AudioMedia - January 2009 - (Page 50)

? ? ?? ?? ? ??? ?Now, ?? ? ? ???Ask ??????? ??????????? ? ???????? ?? ? ?? ?? ? ? ? And Don’t Regret Later RECORDERS REVIEWED ALISTAIR MCGHEE recommends the 10 ask before buying a portable recorder. questions you need to uestion one. Do I need XLR sockets and phantom power? This question pretty neatly divides all portable recorders, and is a very good rule of thumb as to which part of the market a recorder is aimed at. Fitting XLRs and batteries man enough to deliver phantom power puts some size restrictions on a recorder from the go. That means if you want ultra pocketability, then you’re going to need to go for the ‘all in one’ approach, or at the very least opt for domestic connectors. Which leads us neatly to the next question. Q all, you can stick a windshield on them. A proper windshield that will allow you to record outside without rolling the bass off below k. The BBC uses them in droves, and they are a long term investment. However – two of the four current models don’t have a line input, and you can’t read the meter while talking into it. A Dark Horse I n The Stable Back at the stereo stable I’ve had lots of fun with the Edirol RO . It takes SD cards, has surprisingly good mics, and fits in your shirt pocket. I really didn’t like the battery door on the mark , and I’m really pleased to say they have sorted it out for the new model. You can fit a Rycote Softie over one, but windshields for these beasts are always going to be tricky. You do get them supplied with the dark horse from Olympus, the LS . Coming from a company that has been making top quality dictaphones for years, the LS is a heavy hitter. Superior build, and I mean classy for the price, a nice big screen and a nice interpretation of what must be the standard chipset and Gb built in and removable storage: this is the machine with everything. Fuzz y-Edged S cience Question two. Do you want built in microphones? Like the classification of animal species, the ordering of recorders is not an exact science, there will always be fuzzy edges. So the Fostex FR LE has XLRs and built in mics, as do some Edirols. But lets leave these hybrids aside for the moment. Do you want mics you don’t intend to use? At the top end of the hand held market, we have products from Sony and Nagra. The Sony seems to have set the pace on form factor, with its built in XY mics, and I hear good things about it. But my experience is with the Nagra ARES series, and having bought one (a RCX ), I have never regretted it. Super build, the easiest machine to use in the world, and a peerless product for point and talk. Further down market, you probably want to ask a subsidiary question: do you need stereo? I f not then the question becomes, do you need a mic with a recorder attached? If so, then the HHB Flashmic is probably leading the charge. Built on a Sennheiser chassis, the Flashmic is robust, well designed, and mostly idiot proof. Almost best of M-Audio was almost first to market with the Microtrack, and this is a popular machine with tapers everywhere, but I’ve never had cause to use one. Built-in rechargeables proved an Achilles heel in version , but the mark II promises longer battery life and external battery booster through the USB socket. Cheaper than chips gets you a Zoom, while Nagra is doing some ver y aggressive pack ages on the ARES-ML. Not as cheap as chips, but less than fish supper. There’s a nice looking Marantz PMD , which I haven’t tried, and a Yamaha I have seen, but only from afar. Next question. Do you want time code, and is stereo enough? An Achilles Heel > 50

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - January 2009

AudioMedia - January 2009 Contents Recording News Post News Broadcast News Geo Focus: India What's Up UK? Special Report: Pimp My Ride AKG C214 Sony Acid Pro 7.0 Final Cut: Mirror's Edge Opportunities in the Reality World She's Got the Look The X-Factor Sadie LRX2 Source Elements Source-Connect 3.1 Buying a Recorder In Control Product Sampler: Trade Shows Video Guide AMSR News Digico SD8 The Last Picture Show File Server

AudioMedia - January 2009

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