Looking to record audio

[Kaius]

I've gone to a lot of concerts, and I really want to start recording audio. Unfortunately, I'm completely new to this, and I have no idea where to start.

What are some of the best audio recorders to use? I know Prime Day on Amazon is coming up soon, and I'm considering getting one then when the prices are (hopefully) lower.

[JackDog]

It all depends on your budget. You can buy a Zoom H4 or Roland R-05 for around $200 and use their built-in mics and get okay results, you could buy one of those recorders and buy mics and a preamp from Sound Professionals or Church Audio for an additional $300 or so to get better results, or you could spend thousands of dollars on each piece of equipment and get really good results. Or you could try to buy used equipment from someone at www.taperssection.com/ and save a lot of money. It all depends on your budget.

[splumer]

What Jack said. Though first, it might help if we knew if you were planning on recording taper-friendly artists or not. Regardless, the recorder is the place to start. The consensus on taperssection.com is the Sony PCM-M10. It's $245 and comes in fashion colors:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Recorder.html

Also, every taper worth his salt will tell you that internal mics should be avoided, even on a great recorder like the M10. Church Audio, Naiant, and Sound Professionals make great stealth-able mics that a lot of folks also use for non-stealth situations. My stealth mics are Naiant U-C's that I got used in the Yard Sale at TS for about $60. I plug those into a Tascam Dr-05, which, sadly, does NOT come in fashion colors, but at $70 is a bit cheaper:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...d_Digital.html

The battery life is phenomenal on the DR-05, too, but many tapers have said it's not as good quality.

My open taping rig features a Marantz PMD660, which is no longer available.

Most tapers will also recommend, with the Church Audio mics, that you get either a preamp or a battery box to power them. I don't use one, and I've had decent results, but a preamp would improve them. A preamp boosts the mic signal to line level, which, for most recorders, sounds better and prevents the signal from being overdriven at loud shows.

Church Audio: http://www.church-audio.com/
Naiant: http://naiant.com/
Sound Professionals: http://www.soundprofessionals.com/

Visit the taping forum or taperssection.com for more information.