Well I wouldn’t actually go quite that far, I don’t want to sound like a techie geekoid, in love with a piece of machinery (but I am)!

Last week I had to say goodbye to my much-loved, long-serving minidisc recorder. It breathed its last whilst I was out on a job (I won’t go into the massive hissy I had when this happened) and I laid it to rest for the final time that day.

It was with a heavy heart that I searched the internet for a replacement and, I have to say, a small tear rolled from my eye as I ordered my new-fangled digital recorder.

And oh my goodness me, am I glad that I did! I’m so over the minidisc recorder and, if I’m honest, I only wish it had carked it sooner (sorry Miffy, RIP). So, I’m pleased to introduce you to my new best friend, the Zoom H4. She’s a beauty, isn’t she?

If the truth be told, in the flesh it looks a tad cheap because it’s quite lightweight, in a fairly plasticky way rather than a good way and the battery housing really does feel like it’s going to break sooner rather than later but aside from that I’m really enjoying it.

I’m usually very suspicious of built-in mics but this one really is quite good, although the voice quality comes out a little thin. But if you’re at the stage where you really don’t care to know that this has 2 XLR mic outputs (phantom power) then the built in mic will do the job just fine. For the more geeky who do care about spec, check it out here.

This is a very easy to use piece of kit with a nice quality sound output. For your 200 quid you really aren’t getting a top-dollar product and there are much more expensive (and much better) digital recorders on the market. But for what it is, it beats the minidisc recorder hands down in my book. I also got a free mini tripod thrown in with mine, which I’d say is a must - holding it with your hands, even if you’re very dainty and careful means you get what’s known as ‘handling noise’. No surface to put it on? Attach the tripod and use it to hold the recorder - this works well for me and gives no unwanted noise.

For the sake of balance (although I don’t have to, it’s my blog!) another similar product is the Edirol R09 - opinions are split across the internet as to which is better. It seems the general consensus is that the Zoom requires more button pressing but has more features than the Edirol. The bottom line is that for basic recording, either of the two would be great.

So, get yourself one of these babies and feel like a love struck teenager all over again (if you’re a geek, which I’m not).