Hi folks Just wanting to know - are portable recorders like Zoom recorders adequate for recording sound effects? Thanks

Yes I think they are just that, 'adequate'

Zoom, Microtrack, I think they fit into that category. I have an M-Audio Microtrack and had previously used a Zoom unit also. They both have had a bit of hiss to them although I did manage to get rid of a bit in post production. The inbuilt mic's are generally adequate for ambient recording. My results strengthened in the Microtrack when using a Rode NT4 into it. It seemed good at first but yeah, in both cases I found their preamps are only average. Recording into my audio interface (focusrite) yielded much better results.

If you are on a budget but want a great sound, I would recommend researching which of the portable recorders have the best preamps, get one of them 2nd hand, and then also get a 2nd hand shotgun mic.

Thanks for the reply. I'll take all of that into consideration.

When using the portable recorder were you using sound booths etc

Thanks