Hey

All this interest in Microtrac/R1 etc 2ch portables. At AES I saw this
great new SONY Flash unit (introduced at the show) along with the new
MD unit. Mike Rivers, you must have seen this! It Had nice integrated
mics @ 90degrees on top and level meters. Anyone know / used any info
about this. I think its in the $1500-2k price range

Kevin T.

On Thu, 20 Oct 2005 09:27:44 -0400, KGT wrote
(in article om):

Hey

All this interest in Microtrac/R1 etc 2ch portables. At AES I saw this
great new SONY Flash unit (introduced at the show) along with the new
MD unit. Mike Rivers, you must have seen this! It Had nice integrated
mics @ 90degrees on top and level meters. Anyone know / used any info
about this. I think its in the $1500-2k price range

Kevin T.


$2k USD. Looked more like a tapers paradise (except that it isn't as easily
concealed at a MD recorder. I just turned in my review of the Sony MZ-M100
($399) mini disc recorder that records 16-bit, 44.1 and uses the new 1 GB
discs. Pretty cool. I have some audio clips up on my site.

Ty Ford

-- Ty Ford's equipment reviews, audio samples, rates and other audiocentric
stuff are at www.tyford.com

Ty Ford wrote:

and uses the new 1 GB
discs. Pretty cool. I have some audio clips up on my site.




What, no new proprietary Sony format? : )

--
remove 555 from address to reply

KGT wrote:

Mike Rivers, you must have seen this! It Had nice integrated
mics @ 90degrees on top and level meters.

I did, and I couldn't figure out who the intended customer might be. In
fact, neither could the Sony rep who showed it to me. It's priced for
the broadcast market, but they don't need 24/96 recording. It's too
expensive for recording your band practice, and because the mics don't
have much freedom of movement, even though it does have a tripod socket
so you could put it on a stand, it's not the sort of thing you'd like
to put up on stage at a concert.

External mic/line inputs are on a mini phone jack with no phantom
power, so you can't improve the situation by using external mics or
preamp. It does look like a nice piece of bling, though. Maybe a rapper
could wear it on a chain around his neck and record raps as they come
to him. With high resolution and sample rate, they'd drop right into a
studio production.

KGT wrote:

Mike Rivers, you must have seen this! It Had nice integrated
mics @ 90degrees on top and level meters.

I did, and I couldn't figure out who the intended customer might be. In
fact, neither could the Sony rep who showed it to me. It's priced for
the broadcast market, but they don't need 24/96 recording. It's too
expensive for recording your band practice, and because the mics don't
have much freedom of movement, even though it does have a tripod socket
so you could put it on a stand, it's not the sort of thing you'd like
to put up on stage at a concert.

External mic/line inputs are on a mini phone jack with no phantom
power, so you can't improve the situation by using external mics or
preamp. It does look like a nice piece of bling, though. Maybe a rapper
could wear it on a chain around his neck and record raps as they come
to him. With high resolution and sample rate, they'd drop right into a
studio production.

On 20 Oct 2005 08:57:52 -0700, "Mike Rivers"
wrote:


KGT wrote:

Mike Rivers, you must have seen this! It Had nice integrated
mics @ 90degrees on top and level meters.

I did, and I couldn't figure out who the intended customer might be. In
fact, neither could the Sony rep who showed it to me. It's priced for
the broadcast market, but they don't need 24/96 recording. It's too
expensive for recording your band practice, and because the mics don't
have much freedom of movement, even though it does have a tripod socket
so you could put it on a stand, it's not the sort of thing you'd like
to put up on stage at a concert.

External mic/line inputs are on a mini phone jack with no phantom
power, so you can't improve the situation by using external mics or
preamp. It does look like a nice piece of bling, though. Maybe a rapper
could wear it on a chain around his neck and record raps as they come
to him. With high resolution and sample rate, they'd drop right into a
studio production.

-- A cute thing, good design but -- for $ 2000, it rather seems a
device aimed at broadcast people for a quick yet good enough spot
recording. I'd prefer detachable microphones but OK. Sometimes is
better to shiver looking at two mics only hanging from a makeshift rig
than upon the whole device.The analog instruments look very sexy
nowadays but I'd have to see first how they perform at a digital
recording (without any limiters that is). I like the memory stick
thing -- you can attach speedy 2 GB sticks available today too.

BUT, if there is anything "Sony Proprietary", not mentioning DRM and
that "Sonic Stage" comedy there, I'll don a pompom hat and shoot,
Sony!

