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I think a small flash based recorder would be a great practice tool... obviously.

I'm trying to decide which one to buy:

I have been looking at the M-Audio MicroTrack and the Edirol R-1. I think the M-Audio unit was released more recently... has anyone tried this one?

It would be great to know how easy these units are to use while practicing... If you want to hear what you just did, how long does it take to pick it up, "rewind it" and listen? Can you do it with one hand? Quickly?

Most of the high quality information I have been able to find on the internet deals with the use of these units by people bootlegging or recording rock concerts, which is interesting, but a slightly different application than what I am primarily trying to accomplish with this unit.

There is some nice information on this site comparing a number of recorders (the site itself is advocating a PDA based recording system):
http://www.core-sound.com/pdaudio_system/10.php

An assumption on my part, but I think most people looking at these are interested in something that is handy with recording quality from the built-in mics that is "good enough" -- the definition of which is going to vary considerably from person to person. One has to question the importance of audiophile type comparisons of specifications of the recording circuitry given the intended purpose (my assumption) that most people have in mind. I think it's a little pointless when the built-in mics get left out of the comparison. What most people want to know (I think) is how it is going to sound when I take it out of my pocket, flip it on, and start recording?

It would be very helpful to have side-by-side recording samples of the units with their built-in mics rather than lots of comparison specs. To dig up a worn-out phrase: The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

To partially answer one of the questions in the original post: Most of these are made to work like an old-fashioned tape recorder for basic operation. Where one can get into some extra button pushing and menu navigating is when you want to tell it to start a new song, what you want to name the song, what recording quality to use, etc. Usually, after you have gone through that, then operation is simple.

Another question to ask is: What hoops do I have to jump through to get the recording copied from the unit to my PC so I can edit it, burn a CD, listen to it, and send it to all my friends?

SplatterTone wrote:Another question to ask is: What hoops do I have to jump through to get the recording copied from the unit to my PC so I can edit it, burn a CD, listen to it, and send it to all my friends?

Both of these are very nice in regard to moving files... and it is one reason why they seem to be a more convenient option than a DAT or Minidisc. They connect to your Mac or PC via USB 2.0 and are recognized by the computer as a mass storage device or disc drive. You simply "Drag and Drop" the files you want.

SplatterTone wrote:...how it is going to sound when I take it out of my pocket, flip it on, and start recording?

It would be very helpful to have side-by-side recording samples of the units with their built-in mics rather than lots of comparison specs.

This is an excellent point. I have not been able to find any example of this yet.

One note: The Edirol has built in microphones. The M-Audio unit does not really have built in mics... it ships with an included stereo microphone (very small) that plugs into the mic jack and sticks off the top.

You can remove the microphone if you are in a more serious recording situation and want to use a different mic, or are recording from the SPDIF digital input (from a mixer or mic preamp, etc.)

One thing I forgot to add: You can usually find the owner's manual for these things online. It's a big fat chore to sit down and read them, but that will tell you more than anything else (or it should) what it will do and how complicated it is for you to make it do it. When Musician's Friend put the Fostex MR8HD on sale for $350, I read the manual before I bought it.

I would love to have one of those handy, pocket-sized recorders; but for now, I'm sitting on the fence and waiting.

Making a recording of your practicing is a very useful thing to do ... and embarrassing, frustrating, painful, etc., etc. ... at least for me, it is.

You may be intersted in checking out the Zoom PS-04. It's a compact battery operated (has AC adaptor available) multi-track recorder that uses smart media cards. It's a pretty powerful little machine, and I think would work quite well for what you have in mind.

New they sell for about $200. Ebay and electronics outlets have them in the mid to lower $100s.

SplatterTone wrote:One thing I forgot to add: You can usually find the owner's manual for these things online.

Thanks for the advice, this was very helpful.

Just as a follow-up for anyone interested in a flash device for recording their practicing:

I decided to buy an M-Audio MicroTrack... and I am very happy with it so far. I would highly recommend one if you need a device like this.

It is very small and light, and simple to use.

Bove wrote:It would be great to know how easy these units are to use while practicing... If you want to hear what you just did, how long does it take to pick it up, "rewind it" and listen? Can you do it with one hand? Quickly?

To answer my question: Very, very easy! You can be listening to the beginning of your recording in 4 seconds. Press stop, wait 4 sec as the unit stops recording, then press play and it begins playing immediately. This works perfectly for recording during a practice session.

It also does not take any time to begin recording. You can even be listening to a track, and if you press record- it stops playing (leaves the old track alone), starts a brand new track and starts recording. Very fast and easy.

Memory:
You have to buy memory separately, and decide how much to get. (The unit comes with 64 MB which is not really good for much.) After you record some stuff, you can dump it all into your computer, erase the card, and reuse it as many times as you want.

For me, 2GB of memory seemed like a good amount, with about 3 hours of recording time at CD quality sound. You can record at better than CD quality with less recording time available, and also as mp3s of varying quality levels for a much greater time capacity.

From what I hear, 2GB is the maximum size WAV file most software can handle, so I figured that if you need more than 2GB, you are in trouble anyways and can just swap out the card at some point for a fresh one.

To record at a high quality level for a long period of time, you need to make sure the Flash Memory you install can handle the high rate of data being transferred. From what I understand, some cheap models cannot write the data fast enough.

Another thing to think about is that some fast Memory cards without a “memory controllerâ€

If you can make a good representative recording on that thing and post it someplace or e-mail it, I'd like to hear it. I'm most interested in how it works with the "built-in" (sort of) mics. When one has to use external mics, by the time you are carrying two external mics, the cables, and at least one stand, the portability of the recorder no longer counts for much.

I'll upload a sample somewhere when I get a chance.