Want to see the Sony PCM-D50 digital audio recorder up close and personal? While Sony isn’t officially launching the device until November, the company had a few units on display at last week’s Audio Engineering Society convention in New York, and while I got some audio, the folks over at Sonic State snagged a video […]
blog
Will the Asus Eee PC be available November 1st?
Rumor has it that the Asus Eee PC will be released on November 1st. I’m taking this with a grain of salt. First we heard that the tiny Linux-based laptop from Asus would be available in September. Then we heard mid-October. Now that it’s nearly mid-October it’s not too surprising to hear the date’s been […]
New York could ease alternate side parking for clean streets
Living in New York is great. Trash is picked up three times a week, there’s curbside recycling, and you can get pretty much anywhere you need to go by train, bus, or foot. But if you’ve got a car, things are a bit different. Since I work from home most days, my car doesn’t really […]
Comparing the Sony PCM-D50, Fostex FR2-LE, Zoom H4 and Sound Devices 702
I tested out a couple of different flash audio recorders at AES yesterday. And while recording conditions weren’t ideal on the noisy show room floor, here are the results. Ideally I’d love to take each of these recorders into a quiet room and record an interview and some ambiance, because even the Zoom H4 with […]
New field recorders category
Over the last few weeks I’ve been writing a lot about new field recorders. This is both because I’ve been thinking about buying a replacement/companion for my trusty Zoom H4, and because those pesky audio equipment companies keep coming out with new toys. So I’ve created a new label for field recorders. If you want […]
M-Audio Microtrack II available for $299 in November
While Marantz was a no show at the AES convention, I did get a close look at a non-functional M-Audio Microtrack II. I used a Microtrack for a little while at my old radio station. It was a decent little machine. The quarter-inch mic and line inputs seemed a bit sturdier than the 1/8th inch […]
Sony announces PCM-D50 handheld flash recorder
I went to the AES show this afternoon with my mind almost made up. My next field recorder would be a Fostex FR2-LE. On paper it’s the next step up from my Zoom H4. It has decent preamps, combo XLR/quarter inch inputs, the ability to make track marks/split WAV files without pausing your recording. Sure, […]
Tiny Marantz PMD620 gets a hand model
I knew the Marantz PMD620 was small. But so far I hadn’t seen any photos of the device comparing it to other objects, so we couldn’t say just how small. Susan A. Kitchens of Family Oral History Using Digital Tools got a chance to check out the 620 last week and she uploaded a photo […]
More Marantz PMD620 details emerge
When the Marantz PMD620 flash recorder was announced a few days ago we didn’t have too many details to share. That hasn’t stopped people from talking though. Boing Boing, Gizmodo, and other popular gadget blogs have weighed in on the compact prosumer device. While Marantz still hasn’t posted any details about the PMD620 on its […]
Public Radio Talent Quest finalists selected
The finalists have been selected in the Public Radio Talent Quest. And while I’ve been keeping tabs on the contest since it started, I was so busy last week that I completely missed it. Here’s something else you may have missed. While the Public Radio Exchange was arranging a public contest that attracted over 1400 […]
Green Daily launches
This week we launched Green Daily, a new environmentally-focused blog from Weblogs Inc. We’ve been working behind the scenes to put together a site with everything from shopping tips to recycling crafts to news about alternative energy. As a radio journalist I’ve been covering environmental issues for years. It’s been interesting applying that experience to […]
Marantz PMD620 will reportedly cost $400
Just a quick update on the Marantz PMD620. Although Marantz has yet to put out a press release or post any details about the new handheld flash recorder on its website, Josh Bancroft reports that a Marantz rep told him the recorder would cost $399 and would be available in November. While it would be […]
Marantz announces PMD620 handheld flash recorder
While the Marantz PMD660 is probably one of the most widely used portable flash recorders these days, it’s a bit big and clunky when compared with smaller, cheaper offerings from Edirol, Zoom, and M-Audio. Marantz has issued its answer to those low-cost recorders by announcing the PMD620 at the Podcast Academy. The PMD620 is smaller […]
Neal Ewers audio reviews the Zoom H2
While I’ve read a lot about the Zoom H2 flash recorder and heard a few audio clips here and there, this podcast from Neal Ewers of Blind Cool Tech is probably the most useful review I’ve come across so far. Ewers spends more time than necessary explaining the button and menu layout of the Zoom […]
Free tickets to the Audio Engineering Society convention
The Audio Engineering Society is holding its annual convention in New York from October 5-8. I read about the convention a few weeks ago and then looked at the entrance fees for non-members and promptly decided it wasn’t worth my time. The cheapest pass you can get is $50, which will let you see the […]
What a difference a year makes
A year ago I was had just begun blogging for Weblogs Inc’s PVR Wire when I hopped on a train from Princeton to New York to spend a day at Digital Life, the miniscule East Coast version of CES. I wandered around for a while, got to see a handful of cool products that I […]