Portable MP3 Recorder

[Celso Alvarez Caccamo]

Kerim, thanks for the information about the MP3 portable recorder.
I've enjoyed this useful discussion a lot, thanks to all.

The machine Kerim talks about is an AIWA MP3 recorder (model
MM-FX-500) which will be released by the end of the year in the
USA. Here are some specifications:

Encode format: MP3/bit rate: 128 Kbps/sampling
frequency range: 44.1 KHz
Voice memo format: MP3/bit rate: 8 Kbps/sampling
frequency range 16 KHz
Frequency range: 20 Hz-20,000 Hz [Hey, only through the line-in!,
they forget to mention]

The voice memo feature allows for 8 hours of uninterrupted recording
for a 32MB memory card. But, if I'm not mistaken, if its sampling
rate is 16KHz, it won't register over 8KHz signals, so the quality
is equivalent to "phone quality" sound. Too poor.

On the other hand, if you can use an amplified external mic
(I guess that's what it would take) through the line in (or you
could pass the signal through a tape recorder with no tape and
then line-out - line-in), then you could record only about 30
minutes of good-quality voice in a 32MB card. Since the model
only has 2 card slots, total recording time = 1 hour. Then you'd
have to convert (digitally) MP3 to WAV for analysis and/or
transcription (storage could remain in MP3). Aand, for the
field, you'd need lots of flash cards or a portable computer
where you'd upload instantly each MP3 recording. Otherwise,
it's very limited. Not bad, but still not better than MD.

What do people think? Did I get it wrong?

Let me tell you what I've used an MP3 player for, Samsung's Yepp
(with voice memo function, but no line-in): for class
sessions, instead of using a tape player or CD player. You
convert WAV segments into MP3 in your computer, you download
them to the MP3 player, and you play and replay the sound files
at will. Advantage: MP3 players are extremely small; you save
burning CD's. Disadvantage: You need powered external speakers;
you spend batteries (no AC/DC converter).

The Yepp model allows for 2 hours of uninterrupted voice
recording (bad quality, only for memos, recording lectures
for basic orthographic transcription, etc.). For MP3 sound,
it has Repeat and Random functions. It can also repeat fragments
of sound files.

-celso
--
Celso Alvarez Cáccamo              Tel. +34 981 167000 ext. 1888
Linguística Geral, Faculdade de Filologia     FAX +34 981 167151
Universidade da Corunha                          lxalvarz at udc.es
15071 A Corunha, Galiza (Espanha)  http://www.udc.es/dep/lx/cac/