a couple of years."
#3
Sound Devices
4.2
(20)
"It was great, sound quality was great and felt sturdy yet lightweight."
"Can't go wrong with a Mixpre10. Solid machine."
"You can find Sound Devices 788s used on Ebay for sub $2,000."
"I found two 744Ts for under $750."
"The MixPre 6 offers more functionality and convenience compared to the H4n Pro."
"The preamps are awesome, plus 32 bit float for basically foolproof recording."
"The MixPre6 II is incredibly portable, well-built, and offers great battery life."
"Unless you're talking about a secondary/supplementary recorder, then maybe the MixPre6 ranks higher."
"The MixPre-10 II is excellent for its upgradability and sound quality."
"The MixPre10 II has smoother preamps, but the F8N's extra features would have been more beneficial for beginners."
#4
Apple
4.5
(4)
"Gamit kong audio recorder yung apple watch and iPhone ko."
"It’s free also"
"The standard voice memos app might do exactly what you need."
"IPhone works fine for monitoring progress."
#5
Audacity
4.3
(4)
"Audacity is a powerful audio editor with great features for editing, recording, and effects."
"You can download reaper or audacity."
"Have you checked out audacity?"
"Audacity is a good program and has an easy to use function to remove background noise."
#6
Rode
4.0
(4)
"The NTG4+ is excellent for audio recording, offering better pre-amps and user interface than typical cameras."
"It does give great audio and works really well for something like the Rode NTG mic."
"It does give great audio and works really well for something like the Rode NTG mic."
"Good quality but lacks lavs and is more expensive."
#7
MixPre
4.7
(3)
"Can't go wrong with a Mixpre10. Solid machine."
"The preamps are awesome, plus 32 bit float for basically foolproof recording."
"Unless you're talking about a secondary/supplementary recorder, then maybe the MixPre6 ranks higher."
#8
Olympus
3.7
(3)
"It's tiny, the mic pickup width is great and my AI transcription software has been as accurate as I can possibly expect."
"My Olympus LS-P1 is a workhorse, small, reliable."
"Olympus recorders have USB connection issues over time."
#9
Samsung
5.0
(2)
"Great if you send voice messages, or do other voice stuff."
"Very neat app. It has interview mode where it records stereo using both microphones from your phone."
#10
Tentacle Sync
5.0
(2)
"Tentacles for camera sync work perfectly and are highly reliable."
"A game changer for timecode, compact and affordable."
#11
Hosa Technology
5.0
(2)
"This Hosa unit should work perfectly for converting balanced mono to unbalanced stereo."
"This Hosa unit should work perfectly for converting balanced mono to unbalanced stereo."
#12
Tentacle
5.0
(2)
"A game changer for timecode, compact and affordable."
"Tentacle sync TrackE is a tiny 32 bit float recorder. Easy to Velcro to camera or whatever."
#13
Zoom H2N
4.5
(2)
"The Zoom H2essential is coming out. It has a very good price for a mutitrack."
"H2N will be fine. Just make sure you get a good fuzzy windscreen..."
#14
Zoom H5
4.0
(2)
"I use Zoom H5 and 2.lav mics ( XLR clippy mics from micbooster.com)..."
"I use the Zoom H5."
#15
Zoom H6
4.0
(2)
"Zoom H6 Essential comes with 4 xlrs (plus 2 for mics but I don't count this)"
"You will likely want to engage the PAD switches to LOW..."
#16
Zoom H1n
4.0
(2)
"If you’re working with a tight budget, Zoom’s recorders are a good starting point."
"Zoom H1n has a good reputation"
#17
Reaper
4.0
(2)
"If you already have an audio interface, just get any laptop with a DAW (preferably Reaper) on it."
"If you want to use noise removal, I suggest you jump in and learn Reaper."
#18
4.0
(2)
"Google Live Transcribe also provides excellent live transcription."
"These are great for on the go interviews, but the sound quality is a little fuzzy."
#19
Deity
4.0
(2)
"Recommended for its limiters."
"New features at an even lower price, a strong competitor."
#20
Marantz
4.0
(2)
"Great character and lots of play."
"Meanwhile I bought an old Marantz recorder."
#21
Phone
3.5
(2)
"Phones work great, I would suggest you check to make sure recordings are coming out good."
"Your phone can do a pretty decent job."
#22
Zoom H4N
3.5
(2)
"Zoom h4n"
"Yes the H4n will power the NTG3."
#23
Panasonic
5.0
(1)
"Great recorder for voice (interviews, meetings, lectures). Simple, small, inexpensive and does what is required."
#24
Gigachad
5.0
(1)
"The F6 is overkill for most tasks but offers plenty of safety and useful features."
#25
TASCAM
5.0
(1)
"I use the TASCAM all the time."
#26
Pioneer
5.0
(1)
"I'm happy with DJM-Rec app from Pioneer. It saves having to buy/carry around a separate device."
#27
Saramonic
5.0
(1)
"The Saramonic mixer allows you to use both channels with two XLR inputs."
#28
Shure
5.0
(1)
"If you are using an external mic then Shure Motiv is a good one."
#29
Otter
5.0
(1)
"Otter does live transcription effectively."
#30
Sony
5.0
(1)
"If you don’t need anything super fancy or you’re on a budget, the Sony ICD-PX470 has never failed me."
#31
Comica
5.0
(1)
"Great value with two lavs, two transmitters, and one receiver."
#32
Boya
5.0
(1)
"Cheap and reliable lav mics that work with phones or recorders."
#33
Anker
5.0
(1)
"A much better budget option for powering Mixpre 3/6."
#34
Essentials
5.0
(1)
"They have 32bit recording, so easy peasy"
#35
F6
5.0
(1)
"I have an F6 and love it. It’s $750 though but it can set up timecode and comtek receivers."
#36
Zaxcom
4.0
(1)
"If I could start my career over again, I’d have bought a used zax nomad."
#37
Air Conditioner
4.0
(1)
"Crank the AC for a comfortable environment before interviews."
#38
Refrigerator
4.0
(1)
"Unplug the fridge to avoid noise during recordings."
#39
mp3DirectCut
4.0
(1)
"Mp3DirectCut is lightweight and allows recording directly to mp3 without re-encoding."
#40
F8
3.0
(1)
"The F8 recorder is significantly more expensive than the DR10X, costing about $1200."
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