Re: [ARSCLIST] Advise sought on portable recorders

[Tom Fine <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

If I had to buy right now, for the next couple of years, I'd probably settle
for the latest MD format, but make sure to get the "MD pro" or "MD enhanced"
kind which allows regular full-fledged WAV recording and has a genuine USB
hookup so you can drag-drop the WAV files onto a computer. MD seems to be a
somewhat robust storage medium, but I'd want to record in WAV and back up
the WAVs to hard drives and CDR's for editing and archiving.

>From what I've read -- and based on price/features value, I can't recommend
any flash recorders yet, but their time is coming. The way these things
progress -- and considering everyone's going to be stealing ideas from the
success of iPod vis-a-vis miniaturization, user interface and
computer-hookup ease -- I think in 2 years I won't recommend MD under any
circumstances.

Full disclosure -- I never bought into MD and still use a Sony Pressman
cassette recorder to do voice interviews. I'm looking more for audibility
than pristine sound in that case. For portable music recording, I use my
laptop and a full mixer/mic rig.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nipper" <nipper@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 11:14 PM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Advise sought on portable recorders


> Hi Guys,
>
> The Center for Popular Music at Middle Tennessee State University is
> considering updating our portable recorders.  These machines will be used
by
> staff and students to conduct interviews and gather oral history in the
> field.  Quality, cost, ruggedness, reliability and storage capacity is
> always a consideration but we'd like to get something that is also both
user
> friendly and allows easy manipulation and transfer of data to a PC.
>
> Mini Disc is high on the list at present but the pocket "memory card" type
> voice recorder has also been suggested.
>
> Anyone care to weigh in with an opinion on either of these or possibly
other
> alternatives?
>
> All replies greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks.  :-)
>
> Martin Fisher