Very simple, fine sounding, cheap recording sketchpad.

[alexevans917]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for something portable, cheap, and decent sounding to record song sketches on. I'm currently using either my phone (a cheap Nokia) or an iPod Touch (so much ambient noise, even in pretty silent rooms!!), and it really isn't cutting it. I know lots of people like the H2. I've seen a few used for quite cheap. Any other good options? I really want something simple, so next time I don't have an idea I don't a) forget it while setting up a condenser and firing up the interface or b) end up with awful quality so I can't figure out the idea again. Of course, something I could use to record gigs or something with as well would be cool, but not totally necessary. My main things are portability, cost, and sound quality. So, hit me!

Thanks,

Alex

[Ty Ford]

Here's what I said about the Sony M10 in my published review.


The M10 is a little thicker than an iPhone and comes with 4GB internal memory and a microSD/Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) slot for expanded memory. It fits comfortably in the hand.

I was able to work it immediately. After inserting two AA batteries and holding down the power button, the M10 sprang to life, indicating the sample rate and bit depth, amount of recording time left and that it was in STOP mode. Hitting the REC button put the M10 instantly into record-ready with the yellow back-lit PAUSE button flashing and meters showing level. I tapped the PAUSE button, and was recording. Nice.

FEATURES
It like that the M10 has a dedicated record level knob. The caramel backlit LCD display has horizontal metering that shows -40, -24, -12, -6, 0 and OVER. There are also LEDs next to each of the two mics that indicate -12 and OVER, so when the backlit LCD panel goes dark, you can still check metering. Excellent.

Because there are no moving parts in the M10, the small omni condenser mics mounted in the top corners of the case don’t pickup HD noise. Separate 1/8” TRS jacks for external mic and pro level line in populate the space between the mics. The 1/8” TRS out can be switched between headphone and line. In addition to the usual controls the Track Marking button can be used during recording to drop flags that you can use during playback with the FF and FR buttons to jump to those points. A small USB port allows connection to any computer where the M10 appears as a standard drive. A hardwired remote can stop, start, record or drop track flags and has a red LED that remains lit when recording. A 3 VDC wall wart power supply is included. There’s a very small utility speaker mounted in the base of the M10 and in most normal situations it’s loud enough to let you hear what has been recorded. You may need to put it to your ear in noisy environments or use headphones.

IN USE
My first recording effort was a snap. I used the threaded socket on the back of the M10 to mount it on my old 35 mm still camera tripod and positioned it so the right mic was pointed up and the left mic down. That let me plug my Sony MDR 7506 headphones in without the cord draping over the M10. I grabbed my acoustic guitar and slid the rig into place so that I was singing into the right mic and the left mic was picking up my guitar. I had to restart once because I got too close to the mic and popped it. Note to Sony: Consider a small foam pop hat like the Zoom H2. Second take was fine and sounded good when played back on the Sony headphones. An easy-access front panel Delete button plays back the selected file so you can hear the track you’re about to blow off. Another good idea.

Connecting the M10 to my Mac NoteBook with the supplied USB cable, I dragged the take to a Garage Band timeline, trimmed, tweaked and published the clip to a blog page on my iWeb site. From recording on the couch to playback on the Internet in about eight minutes.

After double recording 58 minutes with my Canon XL2 MiniDV and the M10, The M10 was 6 frames fast. There is a five-second pre-record buffer, but you have to be in record stand-by for five seconds to fill the buffer. Battery life with the M10 is phenomenal. I never drained the two AA I used, and saw one report claiming forty-three hours of constant record. The digital limiter, along with over 10 dB of analog headroom, allows a wide spectrum of input levels to be successfully recorded.

When I loaded files from my Mac to the M10 for playback. It worked for my MP3 files but not for all of my .WAV files. The basic PTLE stereo files played back, but some I had brought into iTunes and added metadata to would not play. Sony was able to open my files in Sound Forge and resave without metadata. For Macs, opening the files with Switch software and saving them as standard .WAV files allowed the problem files to play.



