Tascam dr-60d vs tascam dr-70d vs zoom h4n?

For film-making purposes. I am planning to use one of them with a Rode NTG-1 linked via XLR cable.

1. Which one is better?

2. Which one is easier for a beginner to use?

3. Best value for money?

4. Which one has the best sound quality?

Please help, much appreciated!
 
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As per our last conversation, Tascam above Zoom. The H4n cannot compete with the Dr-60DmkII or the DR-70D. The Tascams are designed for field use like this. Handheld recorders (of any brand) are not.

As for which of the two Tascam recorders, do you need four inputs and four record tracks? If you maybe plan on expanding your kit to include a boomed mic plus three wireless systems, maybe you'd need the DR-70D. But really, do you need that? The DR-60DmkII plus the Strut case and harness will fit the bill for you with your shotgun mic.
 
i like my 70d

and I can set it to record a duplicate track with different settings. This way i can get a loud track and a quiet track to give me more options while editing. mostly that just puts my mind at ease while shooting haha.

eventually i upgraded to include a preamp (sound devices mm-1) and now it's awesome :)
 
I also feel like the Zoom h4n sounds better than the 60d and 70d after watching some videos.

The preamps of the budget Zoom products are "hyped" for consumers- a little extra treble, possibly a bit compressed, etc. With Tascam products the sound is more "neutral" within the limits of the preamps. As a audio post guy I want as neutral as I can get.

The Zoom is a consumer product, the Tascam units are prosumer products with more flexibility, compatibility and upgrade-ability.


Oh, two more things…

1. The H4n will drain batteries faster than the Tascams when supplying phantom power.
2. There a battery packs available for budget Tascam products, but not for budget Zoom products.
 
Okay which of the two tascams are:

1. Which one is better?

2. Which one is easier for a beginner to use?

3. Best value for money?

4. Which one has the best sound quality?

and you can give a link to the tascam batteries please.

Also, what do I need to buy additionally for the audio set up.

So far, I have:
- Rode NTG-1 Mic
- Boom Pole
- Windscreen
- Planning to get either tascams.

Is there anything else I'll need if so what.

Thanks :)
 
Okay which of the two tascams are:

1. Which one is better?

2. Which one is easier for a beginner to use?

3. Best value for money?

4. Which one has the best sound quality?

and you can give a link to the tascam batteries please.

Also, what do I need to buy additionally for the audio set up.

So far, I have:
- Rode NTG-1 Mic
- Boom Pole
- Windscreen
- Planning to get either tascams.

Is there anything else I'll need if so what.

Thanks :)

I have a Dr-60d and I'm perfectly happy with it, but if the 70d has a lot more options, it might very well be a better value for money given it's about 60 or 70 bucks more.

One thing I'd add to the purchase list is a powerbank, something like this
https://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-GearPower-Capacity-Smartphones-GMP16K/dp/B0102OLIAE
with at least 16,000mAh of power, and you're never going to have to spend another penny on AA batteries. I have a powerbank with 22,000 mAh of power and I always have excess power left at the end of the day.
 
One is not better than the other, it's a choice of which one fits you better. They both use the same mic preamps, etc., so will sound the same The -70 is shaped much better for bagging, gives you four (4) channels of low-Z audio recording, and has more routing options. If those are important to you, then the -70 may be the better choice for you. If only two (2) low-Z channels is adequate and the ergonomics work for you, then the -60 could be the way to go.

As an audio pro the DR-70 would be my personal choice between the two - more options (2 extra channels, more routing) and better ergonomics for my purposes.
 
So all I would need to record audio is:
- Rode NTG-1 Mic
- Boom Pole
- Windscreen
- One of the tascams etc.

You need a shock mount for the microphone.
You need XLR cable from the mic to the recorder
I don't remember if recorder came with a SD card or not but you'll need one
You need batteries

Then you're all set.

You could also consider a blimp instead of a windscreen. I haven't used a blimp but i think they're more expensive and more effective .
 
You need a shock mount for the microphone.
You need XLR cable from the mic to the recorder
I don't remember if recorder came with a SD card or not but you'll need one
You need batteries

Then you're all set.

You could also consider a blimp instead of a windscreen. I haven't used a blimp but i think they're more expensive and more effective .

Hi, thanks.

Can you suggest any SD cards? How much storage would I need for 1-3 hours of footage.
 
From the Tascam website:

"Tracks on the DR-70D are captured to SD card, SDHC or SDXC media – up to 128GB cards are supported."

The DR-60d can "Record to SD/SDHC card (Up to 32GB)"

The SanDisk are fine and are sold with DR-70 and DR-60 packages


As for card size:

24 bit/48KHz = 8.640 MB per mono minute of audio

You obviously multiply times the number of tracks you will be recording. So if it's a boom and two lavs you're using 25.92MB per minute.

Lots of PSMs use a new card for each day of shooting, each days card(s) turned over to the "conversion" person and then archived.


BTW, did you know the DR-60d has been discontinued?
 
From the Tascam website:

"Tracks on the DR-70D are captured to SD card, SDHC or SDXC media – up to 128GB cards are supported."

The DR-60d can "Record to SD/SDHC card (Up to 32GB)"

The SanDisk are fine and are sold with DR-70 and DR-60 packages


As for card size:

24 bit/48KHz = 8.640 MB per mono minute of audio

You obviously multiply times the number of tracks you will be recording. So if it's a boom and two lavs you're using 25.92MB per minute.

Lots of PSMs use a new card for each day of shooting, each days card(s) turned over to the "conversion" person and then archived.


BTW, did you know the DR-60d has been discontinued?

Despite it being discontinued I can still purchase it, right? Also, out of the two SDHC cards I linked which one do you suggest?
 
Despite it being discontinued I can still purchase it, right?

That statement is a little misleading. The DR-60D was replaced with the DR-60DmkII. The mkII is still a current model and, yes, you can still purchase it. In fact, I highly recommend getting the mkII instead of trying to find one of the original models.
 
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