You could convert a normal camera direct output.

So, I am looking to have a few things sorted out in the sound dept. for a doc I am working on. I have decided that the subjects will have lavs with Tascam DR-05 recording on 16GB cards (enough space for the 12hrs or so quoted by Tascam on battery life with Eneloop Pros) I can't afford wireless, so the recorders are the best combo right now for lavs (opinions welcome on this) I heard samples of Zoom H1 vs the Tascam and the Zoom has too much hiss to my taste.

On camera:

This is where I am finding a bit of a hard time deciding. I want a compact kit (preferably without a rig)

Kit 1: Roland R-26 using all of its mics recording to their own independent channel (thats 2 omnis + XY) AT875r recording into the Roland R26 Since this test showed that the Roland has a bit of a hiss, I thought that using a Fethead attached the already short AT875r will give me a lower noise floor.

• Omni + XY + Shotgun channels to mix in post along with the lavs. --For this kit, I would need to get a cage to have both the Roland and the Shotgun mounted on the GH2.

Kit 2: For a lower price as the above: Zoom H6/H5 w/ SSH-6 mic. This module mic is a XY and short shotgun at the same time, which (with Zooms software) you can then choose how much of each set (XY and shotgun) you can have in your final mix later.

Sample of software and mic tests:

• on this one is that the AT875r takes the bench of gets sold because the module replaces it. The recorder mounts directly on the hotshote (no cage, or rig)
• Not enough samples from the SSH-6 mic out there, especially indoors and with dialogue, so it's a bit of a gamble and I don't know how well the noise floor will be with that combo. -/+ XY and Shotgun only left to mix later in post with the lavs. Hearing samples from the Omni+XY+Shotgun on the Roland leaves me with a bit of nice feeling.

Kit 3: The original kit I imagined I would get.

Tascam DR-70D AT875r

• cheaper than both above
• Dr-70D pre-amps are very nice but could also compliment them with a Fethead
• DR-70D built-in mics may be stereo...but they don't really give a stereo feeling so kind of pointless and the main reason for me to look at the above

That's pretty much what I have right now as options.

I also read about the Olympus LS-100 which has nice quiet pre-amps (for the XLRs) but I was advised by a friend that the 16bit recording may be too limiting if I need to compensate for either noise or for mixing. Any opinions on that?

Sadly enough no shop in London has all of these so I can test them all in one place and see what may fit best.

Also, my doc stuff is multi-field (indoor, outdoor) fly on the wall style 95% of the time so I really like the idea of having mixing options between the lavs, stereo and shotgun.

What do we think??

Thing is, I recently got a nice lapel mike that works great. Now, I'm thinking of trying that recorder trick again-- and since the recorders and mikes are very cheap, I could buy six or seven pairs, attach them to a play's actors, put the recorders in their pockets, and get really good soundtracks that I could mix while editing.

But it'd require mini-recorders that recorded at the proper rates. Are there any mini-recorders that work well with video?

Price wise (I understand this can soak up all I am willing to throw at it) I have been looking at the Earthworks qtc40/50 Mics but would prefer to spend a bit less (around £500/$800) for the mic especially if I need a new recorder.. I have also been researching portable dat recorders which seem to have a good frequency response, but not sure if old tech is a good option? Analog tone?

It would also be nice if I could use the sound kit with the GH4 too..

If I need a new recorder and mic I'd like to keep it around £1200 - £1500 ($2000-$2500) for both.. It would be great to get some input from others as over six months of research has still left me confused about the right kit to go for to get the best quality on a budget, thanks :)

Matt

Via: http://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm

Via: http://www.avisoft.com/tutorial_field_recording.htm