Best field recorders for live music under 400 in 2023

Steve Romanoski Avatar
Steve Romanoski
Last Updated: Sep 25, 2022

In this article, we've listed the best field recorders for live music under 400 one can find on the market today. We've found about 64 of field recorders for live music under 400 and selected the 0 top options by Rode. Read on to find out what exactly made us pick these ones.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks

Zoom H8 8-Input / 12-Track Portable Handy Recorder
#TOP 1
Zoom H8 8-Input / 12-Track Portable Handy Recorder
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Zoom H8 8-Input / 12-Track Portable Handy Recorder
Zoom H8 8-Input / 12-Track Portable Handy Recorder
#TOP 1
Zoom H6 6-Track Portable Recorder
#TOP 2
Zoom H6 6-Track Portable Recorder
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Zoom H6 6-Track Portable Recorder
Zoom H6 6-Track Portable Recorder
#TOP 2
Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder
#TOP 3
Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder
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Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder
Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder
#TOP 3

Top 6 Best field recorders for live music under 400 Reviews 2022

#TOP 1

Zoom H8 8-Input / 12-Track Portable Handy Recorder

Zoom H8 8-Input / 12-Track Portable Handy Recorder
Zoom H8 8-Input / 12-Track Portable Handy Recorder Thumb #1 Zoom H8 8-Input / 12-Track Portable Handy Recorder Thumb #2 Zoom H8 8-Input / 12-Track Portable Handy Recorder Thumb #3 Zoom H8 8-Input / 12-Track Portable Handy Recorder Thumb #4 Zoom H8 8-Input / 12-Track Portable Handy Recorder Thumb #5 Zoom H8 8-Input / 12-Track Portable Handy Recorder Thumb #6
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Features

  • Large color LCD touchscreen display; over 20 hours of operation on 4 AA alkaline batteries
  • Customized applications for podcasting, music and field recording
  • Make sure this fits by entering your model number.
  • USB Audio interface mode to record or stream directly to your computer
  • 12-track simultaneous recording
  • Interchangeable input capsules, 4 mic inputs and 2 XLR/TRS combo connectors
#TOP 2

Zoom H6 6-Track Portable Recorder

Zoom H6 6-Track Portable Recorder
Zoom H6 6-Track Portable Recorder Thumb #1 Zoom H6 6-Track Portable Recorder Thumb #2 Zoom H6 6-Track Portable Recorder Thumb #3 Zoom H6 6-Track Portable Recorder Thumb #4 Zoom H6 6-Track Portable Recorder Thumb #5 Zoom H6 6-Track Portable Recorder Thumb #6
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Features

  • Gain knobs, pads, and Phantom power for each input
  • Direct recording to SD cards up to 128GB.Display 2.0-Inch full color LCD (320 x 240 pixels)
  • Newly redesigned preamps with an ultra-low noise floor, up to 24-bit/96kHz audio in WAV or MP3 format
  • Mountable directly to DSLR or camcorder with optional hs-01 Hot shoe mount adapter. Multichannel and stereo USB Audio Interface for PC/Mac/iPad
  • Includes: Owners manual, SD card (2 GB), xyh-6 x/Y capsule, msh-6 MS capsule, AA size LR6 battery x4, USB cable, sponge windscreen, Cubase LE software, case
#TOP 3

Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder

Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder
Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder Thumb #1 Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder Thumb #2 Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder Thumb #3 Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder Thumb #4 Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder Thumb #5 Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder Thumb #6
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Features

  • Compact yet rugged metal casing, mounting bars and tripod mount
  • 2 locking-XLR inputs / 2-track field audio recorder
  • High quality mic preamps with a super-low noise floor (−127 dBu EIN)
  • 32-bit float recording and dual AD converters for full dynamic range and clip-free audio capture with no need to set gain
  • Record up to 192 kHz sampling/32-bit float WAV format, mono or stereo files to SD cards up to 512GB
#TOP 4

Zoom H6 Six-Track Portable Recorder

Zoom H6 Six-Track Portable Recorder
Zoom H6 Six-Track Portable Recorder Thumb #1 Zoom H6 Six-Track Portable Recorder Thumb #2 Zoom H6 Six-Track Portable Recorder Thumb #3 Zoom H6 Six-Track Portable Recorder Thumb #4 Zoom H6 Six-Track Portable Recorder Thumb #5 Zoom H6 Six-Track Portable Recorder Thumb #6
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Features

