Gear Review: Zoom F8 Multi Track Field Recorder

Recently I've been getting a few jobs that require both portability and track counts greater than the four I usually deal with using my Sound Devices 744T. In terms of building a kit that can offer both of those factors, along with a wide number of options and similar performance level to the Sound Devices kit then there isn't much out there that doesn't cost somewhere near the thick end of £5000; and that would be before you add on all of the extra accessories that go with it. This is where the Zoom F8 comes in. It costs less that £1000 and appears, at first glance, to have a lot of the functionality of something vastly more expensive like the SD 788T or Sonosax SXR4+. So lets explore that and see just how well something this low cost can perform the tasks demanded of much more expensive kit.

Using an Allen & Heath Qu-16 with timecode sync

It's a regular thing in this industry: A last minute call for a production that is happening in 2 days time or the other side of a weekend with requirements a little bit outside of what you can provide out of your own standard kit store.

I was asked recently to provide a mix and multitrack of eight inputs for a quiz panel show in just such circumstances. Thankfully I'd already made a vague plan about how to go about this ever since I'd picked up my Allen & Heath Qu-16 digital desk and had even thought of a few things that add functions which, on the face of things, aren't really part of its design remit.

Gear Review: LOM Uši electret condenser microphones

"Uši /uʃɪ:/ is a pair of stereo-matched, high quality omni-directional electret microphones. Compared with regular built-in microphones supplied with many recorders, Uši have exceptionally low noise and high sensitivity. They are especially useful for recording delicate sounds and environments."

Gear Review: Roland R-26 Portable Recorder

Just arrived this week, a shiny new Roland R-26 portable recorder. This little device has the best and most complete feature list of anything on the market in this form factor. Compared with the ubiquitous Zoom H4n, the Roland R-26 is quite simply another level above, putting it close to devices in the 4+ channel recorder segment. In my five hours with the device since I got home from work, and then charged some AA batteries, I've only been impressed with how it performs. The depth and quality of features on show is quite astounding. I would put it right at the top of the pecking order of portable recorders available right now.

Recording: Setting up Ableton Live for Recording

I wrote this beginners guide last year on the DV247 music forum, but for some reason never thought to re-post it on here. I think it's a useful guide to getting more from Live once you've got the default install up and running. Re-reading it has reminded me about a few features that I rarely use, so it could be worth a read for anyone using Live out there. Any edits on the original have been made in the classic square brackets.

Recording: Acoustic Guitar

    Recording acoustic guitar is a relatively simple thing to do, but for most guitarists the world of recording is seen as a bit of a dark art. In this article I will attempt to allay that myth and help you on the way to recording with confidence.

    The first thing to do is understand the different mic types and understand what they look like, so that you can work out what they are for. You don't have to be able to name them, just associate the design with the function. For this article I'll briefly explain the ones that follow in the main body.