Yes, currently Keep a device capable of capturing audio in your pocket: your phone. But the audio quality from those tiny microphones leaves a lot to be desired. It’s easy for microphones to overload if you’re trying to capture a jam session with your band. You’ll never get a solid stereo image of your surroundings. And echoey conference rooms will reduce any speaker to a muddy mess.
There are many reasons to purchase a field recorder. They can be used to capture lectures at school, record audio for a video, serve as a mobile podcast studio, collect samples to use in your music, and even create IRs (impulse responses) to create custom audio effects.
There’s also the act of field recording itself: getting out and capturing the ambient sounds of the world around you. If you’ve never dabbled in this, I highly recommend it. It can teach you to listen more carefully to the world around you and make you more observant.
If you work with audio in any way, even as a hobby, a good portable field recorder is a must. Below are our current favorites. Be sure to also check out our guides to the best recording software, the best wired headphones, and the best USB microphones. If you’re interested in recording both at home and outdoors, be sure to check out our guide to improving your home recording studio.
If you purchase something through links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also note Subscribing to WIRED