Recording direct to mp3

[Stutwo]

I'm currently using an Edirol R-1 to record voice, music etc straight to mp3, and this works extremely well. However, our media dept. have just asked if there is any way to use more domestic, cheaper mp3 players to effectively do the same job for less cost (the R-1 is around £300). I've looked and looked and my two options seem to be:

 

1) Use the "line-in" feature of most decent mp3 players with a mic preamp. The downside to this is that it adds complexity and bulk to making recordings out and about. There don't seem to be any mp3 players with a built in mic preamp, the iRiver iFP range used to, but no more.

 

2) Just use the mp3 player's built in mic. Downside to this is obviously quality and length of recording depending on battery life.

 

So my question is this: Does anyone use the built in mic on their mp3 player, and if so, is it reasonable? I've only tested this on one budget mp3 player so far, and it was pretty awful. However, better makes may have better mics. Alternatively, does anyone know of a cheap, easy to use mic preamp that students would cope with?

 

Any help greatly appreciated.

[gareth]

I know it's not exactly what you need, and so might not be of much relevance to you, but if you have a PC/laptop at your disposal I can thoroughly recommend Audacity - an open-source audio recorder/editor that will spit out decent-quality MP3 files if you have the right encoder on your system. Like I say, perhaps not particularly relevant to your situation, but I thought it was worth a mention in case it helps.

[Stutwo]

Thanks Gareth, the plan at the moment is to use Audacity to edit the mp3's that the recorders would produce. Great little program, we use it on the PC's and Macs here.

[djw1981]

Hi At the risk of being told I am stupid........will audacity take inoput via a USB soundcard, such as the Behringer one that Bruce mentioned the other day as an alternative to using headphone minijacks?

[MarkPAman]

Yes, you are able to select inputs using the Windows Recording Mixer.

[Andrew C]

May not be the tidiest way, but I have taken a Folio notepad, a standard Sony MD, and a PSU and glued it all in a hard briefcase. Room for a littlight and a pair of cans too. Works well with plenty of input options.

[Stutwo]

Ta for idea Andrew, but the budget is tight, and they want 7 usable units for recording, so has to come back to the mp3 players somethow. I must admit, I'm stumped at the minute.

[MarkPAman]

I've been looking for something to do much the same job for some time now, but have yet to find anything that has both quality & good price.

So I'm stuck with recording to minidisk & then doing real time transfer to the computer for editing.

[WJProctor]

Hi There,

 

Have you looked at digital dictaphones, such as this http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B...8089443-8423158 that you plug into your pc and download the mp3.

 

Just a thought

 

Regards

 

James

[JamesRF]

Just taken stock of one of these D&M units, can't praise them enough.

We're using them to take a copy of conferences and the like, then dump everything straight to PC ready to burn a copy of the whole event before the client has finished paying for the delegates room extras!

[d_korman]

If you are going to edit the recordings (ie apply equalisation or effects, mix different tracks together etc), you really don't want to record direct to mp3, since when you open them in the editor, it has to convert them back to normal uncompressed format, and then each time you save them, they get converted back to mp3 again, loosing even more sound quality.

 

Far better to record to uncompressed .wav format, do all the editing and then convert the finished recording to mp3.

[bruce]

How about something like a Korg D4? lots more buttons than the edirol R1, and a bit bigger, but just over 200 quid....

 

Never tried one, but saw one in a shop today ;)

 

Also worth looking at the Edirol R-09 - but it's the same price as the R1

 

 

Edit: Sony and Sanyo also do "digital voice recorders" which can take exteral mics and record direct to MP3, at between 100 and 150 pounds. Do a google for "digital recorder", and select UK search... they're at the top of the list. Never actually tried one though...

[Stutwo]

Thanks for the replies so far! We just ordered an Edirol R-09 elsewhere in the school (it's the replacement for the R-1), but using them in both dept's isn't an option unfortunately. Will look at the other units suggested, quite relieved someone hasn't yet pointed out a cheap unit I'd overlooked altogether ;)

[Bobbsy]

It'll depend what quality you're willing to accept. My wife has a Panasonic MP3 dictaphone/recorder (sorry not here right now so I can't find you the exact model) and (on the "best" setting) the quality of the internal mic and recording is not too bad, at least on speech. I've used it to record things like "baby's first word" around the house and, transferred into Audition to adjust levels etc. the results have been useable.

 

Bob

[Steve_Hole]

How about one of these.... ikey

 

Record in MP3 onto a USB device... Memory stick... Hard drive.... Appear to be around 100UKP +VAT

 

Steve :)