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<font size="+1"><font face="Book Antiqua">hello,<br>
<br>
I sent the following email yesterday to the list, but it seems my
message didn't go through (there was a typo in my return address). <br>
<br>
I'm trying again -- with my apologies if you received it already.<br>
<br>
best,<br>
Alex.<br>
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<th align="right" nowrap="nowrap" valign="baseline">Sujet: </th>
<td>Audio recorders in areas with no electricity</td>
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<th align="right" nowrap="nowrap" valign="baseline">Date: </th>
<td>Fri, 11 May 2007 16:22:39 +0200</td>
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<th align="right" nowrap="nowrap" valign="baseline">De: </th>
<td>Alex Francois <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:Akexandre.Francois@vjf.cnrs.fr"><Akexandre.Francois@vjf.cnrs.fr></a></td>
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<th align="right" nowrap="nowrap" valign="baseline">Pour: </th>
<td><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Resource-Network-Linguistic-Diversity@unimelb.edu.au">Resource-Network-Linguistic-Diversity@unimelb.edu.au</a></td>
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Dear all, <br>
<br>
I would like to enquire about the best audio equipment for my
fieldwork. I work on endangered languages of North Vanuatu, and am
planning for 6 weeks there in July-August.<br>
<br>
For several years I've been doing recordings using minidisks, and found
them quite convenient. I used a Sony MZ-R900 and a Sharp DR77
recorders;
but because they both have started to show signs of weakness lately, I
thought I should replace them with something new and solid.<br>
<br>
Most websites (e.g. <a href="http://bartus.org/akustyk/rec.html#md">here</a>
or <a
href="http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/res_audioequip_retired.shtml">here</a>
or <a href="http://www.historicalvoices.org/oralhistory/md-rec.html">here</a>)
present minidisks as somewhat outdated,
and indeed they are more difficult to find these days. Another
concern often mentioned
is the file compression entailed by the minidisk
format; and also, the frequent weakness of the minijack interface,
among other things (and indeed the minijack socket in my Sony has
started to make an awful noise recently). <br>
<br>
These thoughts have made me think I should take the plunge, and
shift to the most recent formats for recorders, namely solid state
recorders or perhaps harddisks. They generally have a more solid
interface (XLR), they can record
directly in uncompressed WAV, files can be transferred easily to a
computer, etc.<br>
<br>
However when I read through online reviews for the Edirol R09, the
Tascam HD-P2 and
the Marantz PMD660, I realised I was probably going to
be faced with another problem, that is <b>battery life</b>. The areas
where I do my fieldwork do not have electricity where I can recharge
inbuilt batteries; as for replacing them with ordinary alkaline
batteries,
it sounds like this may be a problem if I stay in the field for 6 weeks
and want to record basically every day (+playback for transcription). <br>
I
had this problem with my digital camera, which would consume a pair
of
new Duracell batteries as often as once or twice a day; this means 35
batteries were used in just two weeks, which is expensive and heavy and
polluting. <br>
In the case of S.S.
Recorders, it
looks like (but I maybe wrong) they are quite
power-consuming -- especially in comparison with my older minidisk
recorders, which could last
for whole weeks with just a single AA battery. <br>
<br>
Maybe I'm exaggerating the difference, and SSRecorders are not as
power-consuming as I think; but I wouldn't want to find out when it's
too late. Has someone had any similar experience of using such a
recorder in similar conditions (several weeks without electricity)? <br>
Then there is also another problem, that of having to buy several
expensive CF or SD cards in order to stock my recordings (as I used to
do with cheap minidisks), since the conditions are not adapted for
using a laptop either. A rapid calculation shows that during these 6
weeks I might record up to 15 hours of recording (uncompressed mono or
stereo), roughly corresponding to 10 Gb (??). [I use two mono dynamic
mikes, and record sometimes in mono, sometimes in stereo.]<br>
<br>
So basically here is the advice I'm requiring from members of this list:<br>
<ul>
<li>is there a Solid State (or otherwise) recorder that is
particularly performant with regard to battery life (besides, of
course, the other requirements that make for a quality recorder)? What
would be your best choice between the <a
href="http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/5836">various
models</a> currently on the market? (I've read pessimistic or
disappointed reviews for basically all recorders, esp. the Edirol or
Marantz models...) <br>
<br>
</li>
<li>if you think minidisks are still the best compromise in my case,
then would you
recommend any particular model? For example only Sharp models (not
Sony) allow to change input volume during recording; I once thought
the <a
href="http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sharp_MD-MT170+MT180+MT190+MT200.html">Sharp
Md-MT190</a> was a fair compromise, but it's probably outdated now
(2002); and of course it has all the drawbacks of minidisks.<br>
<br>
</li>
<li>alternatively someone may point me towards extra solutions, such
as a very light system of solar panels?<br>
</li>
</ul>
<br>
Sorry for the long email, and thanks in advance for your advice,<br>
<br>
Alex.<br>
<br>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">*******
Alex François
LACITO - CNRS
7 rue Guy Môquet
F - 94801 Villejuif
FRANCE
email <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="mailto:Alexandre.Francois@vjf.cnrs.fr">Alexandre.Francois@vjf.cnrs.fr</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://lacito.vjf.cnrs.fr/membres/francois.htm">http://lacito.vjf.cnrs.fr/membres/francois.htm</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://alex.francois.free.fr">http://alex.francois.free.fr</a></pre>
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