Hi David .... many thanks for the good info. We have seen the ZOOM
in a catalog, and were intrigued ... however, I had no idea as to its
quality, so your words are good to hear. I'm on a MAC, if I
connected the ZOOM via the USB cable, would the file automatically
place in iTunes, or just appear on the desktop from whence it can
then be transferred? If not, would any particular software be needed
on the computer to handle said file(s)?
Sounds as if the ZOOM would be a good way to go ... but I'll also
check out the currant iRiver player.
Many thanks,
Dean
On May 6, 2008, at 3:25 AM, dhbailey wrote:
Dean M. Estabrook wrote:
Before I spend hours "googling" this topic, I thought I'd ask for
your opinions on the matter. My wife, a music educator, has a need
for a digital recorder (and maybe playback machine) for use in her
job. I think she's thinking in the $1k range (since CA got some
special one time funding for such things). Any favorites,
pitfalls, etc.? Her main need is to record rehearsals onto a disc
and either play it back then and there, or bring it home for study
and prep.
Thanks in advance for the ubiquitous wisdom found on this list.
To "play it back then and there" it doesn't have to be recorded
onto a disc (by that I assume you mean onto a CD which can be
removed from the recorder) -- all that's needed is some sort of
amplification to play the recorded material back through.
Bringing it home for study and prep can be done without a removable
CD, also.
You might consider the ZOOM handheld recorder with built in stereo
mics. It costs around $300 and doesn't use removable CDs for its
recording medium. When you bring it home, you can simply attach it
to your computer with a USB cable and transfer the files to your
computer and then either listen to them there or burn them to CD.
One limitation of digital recorders which record to CD is the time
limitation. CDs are like tape cassettes (only longer) -- if your
rehearsal is longer than an hour, you need to replace the disc and
resume recording.
Using a recorder such as the Zoom, you can record the entire
rehearsal in a single file, so there won't be any possibility of it
stopping in the middle of a piece.
I use my iRiver mp3 player, the H40, which has a 40GB hard disk
inside. It can record as either MP3 (recording time limited by the
hard disk space only) or as WAV (recording time limited to 75
minutes - same as a CD). The bitrate for the MP3 can be set at
320kbps which is essentially the same as CD quality so the quality
of the resulting file is superb. Unfortunately iRiver doesn't
market this model anymore and I have no clue about the quality of
their current models.
I do have a friend who has a Zoom which is a couple of years old
and it's terrific.
Spending $1k when the same (or better) results could be gotten for
$300 seems silly to me.
--
David H. Bailey
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Dean M. Estabrook
http://deanestabrook.googlepages.com/home
"When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty. But
when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know
it is wrong. "
R. Buckminster Fuller
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