Tiny but Mighty Audio Recorder — TASCAM FR-AV2 vs ZOOM F3

Our lighting and sound courses can be found at school.learnlightandsound.com!

In this episode we have a look at Tascam’s new field recorder, the FR-AV2! Most comparable to the Zoom F3, the FR-AV2 can record 2 channels of 32-bit float and generate onboard timecode. In this video we listen to some sound quality samples using a variety of common microphones, test out the 32-bit float recording function, and compare the recording experience to what you’ll find on the Zoom F3. Let’s take a closer look and listen!

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX. See https://school.learnlightandsound.com for more info!

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com: http://ko-fi.com/curtisjudd

Gear used or mentioned in this episode (the links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases):

Tascam FR-AV2 32-Bit Float Field Recorder — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/DxyaZ96

Some of my other studio gear:

Sound Devices MixPre audio recorders — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/O8e0
Sennheiser MKH50 microphone —  B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/iYb065
Sennheiser MKH8050 — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/mUcDk
Audio Technica AT4053b — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/at4053bCH
Schoeps CMC 641 — B&H, Sweetwater https://geni.us/wi8r4
Earthworks ETHOS microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/8G8UdBB
Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/8a8tt
Aputure LS 600x Pro Bicolor LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/EreRQa
Aputure Light Dome III Softbox — Aputure, B&H https://geni.us/AVHU1p
Amaran 300c RGBWW Single-Point LED Light — https://geni.us/uGkDX
Amaran Spotlight SE —  Aputure, B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/4DuyTz
Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H https://geni.us/GWKt
Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H https://geni.us/ABYB
Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/qwsEs
Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/InspOl
Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/gr47

The outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://geni.us/G7by

Copyright 2024, Curtis Judd

#TascamFR-AV2 #ZoomF3 #FieldRecorder

Index
00:00 Please buy my courses
00:07 Intro & full disclosure
00:42 Pros
02:28 Preamp quality
03:42 As USB audio interface
04:06 Recording media
04:22 Onboard processors
06:39 Timecode generator
07:28 Bluetooth capabilities
08:40 RF interference
09:05 Mid/side recording
09:15 Powering options
09:41 Warranty & pricing
09:59 Cons
10:25 Build quality
10:54 versus Zoom F3
16:40 My pick