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I would like to record the audio output from the mixer. I would usually do this on a laptop, however I want to avoid the extra bulk of taking a laptop to the studio.

I did consider a Dictaphone, which would probably do the job relatively well, however I was curious as to what alternatives there are.

I don't need stellar quality, definitely just cheap and cheerful.

Thank you very much guys. I think I'm just going to go for a Dictaphone with a 3.5mm input.

I WOULD like to use my Galaxy S5 to record the info but I'm not certain which type of cable to get due to the variances in TRRS between iPhone and Android and which cables would work with the 6.5mm output from the mixer. There doesn't seem to be a device that is either simpler or cheaper than than the Dictaphone (which can be snapped up for around £15 on Amazon).

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  • What are the purposes if it's in a studio? Won't you get rough mixes? Otherwise there are a lot of compact recorders out there, Zoom has a series which gives pretty good bang for the buck. Then you get the extra benefit of being able to record straight to the device which has built-in mics.
    – Meaningful Username
    Sep 5, 2014 at 10:17
  • At my local radio shack they are offering a mic with a 3.5mm jack for $14. Not sure well it works though.
    – Gᴇᴏᴍᴇᴛᴇʀ
    Sep 8, 2014 at 21:09
  • you could try one of these amazon.co.uk/Line-BackTrack-Guitar-Riff-Recorder/dp/B001ELJTCY
    – bigbadmouse
    May 23, 2022 at 9:26

4 Answers 4

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A mobile phone with Android operating system can do. You need an adaptor to connect your source to the jack that is normally used for headphones but also supports headphones with microphone. Details are as described here, for instance. Does not look very complex to do. A phone is much easier to carry around than a laptop and some lower end models can be rather cheap. You also need some sound recording program like RecForge. But, as correctly noted in the comment - one channel only!

There are also specialized pocket studio devices that could record stereo through the 3.5mm (1/8") stereo mini jack and also have the built-in studio quality microphones on they own. For about $140 they look rather expensive, but from the other side it is difficult to find a decent laptop that would cost anywhere near this price.

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  • That input is mono, so stereo recordings are out of the question using this method.
    – NPN328
    Sep 5, 2014 at 12:19
  • The answer has been edited to address this.
    – h22
    Sep 5, 2014 at 20:05
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Minidiscs are still readily available.Last player/recorder I got from a car boot sale for £3. Very portable, 320 mins recording time, brilliant sound quality, editing facilities. Usually a port for line in and another for mic. What's not to like?

EDIT: here we are 8 yrs later, and I'm still using minidiscs for recording concerts and rehearsals, then often listening back to them in the car - on, yes, a minidisc player in car!

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Did you consider any of the IK Multimedia products - http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/cat-view.php?C=mobile [no affiliation]
Might be cheaper than a dictaphone... & you'll always have your phone with you.

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If you're comfortable with some light hardware and software hacking, I'd suggest a Sansa Clip MP3 player with RockBox firmware and a mod to the mic input. However, it's mono. For more information, see http://jimlaurwilliams.org/wordpress/?p=1748

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