Sound recording

[Joe Pater]

Hi all-
I recently spent a fair bit of time researching this question. For some
reason portable Minidisc recorders are rarely, if ever, made with a digital
output (presumably, either for cost-effectiveness, or to discourage digital
copying). You can get a "Pro" minidisc recorder for over $1000, but at that
price, you may as well buy a DAT recorder, which doesn't use any compression.

There is one other alternative though. The Nomad Jukebox has high quality
Analog-to-Digital converters for recording, and can record uncompressed .wav
files at a 48k sampling rate. It records to a 6 gig hard drive, and you can
upload to most current computers over the included USB connection. This has
the advantage over a DAT recorder of not requiring a digital input on your
computer.

At $299, I think this is a great product (though I have yet to test it
myself). The only thing you would need is an external amplifier for the mic -
there is only a line in, and no preamp. Some mics have built-in preamps, and
you can also get excellent small preamps.

For more info, go to:

http://www.nomadworld.com/welcome.asp

Best,
Joe Pater

Ian Smythe wrote:

> Dear Colleagues
>
> I am looking to record high quality digital sound on a handheld device (eg
> minidisc) which I can download to the computer. However, I cannot find a
> manufacturer who produces such a device. Sony make one for downloading MP3
> files from the computer to the player, but apparently not the other way.
> Any suggestions? NB Digital 'dictaphones' are of insufficient quality.
>
> Thanks
>
> Ian Smythe