Hello and welcome to field recording! I’m glad that you are interested in this new hobby and I want to help you get started as quickly and as easily as possible.
I’m mainly writing this guide because field recording is not a friendly hobby for the beginner. That’s because most people don’t have prior experience with microphones or audio equipment. This can make the gear selection process overwhelming, difficult, and may even prevent you from getting started in the first place.
If this sounds like you, don’t worry. I also had zero experience as a beginner and I am going to share what I learned with you to help you get started on the right foot.
Field recording isn’t all about the gear, but there are certainly some mandatory pieces of equipment. This article will walk you through the field recording essentials and other accessories.
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Two pieces of gear fall under the essentials category: field recorder and wind protection. The field recorder is an obvious necessity but wind protection is less so.
Field recorder microphones are extremely sensitive to wind and without wind protection, your recording will be heavily distorted. For that reason, I’ve put “wind protection” on the essentials list.
Although you can record without wind protection, it is only possible under controlled situations.
Since field recording is all about capturing sounds outside of a recording studio environment, we never have full control over the environment so wind protection is needed for a good recording.
Before I get to my recommendation, I think it is important to understand a few things about field recorders before purchasing one.
Self-noise is the most important thing to consider when purchasing a field recorder. Self-noise is a measure of the the static hissing sound that electronic devices produce simply by being powered-on.
All electronic devices produce this noise but it is usually not a problem…unless that device is a field recorder. In field recorders, the internal hissing sound is added to your audio signal and can be audible in your recorded file.
Self-noise is undesirable because it takes the focus off your intended subject. Because of this, you want to get the lowest self-noise field recorder in your budget.
To read more about self noise and field recorders, check out the article: Field Recorder Buyers Guide 101.
The Zoom H1n is the best field recorder to get started with because it records really high-quality audio, has very low self-noise, and is one of the cheapest field recorders on the market.
At around $100, the only competitor is the Tascam DR-05x and the H1n blows the Tascam out of the water (trust me, I’ve owned and reviewed both).
For that matter, the Zoom H1n out competes several other recorders costing much more and offers the highest sound quality of any field recorder under $279.
At $279 is the Zoom H5 which is a considerable upgrade over the H1n in terms of sound-quality and features. If you’re planning on sticking with field recording and your budget allows for it, the H5 is your best bet.
The only downside to the H1n is its cheap build quality and no included wind protection.
Below are some real-world recordings straight out of the H1n (no post-processing). These files show off the H1n’s ability to record quiet sounds with almost zero self-noise.
