I’m looking at putting in a tiny grant application for a digital audio recorder. I may find myself doing some interviews next fall, and having something that can be transfered to my Powerbook instantly (as opposed to having to play the recording back at 1x speed, as I do with my minidisc) would be a genuine boon.
I’ve found one or two things about people’s experiences using digital audio recorders for interviews and fieldwork:
- Digital Recording Advice for Research Interviews
Experiences, etc. - Chris Lydon’s Web Studio
A lot of info, but really only useful if you want to have a portable… well, studio. A little too much for what I’m looking for, but well researched and good choices made all around. - Research Tools Workshop
Advert for a session on Oct 9 at UCSD (who knows what year), but a few links at the bottom of interest. - Audio Recording Equipment Guide (Vermont Folk Life Center)
Lots and lots of info. Very thorough. - Outward Sound
Has a page of links just for portable MP3 recorders. - Stories1st.org
A thread on the use of iPods/MP3 players for this kind of thing.
At the end of the day, I want to be able to drag-and-drop the recorded interview to my laptop. Either using a dedicated “solid-state digital recorder” or an MP3 player with recording functionality. Recording devices that might fit the bill include:
| Unit | Cost |
| Beat Sounds EVR-500 | $145 |
| Sony MZ-NH9001 | $300 |
| Jens of Sweden MP-3002 | $300 |
| iRiver iFP790T3 | $160 |
| Olympus DS-2000 | $185 |
| Apple iPod 15GB4 | $360 |
| iRiver iHP-1205 | $300 |
| 1Probably does not work with my Powerbook. Too bad. 2Would require a small pre-amp for miniplug mics (line-level only). Built in FM transmitter as well. 3 MP3 player/recorder combos are low quality, but might are good enough for interviews. 4Includes the cost of the Belkin voice recorder ($60). Definitely works with my Powerbook and Windows machines. 5No word on this thread regarding integration of the iRiver with the Mac. However, the iRiver does have the ability to record mic-level in (design feature, not an add-on). |
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I wish I could find more info about how well the Belkin adapter/iPod combo works; that could be really useful, as it also doubles as 15GB of external, portable storage.
The Belkin and Griffin add-ons are low quality. Take a look at the Jeff Towne’s tests on Transom. Look in the Transom Talk/Tools/Ask Jeff section. He tested both devices around mid-May.
If you have money go for a Marantz PMD-670 ($600). It is vastly superior to any of the recorders you list above. I assume you can hook up a CF card reader to a MAC…
Hi,
Can you tell me if it’s possible to get a card to slip into a lap top and record directly on computer..something tells me it must be possible..if you can play music you must also be able to record it..with the right software