  • Zoom's interchangeable capsules - The handy detachable XYH-6 X/Y capsule is the one included with the H6 Recorder yet you can simply swap to any of the other five compatible Zoom Input Capsules. (available separately)
  • The Zoom H6 6-track recorder is the most advanced portable recorder ever, Sleek And a solid finish, The H6 Recorder was designed to have to tools you'll need to use the most while performing great for live recording as well as studio-quality music, filmmaking, production, traveling.
  • Photo Savings Deluxe H6 bundle contains Zoom H6 Recorder, 16GB memory card, studio headphones, 4 AA rechargeable Batteries with a compatible charger, auxiliary cable, and table tripod
  • IN'S AND OUTS - Zoom H6AB Recorder has Dedicated inputs & outputs including 4 XLR/TRS combo jacks with pad switches and gain control plus two 1/8” outputs, a stereo line, headphone output, and USB port for your computer/iPad.
  • RECORD EVERYTHING — The H6 has 6-channel records up to 24-bit or 96 kHz onto SD cards till 128GB and gives you as much as 20 hours of operation on just 4 AA batteries. You can record all the channels simultaneously or layer one over the other. Also, every time you press record, the H6 includes two seconds of audio prior to your pressing the button.
#TOP 5

Zoom H6 All Black Handy Recorder + Two Professional XLR Lavalier Microphone XM-L2

Zoom H6 All Black Handy Recorder + Two Professional XLR Lavalier Microphone XM-L2
Zoom H6 All Black Handy Recorder + Two Professional XLR Lavalier Microphone XM-L2 Thumb #1 Zoom H6 All Black Handy Recorder + Two Professional XLR Lavalier Microphone XM-L2 Thumb #2 Zoom H6 All Black Handy Recorder + Two Professional XLR Lavalier Microphone XM-L2 Thumb #3
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Features

  • Full year warranty provided by Zoom
  • Portable 6-track portable recorder for recording podcasts, audio for video, music, and more
  • This H6 All Black Handy Recorder comes with a kit which includes the following, H6 All Black X/Y Microphone Capsule, 4x AA Batteries, Set of Download Codes for Cubase LE and WaveLab LE
  • Includes detachable X/Y capsule perfect for all types of live stereo recording, compatible with all Zoom Input Capsules
  • Four mic/line level inputs with XLR/TRS combo connectors for connection of microphones and line level sources
#TOP 6

Tascam DP-03SD Digital Portastudio 8-Track Recorder Bundle

Tascam DP-03SD Digital Portastudio 8-Track Recorder Bundle
Tascam DP-03SD Digital Portastudio 8-Track Recorder Bundle Thumb #1 Tascam DP-03SD Digital Portastudio 8-Track Recorder Bundle Thumb #2 Tascam DP-03SD Digital Portastudio 8-Track Recorder Bundle Thumb #3 Tascam DP-03SD Digital Portastudio 8-Track Recorder Bundle Thumb #4
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Features

  • Two XLR microphone inputs with phantom power
  • Track editing, auto punch and bounce features
  • Built-in stereo condenser microphone
  • Import WAV files from USB
  • Make sure this fits by entering your model number.
  • Switchable instrument-level input for guitar/bass direct recording

Editor's Notes

A considerable amount of time and effort was put into this review. We spent a lot of time (over 76 hours to be exact) to deep dive into the topic, analyzing at least 806 buyer reviews. Eventually, we came up with a list of the most trustworthy models with an average rating of 0. The products you'll find in this selection are available at $0 on average (as of 03-14-2023).

Steve Romanoski Avatar
Written by

Steve Romanoski

Steve loves music. Steve Romanoski and his wife live in Alaska. They are always on the go, exploring new places and trying out new products (especially those which can help them enjoy the great musics even more). When he's not writing about products, Steve Romanoski enjoys reading books about history and science. He likes to think of himself as a renaissance man, but his wife would probably say that he's just a big kid at heart.