We’ve been living in the new house for about a week now, and things are coming along. Every day or two we find some new little disaster that needs dealing with. It turns out that the dishwasher is leaking, and the central air conditioning unit either needs fixing or replacing. But the washer and dryer […]
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The new house
As if my life hadn’t been busy enough, Farrah and I decided to buy a house recently. So on top of blogging for managing the fast-growing Liliputing, blogging for Download Squad, and anchoring newscasts a few days a week at WHYY-FM, we’ve been doing all sorts of housy stuff. First there was the house hunting, […]
Liliputing turns 1
About a year ago I launched Liliputing , a news and information site covering netbooks and low cost ultraportable computers. I’d been interested in tiny computing devices for ages, ever since I picked up my first PDA back in 2000: A Phillips Nino 300 running an early version of Windows CE. And in 2007, I was […]
$100 off the Marantz PMD620 if you order by March 31st
It looks like Marantz is offering a $100 rebate on the PMD620 handheld digital audio recorder. BSW and Sweetwater are both showing the rebate on their product pages, which brings the price of the recorder down to $299 after rebate. But some sites, like DJDeals are selling the recorder for as low as $322 before […]
Zoom H4n review
The Zoom H4n digital audio recorder is Zoom’s third handheld flash memory recorder. It’s the most expensive of the bunch, but it also features the best build quality of the three and is much easier to use than its predecessors. The sound quality is also pretty good, although you can achieve higher quality recordings with […]
Zoom H4n external mic tests
The other day I posted audio recordings comparing the built in microphones on the Zoom H4n, Zoom H4, and Sony PCM-D50 digital audio recorders. Today I have some recordings made using two different external mics: an ElectroVoice RE50 dynamic mic and an AKG Perception 100 studio-style condensor. I didn’t have enough mics to make simultaneous […]
Farewell to NPR’s Day to Day
NPR’s Day to Day airs its final broadcast today. The program has been an NPR staple for the last 6 years, and while it was never carried by as many member stations as flagship programs like Morning Edition and All Things Considered, the program was always one of my favorite NPR shows. Day to Day […]
Testing the Zoom H4, H4n, and Sony PCM-D50 internal mics
I’ll have a detailed review of the Samson Zoom H4n recorder in the next week or so. But I can already tell you there are some things that Samson hit out of the park on their latest recorder, while there are a few things I wish were better thought out. For instance, the menu system […]
Zoom H4n unboxing
Good news, everyone! I finally got my hands on a Zoom H4n demo unit. I’ll be putting it through the paces over the next few days and I hope to determine how it stacks up against similar machines like the original Samson Zoom H4 and the somewhat more costly Sony PCM-D50. Keep in mind, my […]
Zoom H4n audio take 2 – second time not so charming
The Samson Zoom H4n is probably one of the more exciting digital audio recorders to come along in a while. Samson has taken the original Zoom H4 and completely retooled it with a better button layout, a new rubberized grip, a new mic layout and better preamps. But while reader Jon Skitch sent us some […]
Homelessness Marathon on the web and radio tonight
A little while back I learned about a radio project called the Homelessness Marathon. The idea is to broadcast a series of stories from around the US to highlight issus concerning homelessness. The 14 hour broadcast begins tonight at 7:00PM EST and will broadcast on a number of non-commercial radio stations. You can find out […]
Zoom H4n audio sample
I’m still waiting to get my hands on a Samson Zoom H4n digital audio recorder, but the folks at Samson tell me one of the biggest improvements over the original Zoom H4 is that the new recorder has better preamps, which means you should get less hiss when using an external dynamic or condenser microphone. Update: […]
Shure introduces line of USB mics
Shure launched a new line of pro quality USB microphones at CES this month. I got a chance to stop by the company’s booth and snap a few photos of the new Shure PG27USB and PG42USB mics as well as the X2u XLR to USB signal adaptor. If you’ve already got a good mic that […]
Samson announces Q2U USB microphone with XLR connection
The Zoom H4n wasn’t the only product Samson launched at CES. The company was also showing off the new Samson Q2U USB dynamic microphone, which works as a multi-purpose mic. You can plug it into your computer via a USB cable to record voice tracks straight to your hard drive or make VoIP calls. Or […]
Zoom H4n audio recorder: Official specs and high res images
I just tracked down some higher resolution images for the upcoming Samson Zoom H4n digital audio recorder that I got a chance to check out at CES last week. I’ve embedded the product sheet, press release, and another image showing the recorder from the top below.
Tascam DR07 and DR100 digital audio recorders on their way
Tascam is expected to launch two new digital audio recorders within the next few months. The Tascam DR07 is a smaller recorder that will retail for around $199 and go head to head with the Zoom H2, while the Tascam DR100, which features XLR inputs and some more advanced features will sell for around $450. […]