Getting ready for my residency which starts next week, I’ve finally bought something I’ve wanted for a long time – a portable audio recorder. Here it is:
Isn’t it cute? It’s an Edirol R-09. The built in stereo mics mean that nothing else is required to make recordings, although an external mic can be attached if desired (I’d like to get some stealth binaural mics). It also has a stereo line input, and a headphone/optical line output, for connecting to other audio equipment.
It records to SD memory cards – a 2GB card can hold 3 hours of stereo sound at 16bit/44.1KHz WAV (ie CD quality). It can also record at higher resolutions (up to 24bit/48KHz) and the ever popular mp3 format – it can even be used as an (expensive) mp3 player. Apparently the next firmware revision will enable it to use 4GB cards. Files can be transferred to the computer via USB, or a memory card reader.
The RRP is $800, but Turramurra Music sold it to me for $629 including postage. I had been tempted to get the Zoom H4 instead, as it appears to have better features (such as more effects and bigger connectors) and is substantially cheaper, but the salesperson convinced me that the Edirol has better sound quality, which is the most important factor for my purposes.
I’ll be using it for everything from field recordings and interviews, to recording live performances.