Portable Recording

I just purchased a unit by Sony which is easily kept in a shirt pocket with room to spare (Sony ICDPX312 Digital Voice Recorder). I don't have much experience with it yet but a few test recordings yielded good results.

This one is a bit more pricey than others but I selected it because the files are saved as MP3 and can be uploaded via a USB cable using Windows Explorer. Many others use a proprietary format which requires their special software and I didn't want to mess with this. Files can also be downloaded.

It also accepts a media card if the built in 20 plus hour time is not enough.

There is an input for using an external microphone as well.

In Ohio the law doesn't prohibit "secret" recording of an in person conversation as long as one party is aware of it (usually interpreted as the one doing the recording). This wouldn't apply to an interview but you should know your laws regarding this.

Neil

Thanks, Neil, I'll look into the Sony.

The recording law is the same in Missouri, recording a conversation is legal as long as one party knows.

However, I have my own policy of never putting someone on the air if they don't want, so I won't be exposing anyone to unwanted public appearance.

I'm not even sure of what I want to accomplish by becoming a walking microphone, I mainly want to experiment.

I looked at the Sony ICDPX312 and it is the right size for an average shirt pocket, at 4.5"x1.5"x.84".

I even measured several shirt pockets, and they vary in size, but this Sony Audio Recorder will fit any of them.

As Neil said, it records in MP3 format, and over a wide range of quality settings.

My Zoom H4 recorder will do WAV or MP3, and I prefer mastering in WAV for the production process, and releasing finished programs in MP3.

Another feature being looked at is the external mic input, described as stereo minijack, but no mention of being able to handle phantom powering, in which the recorder supplies power to the mic. With only two AAA batteries the recorder likely doesn't have enough reserve power to handle a microphone, but some microphones will only work based on phantom powering.

Ongoing.

This is a low end model.  It is hand held

-  it has an internal mike and a jack for

an external one.  

This unit does not provide a way to feed a

computer, but the next model up does.

There were 2 things about the unit I

did not expect.  

1)  It is very HI FI.

2)  Even though this is not mentioned

anywhere on the package, or the product, 

or the instructions - the unit does stereo.  

I thought it was just mono, and I was fine

with that - but it really is stereo - even though

it is not mentioned anywhere.  

So I made a stereo line to mike level attenuator, 

and fed a stereo music recording into the external

mike jack.     

The output jack is for stereo headphones.  I got

an adaptor and fed it back though my stereo

system.   Very good fidelity, great for music.

There is 

one thing - if you drive the unit with too

much audio - it will limit and/or compress.

It don't quite have that figured out yet.  

As mentioned, the next model up has a

port where you can plug in an SD card.

And I think THAT model does MP3s.  

I wish I had that one.  

Oh yes, 2 more things - this SONY

digital recorder I have is good with 

batteries (2 AAAs), it will run for many many

hours.  In fact - so many - I haven't

figured out how much time will

go by until the batteries go dead.   

And if you want to - you can change

the digital sampling rate.  As you know, 

if you raise the rate, the amount of 

available recording time will go down, 

and visa versa.  

I'll try to get back on here wih

the model number - although most

people will probably want a unit

that can digitally interface with

a computer.   

Bruce, The Dog Radio Group

Look into the iMic line of microphones designed to be used with the current generation of smartphones.

They cost less than one of those portable recorders, you can select one with a proper pattern, it plugs right into a high-quality audio device you already own and you can squirt the file directly to the station from your pocket via email or messaging.

There are mics available which do not require a "phantom supply" such as a dynamic mic and I am sure Carl knows this but I was curious as to how one would sound with the Sony recorder.

I first made a voice recording with the internal microphone and the sound was loud and clear and occupied both channels though I don't know if it was stereo or not and a check of the L/R difference signal shows it is not and the internal mic doesn't appear to be a stereo unit. There was some background noise from a nearby exhaust fan and the recorder has a noise cancel feature which was off for the test which might have helped suppress this. The fan noise was only audible during pauses in my speech and a lower mic sensitivity should help with this.

A second test was done using a dynamic mic I obtained years ago for $1 at a clearance table. This is ultro cheapo in construction with a plastic housing and the whole thing weighs about 2 oz. It gave a clear recording and did not pick up the background fan noise. The audio was not as strong as was that of the internal mic and it appeared on one channel. From the illustrations in the brochure for the recorder it appears that the mic input is designed for a stereo mic and this external mic has only a single hot connection on the plug so the other channel input was shorted.

This being said, this recorder used alone or with a plug in dynamic mic would work well for man on the street use.

Neil

I also have a Sony Vioce Recorder, not sure which model, but it had 5 folders that will each hold 100 tracks.  The recording quality is great for voice, but somewhat lacking for music; though using the Line-in input will improve it somewhat.

Yes, it does play in stereo and you can click and drag MP3 files onto it and they sond as good as an IPOD.  It also has a crude on-board editor that allows dividing tracks, and a few other options.  It also comes with software to download to your computer which allows more editing featured.  I think I paind only about $30 for it so it it a good deal for the money.

I appreciate all the good input regarding a mobile voice recorder.

Having looked at the Sony website at all the specs for Neil's ICDPX312, it does say that the mic input is stereo, and it does not mention whether the onboard mic is stereo, but the picture looks like there is a single mic at the top of the unit, I would expect it to be mono.

I took a look at many upscale professional recorders listed at Markertek's website, and they have generous price mark downs, but they all looked like overkill for what I'm trying to do, and they all seemed to have stereo mics, but of course in the editing one could shut off one track and obtain a mono feed.

Thing is I don't trust the mics on those otherwise professional units. Case in point is my Zoom H4 which has two mics angled in the X-Y configuration, and I was stunned by how poor the sound from those mics is. I even tried bending thier sound using EQ, but there's something they did to totally cripple the inbuilt mics.... my theory is that they are trying to help the equipment vendors by making audio quality a necessary upgrade to a better mic, which is exactly what I did by adding an Astatic Boundary mic which records crystal clear perfect sound for my application.

Even though I'm willing to spend more money, I am arriving at the opinion that Neil's Sony Voice recorder will be the best choice for my simple use, which is to record voice at close range, and as it happens, I like hearing background ambience, whether it's a fan running or traffic or a crowd.

Also, Neil has a good point to be explored, that of using a dynamic microphone. I'm sure I'll end up trying that.

I am a stickler for mono voice because the voice is by nature a monaural instrument, and many setups that record voice in stereo end up with phase cancelation for mono AM listeners. There is one program I run which I might e-mail to suggest they fix their poor mono phase which I suspect is from two mics widely spaced.

I will have more to report on this subject.

Carl,

Not knowing anything about the H4, I looked at the manual on line. I see it has a "key lock" feature invoked by holding the menu key down. Was that not sufficient to protect recording when it was in your pocket?

Thank you, PhilB, for mentioning the "key lock" feature.

At the start I am unaware of it or what it does, but based on what you've said it might solve the problem of holding the record button in the ON position.

Tonight will be an experiment, which may save having to order yet another device.

More to come.

The manual for Zoom H4 is now set on the desk for later study, and in the mean time I remember another fact about the H4, and that is it's size.

It is too big for a shirt pocket, so when I tried to use it for walking around I wore a blazer with big inner breast pockets.

Some more to come

The Zoom H4 has a wonderful manual, considering the number of pages.

The "Key-Hold" function isn't mentioned until way back on Page 79, and it's a rather short few words, so no wonder I never discovered it.

But as PhilB mentions, it is exactly the way to keep the Record button from being brushed by the inside of a pocket.