DAP for audio recording...

[kursed 0]

I need a DAP which can record audio via line in - fm input and micro phone. Any suggestions? Budget within 300S$

[theory_87 0]

emm... ok... try iaudio U3

[heady 0]

I can only give negative recommendations - don't try using Creative. I had a Nano Plus with line in. It overloads even with microphone output, which is lower than line level. Totally unusable. The Creative tech support told me, "Sir, it is not meant for this purpose. The Nano is working normally."

 

[viix 0]

Purpose? MD players are great for recording ambient sounds and recording lectures. No experience with DAPs through

[kursed 0]

Recording lectures, music from old magnetic cassette tapes, FM radio recording...Do MD players do a good job at these? If yes, which ones? And how much do they cost?

 

edit:

but i don't think MD players come with built in FM tuners.

Edited October 2, 2006 by kursed

[kursed 0]

bump!!

[ahdui 0]

try the iaudio x5?

[kursed 0]

X5 costs less than 300$??

[sputnik00 0]

Recording lectures, music from old magnetic cassette tapes, FM radio recording...Do MD players do a good job at these? If yes, which ones? And how much do they cost?

 

edit:

but i don't think MD players come with built in FM tuners.

 

i have an iaudio U3 and two MD recorders and use them to record from different sources.

 

from my experiences, MD recordings give a more accurate reproduction and less static feedback, so i prefer these for live gigs. if you only want to record lectures, and the source is going to be quite far away from you, my view is that recording with an mp3 player will suffice but you may want to consider investing in an external mic.

 

my MD player doesn't come with FM tuner (i believe there are some that do but they tend to have a more hefty build), but my iaudio does, default recording quality is average.

[kursed 0]

So which MD - recorders will you people suggest for line in/live gig/cassette recordings?

[1bit 0]

you should get one of the the hi-md models, i think

 

it has much more capacity and fully supports unlimited number of uploading of line-in recording to your pc

 

you can have a comparisons of the different models at the minidisc.org website

 

however, i'm not sure where you can get these hi-md players in singapore.

[xjazzdummy 0]

In my experience, Hi-MD compressed quality is worse than mp3, even with the latest ATRAC versions. Plus the cost of buying MD media, the hassle of changing disks, the trouble of transferring to computer if you wanna archive your recrodings ... might as well use a HDD or flash based solution.

 

I have good experience with iriver H120 and iaudio x5 for recording. Do get one of those stereo external mics (eg Sony) for much better quality.

[monkeygod 0]

if you're doing live recording, why would you want to compress it ? unless its some extremely boring lecture that you just need for reference

 

normal MDs are cheap, and are easily found in 74 minute lengths, sometimes in 80 minutes. Thats not really long enough for most concerts, so changing discs CAN be a hassle. However if its a LONG event, MD recorders generally have much better battery life for recording than HDD DAPS - and most accept standard AAs, so in effect you could record all day with enough media and juice (I have), unlike with a flash player. Thats an extreme scenario of course, but one to bear in mind.

 

Easy to pick up a secondhand MD nowadays with the migration to flash/HDD players. My advice would be to look at Minidisc.org to familiarize yourself with the more current models available before you hit the classifieds. In general, I'd say the Sharp models are a little bit better than the Sonys for recording (due to the documented mic sensitivity on the Sonys). I use a Sharp DR-7 and I've been much happier with that compared to the Sony models I've tried.

 

Of course if you're *Serious* about live recording, then a Sony DAT recorder is the way to go

[kursed 0]

Thanks alot for your reply monkeygod. Since this is my very first time with a MD - recorder I'm kind of stumped when it comes to evaluating their specs. I wanted to know if Sharp MD-DR77 is a good enough buy for the reasons I've mentioned in my previous posts.

Edited October 9, 2006 by kursed

[monkeygod 0]

the DR-77 looks fine. not really much improvement over the older models, but then again MD development is pretty stagnant now.

 

i should note that some of the sony MD models come with FM remotes - not sure whether you can record off them, but that might fit your needs better ?

 

really you just need any of the full featured MD models released in the last 3+ years ... avoid HI MD and the cheaper models with no real line in/mic in and you'll be fine.