I've been pod-casting now for about three years, and for the better part of that time the Handy Recorder H2 Zoom has been my lifeline to the audio-sphere.
It is a digital voice recorder that doubles as a USB microphone for those "I don't have time to run to the closet to record" days.
Hear more in my review on Audio Daily.
H2 Zoom Review
Submitted by Allison D. Duncan
Its SD Memory card manages to hold however much audio you end up needing when you record panels live at that Sci-fi convention you are never quite prepared for each year. It's forward or backward microphone orientation will even pick up audio that is coming from the wrong side because the mic wasn't facing the correct way.
And the built-in LCD display with 128x64 resolution gives you just enough screen space to know that your rechargeable batteries aren't actually fully charged like you thought they were, and you really didn't just record that interview because you never switched from the USB storage capability to the Audio I/F tool.
The H2 lets you record in either WAV or MP3 format using anything from 96kHz to 44.1 kHz if you aren't utilizing its USB microphone capability. And the built in mic is able to record in mono even if you don't record it in stereo like the client asked you to do.
Despite the numerous occasions that operator error has screwed up, deleted, mangled, warped, wobbled, or popped the audio that has been recorded, the H2 Zoom has managed to give crystal-clear sound under studio circumstances. It has been used in professional recordings, off the cuff gab fests, Skype Interviews, and book readings in noisy restaurants. It has been dropped, chewed on by dogs, chewed on by kids, knocked off desks by unnamed parties, and manhandled well beyond the manufacturer's specifications.
Two years after purchase, I can still say the H2 Zoom was the best piece of audio equipment I have purchased to date. It survived the two Dell computers that dropped hard drives. It survived the moves. It survived the numerous conventions it was dragged to, and the hot cars it was left to bake within. And it has been a champ through it all. If you are just starting out, you could do much worse than grab the H2 Zoom for your recording companion.
