If you want to get a good look at the Zoom H2 digital audio recorder in action without driving to your local music store, a few people have been kind enough to post detailed videos on YouTube. In this video from the Portland Music Company, you can see all the little extras that come with […]
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Sound Devices 702/722 series adds FLAC, MP2, and MP3 support
Sound Devices has released a firmware upgrade for its high-end digital audio recorders. Version 2.34 works with all recorders in the 7-series, including the 702, 722, and 744. The update adds support for MP2 and MP3 compression, as well as the FLAC lossless codec. All three formats allow you to cram a bit more audio […]
Mbox Micro: cheapest way to get Pro Tools
Digidesign has launched the latest member of its Mbox family. The Mbox 2 Micro is a $279 PC audio interface that comes with Pro Tools LE. Since Pro Tools only runs on computers with certified software, that makes this the cheapest way to install Pro Tools on your machine. In fact, it brings the price […]
Zoom H4 2.0 firmware update fixes almost everything
There’s a new firmware update for the Zoom H4 Handy Recorder, and boy is it a doozy. In fact, Zoom seems to have addressed almost every single complaint anyone’s ever had with the Zoom software. Version 2.0 (or later) includes: Larger fonts making the tiny display easier to read Battery meter shows how much juice […]
Alesis USB Podcasting Mic Kit: mobile studio, just add laptop
Alesis is offering what looks like a great starter kid for podcasters. If this had been around a year ago, I might not have bought my USB mixer/condenser microphone setup.The Alesis USB Podcasting Mic Kit includes a USB Mic, a mic stand, and a decent set of headphones, and a set of ove the ear […]
Selling a Sharp MD-SR50 minidisc recorder
Hey, if anyone’s in the market for a cheap minidisc recorder, I’m selling a Sharp MD-SR50 on eBay. The SR50 is almost identical to the Sharp MD-SR60. The only difference is that this model doesn’t come with a remote control. It includes a line input, mic input, and the ability to change record levels on […]
Reuters journalists get MoJo (mobile journalism)
Reuters and Nokia are partnering on a new mobile journalism project that gives journalists tools to gather and report news in the field without lugging around a few tons of equipment. The mobile toolkit is based around the Nokia 95 mobile phone. The full kit includes a Bluetooth keyboard, a Sony microphone (with a custom […]
Get a Zune for $80 (today only)
Woot has this way of making me seriously consider buying things I absolutely don’t need. Today they’re selling a 30GB Microsoft Zune for $80. Only the brown model is available at this price, but after shipping, that comes to a whopping $85. A week or two back they had several other colors for $100 and […]
Making cheap and free PC to land line calls
As a reporter, I spend a fair amount of time recording telephone interviews. Sometimes I use excerpts of the audio to produce radio stories, and sometimes I upload complete interviews for this site or Download Squad. If you want top of the line telephone audio recording equipment, you could easily spend $500 or more. The […]
Sony PCM-D50: Producer’s Edge video from AES
I found yet another video overview of the Sony PCM-D50 digital audio recorder. Producer’s Edge Magazine recorded this 10 minute video with a Sony rep at the AES show. Here are a few highlights: A/B repeat feature for musicians. You can set a start and end point and have the recorder play the select audio […]
Sony PCM-D50: Mix Magazine video from AES
Mix Magazine has posted a nice video showing off some of the Sony PCM-D50 digital audio recorder’s features. I couldn’t find a way to embed the video here, so you’ll have to check it out over at Mix’s site, but here are some of the highlights: The Sony PCM-D50 has cheaper mics and preamps than […]
Fun with audio sample rates
When you play back audio of someone talking or singing at the wrong speed, they sound like a chipmunk or James Earl Jones. But what happens when you play back music at the wrong speed? At a recent Van Halen concert, someone played the prerecorded keyboard part for “Jump” at 48KHz instead of 44.1. Most […]
Sony PCM-D50 audio recorder to retail for $499
It looks like Sony’s PCM-D50 digital audio recorder will have a street price of $499. It carries a list price of $599, but a quick look at Pricegrabber shows that most online retailers will be selling it for a hundred bucks less. Of course, none of these stores actually has the recorder in stock yet, […]
Using the Zoom H2 mic clip adapter as a handle
Here’s something I totally missed when the Zoom H2 digital audio recorder was first released: it includes a mic-clip adapter. While that might not sound very exciting, it kind of is, and here’s why: The Zoom H4 cannot be placed on a mic stand. Instead you have to attach a standard camera tripod, making it […]
Chalk this one up to bureaucracy
Sometimes you can’t make this stuff up. Okay, maybe you can. But the real news reads just like the fake. The New York Daily News has an article this weekend about the city issuing a fine to a family for graffiti. The graffiti in question happens to be the chalk art doodlings of a 6 […]
Asus Eee PC shipping next week (in Taiwan), US price TBA
Asus president of sales and marketing Jonathon Tsang says the company will start shipping the Eee PC in Taiwan next week. That’s the good news. The meh news is that while the original $199 price tag still exists, the laptop will only be available at that price for “contract orders.” While we’ve been hearing for […]