Re: Pocket-sized RAM based digital live audio recorders: Where are they?

"Len Moskowitz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Rocketman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> > ...The only thing missing from existing
> >solid-state portable recorders is an integrated portable-DAT-quality mic
> >preamp. That's all that is needed for 99.9% of prosumer use.
>
> Add a Denecke AD-20 or our Mic2496 to a Nomad Jukebox 3 and you've
> pretty much got what you want.  If you want 24/96 capability, then
> perhaps our PDAudio system would do the job for you.

Len, I really am sorry to be picky, because your PDAudio CF solution is
pretty darned slick, for it's intended purpose.  It's definitely a boon to
many users who need digital I/O for their PDA's. I'm glad to see that it is
being received well. I just had a look at Pocco Software's PDAudio offering
today. I hope the PDAudio and 24/96 do well for you.

However, a multi-box portable recording solution isn't what I'm looking for.
It impedes portability and hampers impromptu recording (too much to carry,
too much to break, too much to manage, multiple batteries to check/charge,
etc). It's also prohibitively expensive, since no mics are included,
separate preamp, etc. If my only requirement were long battery life,
built-in mics and high quality digital audio, but not pocket-sized form
factor, I would just carry along my Sony Digital-8 camcorder, and use it to
record sound. Problem solved.  But that's not what I want.  I want stealthy
portability, ruggedness and a complete absence of tape and moving parts in a
pocket-sized form factor. I don't think it's too much to ask, since it's far
simpler than a MiniDisc recorder, and they're *tiny*, despite all of the
moving parts and relatively large discs.  SD cards are about 1/10th the size
of a MiniDisc. The IC's needed to process AAC are also very tiny. Li-Ion
"gumpack" batteries are teeny, but powerful.  The itty-bitty components all
exist, and are all incorporated into myriad consumer products; but none of
those products meet my basic requirements for a high-quality portable
recording device. It's amazing.  How can that many manufacturers (especially
the big Japanese companies like Sony) all collectively ignore
amateur/prosumer digital recordists categorically, when those folks have
lots of money to spend, and have proven that they will buy expensive gadgets
to further their hobbies? I don't get it.

What I need and want is a decent preamp (MD/DAT quality), 1/8" TRS stereo
mic input, built-in mics (with windscreen option), manual record levels, AAC
or WMA compression (+ straight PCM option) and removable Flash memory
storage device. That's it. I could live without everything else, except
maybe playback/review capability and basic track deletion (like a digital
camera's built-in image deletion feature).  I could rely upon a CF or SD
card reader to transfer the recordings to a PC/Mac, and skip the USB
feature.  That would save a lot of engineering, and would help keep costs
and size to a minimum.  I figured that the little Panasonic electret
condenser capsules that you use for your Core Sound stealth mics would be a
great choice for the built-in stereo mics, since they're so inexpensive and
sound so nice even before you tweak them. They would need to be
shock-mounted to keep handling noise down.

Is it clear what I'm asking for?  It's really just a solid-state replacement
for a basic tape recorder, with a singular purpose: To record high-quality
stereo audio digitally.  The CF or SD cards function like the cassettes and
DAT's of yore. That's all I want.  No need to go overboard with features.
The encoding of a mic signal into some form of digital audio recording is
the sole purpose of the unit.  The rest is bells and whistles. The Mayah
Flashman is on the right track; but went waaaay overboard on the features.
Your Mic24/96 unit, with the addition of a CF slot and a processor to encode
AAC, would be just exactly what I need.  You might not even need an LCD
display. I didn't have an LCD on my old cassette deck, and it worked just
fine as I recall.

Hope this stirs up some thoughts about future products.  I really think what
I'm asking for is what many recordists (and would-be recordists) are
searching for.  Think simplicity and integration, with a singular purpose.

Cheers,

-Barry