Summary
The M10 feels and acts like a solid toy. I like the feature set.


Fast Facts
Applications: Recording audio anywhere.
Features: Dual, on board condenser omnis, discrete record level, easy access to most controls, multiple sample and bit rates of MP3 and .WAV
Price: $329
Contact: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921666016155

Product Points
Up: Phenomenal battery life, excellent headroom/limiter design.
Down: Clock is not quite accurate for long double system recording.
Score: I own a Sound Devices 744T and still want one of these.

[ac]

Depending on your budget, you might wish to consider this for quality and features. It's about half the price, I believe:

Tascam DR-07 MKII(or sometimes Mk2). This is not the older "DR-07" which can still be found.

Search this forum or Google for reviews.

[RustyAxe]

Wow. Does no one use the search function? There must be a dozen threads on this subject in the past 30 days.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

Wow. Does no one use the search function? There must be a dozen threads on this subject in the past 30 days.

Hi RA...
I don't care if it was discussed yesterday. This is a discussion forum not a Guitar Wikipedia, so i'm always glad to address old topics anew.

And what was a good 'sketchpad' two years ago would have changed by now because technology, and actually the Zoom H1 is new in the past few months.

Not ragging on you, but if it troubles you that the topics cycle too often, instead of being frustrated by it, my advice is just don't open the thread. I'll be glad to chime in for repeat topics...

When i first visited here several yrs ago, the thing that appealed to me was people answering questions not just linking me to sites or reference pages.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by alexevans917

Hey guys,

I'm looking for something portable, cheap, and decent sounding to record song sketches on. I'm currently using either my phone (a cheap Nokia) or an iPod Touch (so much ambient noise, even in pretty silent rooms!!), and it really isn't cutting it. I know lots of people like the H2. I've seen a few used for quite cheap. Any other good options? I really want something simple, so next time I don't have an idea I don't a) forget it while setting up a condenser and firing up the interface or b) end up with awful quality so I can't figure out the idea again. Of course, something I could use to record gigs or something with as well would be cool, but not totally necessary. My main things are portability, cost, and sound quality. So, hit me!

Thanks,

Alex

Hi Alex...
There are many great options, and I think the Zoom H1 is as good as the H2 for what you propose.

Inexpensive digital recorders abound these days. And Zoom has a leg up on many of them because of:

• Support
• Updates
• Widespread support in forums
• Quality and options

Zoom has issued hardware updates (free) via ROM upgrades three times in 3 years to their existing hardware, and have routinely upgraded their basic recorders.

Tascam, Olympus, Sony, Roland etc all offer models from $99-$1800 (yes $1800).

From my hands on w/ several, the $99 Zoom H1 produces as good sounding quick-n-dirty recordings as the $500 Tascam. And all of them have decent mics built in.

What i look for are:

• Good battery life
• Standard recording formats (mp3, or wav)
• Easy memory storage
• Easy to use controls w/ a quick process to turn it on and hit record
• Good quality output
• Tripod socket (camera tripods being small and light are superior in portable recording to traditional mic stands).
• Customer support
• Interfaceability to computers to transfer the files in standard formats

Hope this helps...

[RustyAxe]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

When i first visited here several yrs ago, the thing that appealed to me was people answering questions not just linking me to sites or reference pages.

When I see two nearly identical thread in succession, yeah, I'm amazed that people don't look before they leap in with a question. Maybe that comes from years of managing employees who couldn't think for themselves and came running to me for answers before they did any research. Perhaps I'm just a bit cranky here, we just got power back after being in the cold and dark since Saturday afternoon.

[jeanray1113]

I don't know what you really want in terms of sound quality and advanced functions, but I just bought the Tascam DR 03 at Guitar Center on black Friday for $49. I think the regular price is $79. I mostly just wanted to be able to record and listen to my playing as a learning tool, and for me, this fits the bill. It's very easy to use and very portable. It doesn't have an AC adaptor, but if you buy rechargable triple A's you will get a lot of mileage from them.