Speaker 1: If you want to capture professional audio in the field, you will need to use a digital recorder. In this video, we'll talk about the things that you need to consider when purchasing your digital recorder based on the noise level of the room, how many people are involved in the recording, and whether you're a beginner or advanced podcaster. Digital recorders are portable and allow you to podcast outside of where you normally record. This is great if you're conducting live-on-location interviews or roundtable discussions in the field. You want to consider memory. Some devices have built-in memory, but for most recorders, you will have to buy a separate microSD card in order to record your content. You also want to think about convenience. Entry-level recorders tend to be smaller and can fit in your pocket, but mid-tier recorders with more functionality tend to be a bit bulkier, so you'll need a bag to carry them around. The last thing that you want to consider is if the device is compatible with the parameters of your show. If you're going to be recording with more than two people, then you'll have to get a mid-tier recorder that has more than two microphone outputs. Yes, you can use your phone. Check out the Riverside app, it's perfect for recording on the go, and it will provide you with separate tracks for audio afterwards. You can use your phone's built-in mic to record high-quality audio in the field. The Olympus WS853 is a small, affordable, beginner-level recorder that even has a simple mode function that will take away any additional features that you don't need to record your podcast. The device comes with two built-in directional mics, making it great for face-to-face interviews and recording on location. You want to make sure that you don't have too much movement when handling this recorder, otherwise it will pick up shuffling sounds. The downside of this recorder is that it can't record in WAV format, and the sound quality is okay, but if you want to prioritize sound quality and affordability is one of your main concerns, then consider one of the following two recorders. The Zoom H1n is another pocket-sized, affordable recorder great for beginner podcasters. The device is great at eliminating background noise, making it a great choice for people who do face-to-face interviews or location-based recording in places with a lot of noise like conferences. The device is made out of plastic, so it will pick up shuffling noises, but it comes with the ability to mount to a tripod in order to avoid this. Something to note about this device is that it doesn't have any built-in memory, so you'll have to have an external SD card in order to capture any content. If you're looking for something a bit more advanced on a budget, the Tascam DR-05X is great for recording clear audio. It contains two omnidirectional mics, making it great for recording roundtable discussions in a quiet environment. It even has the ability to normalize audio levels between speakers. The mics are okay for recording face-to-face interviews, but if you plan on using it for this purpose often, then we recommend purchasing lavalier mics if you're going to be recording in noisier settings. The Zoom H4n Pro is affordable and offers up to four-track recording. This is because it has two built-in mics and comes with two professional-grade XLR mics as well. It produces broadcast-quality audio as long as it's mounted to a tripod to avoid shuffling noises. You can also attach the Zoom H4n Pro to your camera to capture high-quality audio along with your video. This is perfect as a field recorder and is particularly good at recording loud noises. However, the downside of this mic is that it's not as good at recording quieter sessions. So if you want to record quieter sessions, then we recommend purchasing a windscreen to avoid air noises. The Zoom H4n can also be doubled as an audio interface by plugging it into your laptop or even your iPhone. The Zoom H5 is one of the best mid-tier options. It's very user-friendly and it's great for people who do roundtable discussions and record interviews on the go. It supports up to two external XLR mics in addition to the two built-in mics that provide great sound quality. The piece holding the built-in mics can actually be swapped out for other specialist mic attachments like stereo shotgun mics. This is a great choice, but depending on the amount of people that you have involved in the recording session, you may also want to consider the Zoom H6. For podcasters that have more experience with digital recorders, the Zoom H6 is just slightly more expensive than the Zoom H5 and this is because it comes with four XLR inputs in addition to the two built-in mics, making it great for recording multiple people at the same time. Each input has its own gain control to control volume levels and you have the ability to use effects like high-pass filtering, compression, and limiting directly from the device. Both the Zoom H5 and the Zoom H6 also work well as an audio interface. Last but not least, the Zoom PodTrak P4 is the perfect recorder for podcasts and is quite affordable. It's small, lightweight, has a clean layout, and is very straightforward to use for both beginner and advanced podcasters. It has four XLR mic inputs with a headphone jack for each input so everybody can monitor their own sound. Every track also has its own gain control and mute button. This can be used as an audio interface on your computer, on your iPad, and even on your iPhone. The Zoom PodTrak allows you to add in live music and sound effects throughout the recording. It also allows you to record two remote phone calls simultaneously, making it great for remote interviews, live shows, and radio shows. This one has no built-in mic so it's not all-encompassing like the previous recorders and you'll have to purchase external mics in order to use it. There you go, those are our recommendations for the best audio recorders for any situation. Make sure to subscribe to our channel to be notified every time we post a new video. And if you want to learn more about podcast equipment, then check out this playlist of videos where we'll walk you through the best equipment for your podcasting needs.