I'm currently into a project where I'll be needing to provide sounds in various formats, covering a whole spectrum of topices (ambience, household, human, impact etc). I will need to be providing these in a variety of formats 44.1khz 16bit, 48khz 24bit, 96khz 24bit. The sounds have to be of a good and usable format for others to use in their multimedia projects.

Currently (and it's not much) but I have a MacBook Pro, an Apogee Duet interface, a AKG C 414 B-XLS microphone, a Zoom H2 and a Shure SM58 microphone.

When it comes to a setup sound stage to record sounds, I plan to use my MacBook Pro, the Apogee and my (and whatever other) mics. But out and about? I've found the Zoom H2 just doesn't cut it. The sounds it records are lifeless and dry, though I didn't expect much to be honest.

So I was looking into options for a portable digital recorder and other mics to get so I can really get this project going. I need some help! My budget is £600-£700 (which from what I can see isn't much).

The Tascam DR-100 looks good, as I'm thinking XLRs are important for this. But then what microphone to get? Do I get a shotgun and a stereo mic? Do I get two microphones and use them as a stereo pair? (but then what about travelling around with this?) Do I need to get a stereo and a mono microphone, or can I just use the stereo with one channel when it comes to recording mono? I hear the Tascam DR-100 is quite quiet when recording with the XLRs, so the gain has to be up, resulting in noise fuzz.

Even after deciding on what portable recorder, and what mic(s) to get, do I need a boom pole? A pistol grip? Wind protection?

...my head is literally spinning with the options out there. And it's made tougher due to my small budget and the fact I have no real places to test all this stuff out before buying. I'm really concerned with quality, but I know my budget will sacrifice it. I want to ensure the very best for these sounds... Where do I turn?