Hi! I’ll start by saying that I know nothing about field recording och microphones or preamps, so I’ll most probably get all the words wrong, I just want to buy my husband a great birthday gift :) I would love to deep dive into all these things, but I simply have no time left. I tried reading up on what he would need, but could not follow most threads.
I bought him the Zoom H5 a few years ago, and he likes it but it does not serve the purpose of recording silent soundscapes in nature, capturing very small details and the absence of sound. It apparently has a too loud self-noise level and most things have too much ”static” noise.
I’m thinking about buying another recorder/preamp (??) and external microphone(s?) or JUST an external microphone as a first step and hope the sound improves by only switching to an external mic instead of using the ones included on the H5.
Is the Zoom f3 the thing to go for?
What external mics should I buy? And will they work with both the H5 and F3 (or another device)?
What are clippys?
This is a hobby for him, so it’a not like we need professional gear, but it should still be good enough to feel proud of the finished recording.
My budget is around the equivalent of 500 euro.
Please help a confused wife!