-- Otherwise, I am from time to time recording with the MZ-NH1 and the
quality of recording is good given its size. But to get a recording to
the PC (up to abt 1:30 hrs for 1 GB 44100/16), I have to spend some
hours. What I think here, is that all that recorders having no moving
parts should make even better recordings because of true linear
writing in contrary to, say HiMD.

Edi Zubovic, Crikvenica, Croatia

{PS. I think I find the Microtrack is a better idea but hush!, never
mind}

Anyone who saw this thing know how good the mics are? I believe one of
the reasons for the high price is that Sony is claiming that the mics
along with AD and other components are much higher quality than the
other recorders (i.e. R1, Microtracker, Marantz).

If this claim is true than this really might be the first all-in-one
unit to provide true pro audio quality???

PhiloMertz wrote:
Anyone who saw this thing know how good the mics are? I believe one of
the reasons for the high price is that Sony is claiming that the mics
along with AD and other components are much higher quality than the
other recorders (i.e. R1, Microtracker, Marantz).

Well, yeah, but how much better can they be for the size, price, and
configuration? They aren't putting Shoepes capsules in there, and the
way they're mounted, you probably couldn't take advantage of them even
if they did.

One thing that I like about it is that it has 4GB of internal
(non-removable) memory. You won't forget the flash card at home, or
erase it by mistake and stick it in your camera.

If this claim is true than this really might be the first all-in-one
unit to provide true pro audio quality???

Depends on how you define "true pro audio quality." Most of the time,
the marketing departments define it, and it can be anything.

In article ,
Chel van Gennip wrote:

Well it is a new proprietary Sony PCM format with DRM management, so you
are only allowed one try to get your recording from the device.

Totally unacceptable! I will *not* give Sony an ownership stake or
control over my creative works, period.

Chel van Gennip wrote:

Well it is a new proprietary Sony PCM format with DRM management, so you
are only allowed one try to get your recording from the device. This
solved with a lot of hacks etc.

Been fixed with the support program SonicStage 3.2. No more
restrictions on upload count. Integrated conversion to .wav
files.


Bob
--

"Things should be described as simply as possible, but no
simpler."

A. Einstein

james wrote:
In article ,
Chel van Gennip wrote:

Well it is a new proprietary Sony PCM format with DRM management, so you
are only allowed one try to get your recording from the device.

Totally unacceptable! I will *not* give Sony an ownership stake or
control over my creative works, period.

I believe the former comment about DRM was in regard to the Minidisk.
The new solid state recorder records standard WAV files and has a
Firewire port for (unrestricted) transfer to a computer. It does have
removable memory, too, but in the Sony memory stick form factor, not as
common as the Compact Flash cards uses in most other similar devices.

I guess they figure that (like with the "professional" DAT recorders)
if you pay enough money you can do whatever you want with your
recordings.

"james" wrote ...
Chel van Gennip wrote:
Well it is a new proprietary Sony PCM format with DRM management, so
you
are only allowed one try to get your recording from the device.

Totally unacceptable! I will *not* give Sony an ownership stake or
control over my creative works, period.

But perhaps moot. Even the MD commumity people are
starting to organize the wake for the format whose days
appear to be numbered.

Mike Rivers wrote:
PhiloMertz wrote:
Anyone who saw this thing know how good the mics are? I believe one of
the reasons for the high price is that Sony is claiming that the mics
along with AD and other components are much higher quality than the
other recorders (i.e. R1, Microtracker, Marantz).

Well, yeah, but how much better can they be for the size, price, and
configuration? They aren't putting Shoepes capsules in there, and the
way they're mounted, you probably couldn't take advantage of them even
if they did.

One thing that I like about it is that it has 4GB of internal
(non-removable) memory. You won't forget the flash card at home, or
erase it by mistake and stick it in your camera.

If this claim is true than this really might be the first all-in-one
unit to provide true pro audio quality???

Depends on how you define "true pro audio quality." Most of the time,
the marketing departments define it, and it can be anything.

True. For myself, as an amateur musician looking for a simple quality
way to record my music, I would be willing to pay a premium for
portability and ease. In other words, if the Sony recorder performs as
well as let's say $1500 worth of two mics, a preamp and a recorder as
separate components, I would be willing to pay a few hundred $ extra
for not having to deal with separate components, cables, etc...all over
my house, as well as being able to take the unit with me to lessons,
concerts, etc...