After the weekend frustration with some poor quality audio I gathered, I’ve ordered one of these, a Zoom H4 digital recorder.
I did a ton of online research and settled on this one because of features and price. The reviews I read gave it fairly high marks, I can set mic gain and levels, monitor with headphones and even do four-track recording or use it as a USB interface. It accepts mics with either XLR or 1/4-inch plugs, too, and provides phantom power.
There’s also the fact it looks like, if I’m every in a dicey situation, I can set it to “stun” and make my escape.
