Digital Lifestyles Reference Guide

Aug 27, 2004

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When searching for the perfect portable recorder, a number of key features need to be compared before arriving at a decision. Number of batteries required and battery life both play a role in recording time. Maximum Compact Flash card size determines how much space is available before needing to switch cards. Other features like button layout, menu navigation and connector types all result in a device with better usability in the field.

Storage Format

Two main factors are important in a storage form factor. The first factor is wide availability of the storage medium. Compact Flash (or any Flash media format, like SD or MemoryStick) fits the bill because you can pick it up 24/7 at places like Wal-Mart. All portable recorders covered here use Compact Flash as the file storage format, not because other formats wouldn't perform well, but because that is what the manufacturers are making available. The second option important to storage format is maximum file size. All of the devices here will support up to 4GB Compact Flash cards, although their packaging may indicate otherwise. Using 16-bit 44kHz WAV files as the standard for portable audio recording, each 1GB in Compact Flash card size will store approximately 90 minutes of audio, making a 4GB card good for about 6 hours.

Battery Requirements

Along with available audio storage space, battery life is the other major limiting factor in portable recording. When the batteries die, it's time to find replacements or plug in. While it's good practice to carry spare batteries, getting the maximum recording time from each charge makes changing batteries mid-interview or mid-event less likely. Currently, portable recorders are standardized on AA batteries, making both disposable and rechargeable varieties readily available almost anywhere. Using 2500 mAh NiMh (number of mAh is very important to battery life) rechargeable batteries provides the greatest mileage per charge and extends the record time beyond the stated maximum time for each device compared to the standard 2000 mAh average power in a disposable Alkaline battery.

Recording Format

Recording format is important for both quality of audio and amount of space consumed per minute of audio. While several of the options covered here support recording MP3 format audio, recording in uncompressed WAV format is optimal. 16-bit 44 kHz WAV is sufficient for spoken audio but music recording may warrant investing in support for 24-bit recording.

Microphone Connection

Microphone connection options determine how many adapters you need for field recording. While several devices in this category include onboard microphones, using an external microphone produces better results. XLR connectors are ideal because you won't need any special cabling or adapters and the XLR connections tend to lock the cable in place. 1/4-inch guitar plug style connections are the next step in the connection chain, with 1/8-inch mini plugs being the next smaller progression. Less common connections might include RCA connectors or MIDI.

Onboard Microphone

While the quality onboard microphones will never match the quality of an external solution, there are times when having something onboard may come in handy. Knowing whether you can rely on the onboard microphone in a pinch makes a difference in determining what additional gear you need to carry when doing field recording.

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