M-Audio MicroTrack II price cut: $163.99

The M-Audio MicroTrack isn't necessarily the highest quality portable digital audio recorder around. It lacks built in mics, and the built-in battery isn't removable. But the MicroTrack II does have a few things going for it. It provides 48V phantom power for powered mics.

It may not have XLR inputs, but it does have quarter inch inputs which are sturdier than the 1/8th inch jacks found on many recorders. And now the recorder is one of the cheapest WAV/MP3 recorders around, with prices as low as $163.99 on Amazon. That makes it a pretty good value for reporters, musicians, and others on a budget.

The recorder has a list price of $299, but now that it's selling for under $200, it's cheaper than pretty much every comparable recorder with the exception of the Samson Zoom H2, which you can pick up for $157.25.
 

Olympus launches LS11 digital audio recorder

Sony ain't the only company updating its digital audio recorder lineup. Olympus is introducing the new LS-11, which looks like a slightly updated version of the Olympus LS-10. The new model looks an awful lot like its predecessor, but it does have a few nice perks like 8GB of built-in storage space instead of 2GB, stereo speakers, and up to 23 hours of battery life.

Here's a bit more of what the Olympus LS-11 has to offer:

• Can record in qualities up to 24-bit/96kHz in stereo or mono
  
• WAV, MP3, and WMA recording formats
• Built in stereo mics
  
• 8GB of flash storage plus an SDHC card slot that can take up to 32GB of additional storage
• Stereo woo mW speakers
• 3.5mm stereo mic jack
• 3.5mm stereo headphone jack
• Runs on 2 AA batteries
• Dimensions: 131.5mm x 48mm x 22.4mm
• Weight: 165mm w/alkaline batteries

The Olympus LS-11 also adds track marking and file editing functions. The recorder will run about $399, which is the same as the list price for the LS-10. But you can often find the Olympus LS-10 going for as little as $241. 

thanks dxace1!

Sony introduces PCM-M10 handheld pro audio recorder

Sony is expanding its line of professional quality digital audio recorders with the addition of the PCM-M10. This little guy will sell for about $399 and go head to head with similarly sized and priced recorders including the Marantz PMD620, Tascam DR-1, and Zoom H4n.

The Sony PCM-M10 will be the cheapest flash-based recorder from Sony capable of recording 96kHz/24-bit stereo audio using either the internal electret condenser mics or an external mic or line input. The recorder has 4GB of built in memory and a MicroSD/Memory Stick Micro slot. This is the first time I'm aware of that any Sony recorder has accepted any form of flash media other than Sony's proprietary Memory Stick format.

The PCM-M10 is the first member of the PCM-xx family to feature a built-in speaker for playing back recordings. It also has a low-cut filter, digital limiter, and a 5-second pre-recording buffer. In other words, is has almost all of the software features found on the Sony PCM-D50 which is larger and has a list price of $599 (although it typically sells for $450 or more). In addition, the PCM-M10 is the first Sony flash recorder that lets you record in MP3 format. The PCM-D50 and PCM-D1 only record in WAV.

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume the primary difference between the PCM-M10 and PCM-D50 is that the new model features cheaper mics, preamps, and other components, although it is still made of metal, which makes this recorder more durable than some of the others on the market. The plastic mic jack doesn't look nearly as sturdy on this model as the metal one on the PCM-D50 though.

The Sony PCM-M10 is due out in October and will ship with a copy of Sound Forge Audio Studio Recorder Edition.The folks at Sound on Sound shot some video, which you can see below.

via Live2Play

Samson introduces Zoom Q3 audio/video recorder

Samson has made a name for itself by releasing a series of low price, decent performance digital audio recorders including the Samson Zoom H2, H4, and H4n. These machines range in price from around $200 to $350 and they're great for podcasters, good for musicians, usable, if not exactly perfect for pro audio users including radio journalists.

Now Samson is dipping its toe into the portable video recorder space with the Samson Zoom Q3. This $250 video recorder has a built in mic that'll put the microphones in other handheld video cameras to shame. The recorder can record in WAV or MP3 formats. In audio-only mode you can record in 96kHz/24-bit quality. If you're recoding audio and video at the same time it tops out at 44.1/48kHz 16/24-bit WAV or MP4.The Q3 has a the same mic capsules used in the Zoom H4n.

As for video, it can do 640 x 480 pixel video in MPEG-4 format. The recorder ships with a 2GB SD card which should be enough to store up to an hour of recordings. You should be able to fit 16 hours of video on a 32GB SDHC card. It's not exactly HD video, but it should be good enough for those little home movies you upload to YouTube.

The Q3 has a 2.4 inch, 320 x 240 pixel display for monitoring recordings, and a USB port for connecting the camera to a computer for transferring files. The recorder runs on 2 AA batteries and includes software for editing videos and an application for uploading movies to YouTube. It should be available in September.

[via Create Digital Music]

Quick links: How radio's made, audio recording comparison,pubcasting in social media

I realized I haven't updated the blog in a while, and that's largely because I've moved to posting links like the ones you're about to see to Twitter. But today I figured I'd do something out of the ordinary and highlight some excellent content from around the web here:

• Mediate's Power Grid: This site ranks broadcasting personalities based on their reach in old and new media including their broadcast audience, Google buzz, and overall web buzz. A number of NPR folks made the list including Steve Inskeep, Michele Norris, Melissa Block, and Renee Montagne. For some reason there's no category for radio reporters (although TV reporters do have a space). via Current
• Video comparison of Zoom H2, Marantz PMD620, and Sony PCM-D50: Gearwire put together this video overview of these three devices nearly a year ago. But this is the first time I've seen it, thanks to Happy Orange.
  
• How Radio is Made: Someone recently asked independent radio producer and blogger Cyrus Farivar how he put together a story. So he took the time to write a long, detailed explanation of how the public radio system works and what it takes to put together a story for a national radio program.