At the request of another member, I am posting some
info on my experiences over the past 4 years using the
1st generation Creative Jukebox (5 gigs) to record
bird vocalizations. I would be interested to hear if
anyone else is using MP3 technology and what their
experience has been.
First of all, I record bird vocalizations for the
purpose of playback in the field. I know this is
controversial to many people.
This practice should never be done during pairing up
or nesting time. It should also not be practiced at
commonly visited birding areas since repetition can do
harm to territorial claims.
If you can get beyond the controversial aspects, then
please continue reading.
When I decided to invest in recording equipment, I
knew I didn't want to use cassette tape. I had birded
with many people that used this equipment and realized
that there must be a better way.
And my son, very computer savvy, showed me what I
think was a better way- Creative's Jukebox.
For a mic, I was using a ME-67 with power module;
traded it to my Peruvian bird guide this summer for
services rendered. And he was using the Jukebox also,
but not for recording, only playback.
(I recently purchased the low end ATR55 mic. Haven't
been in the field yet to see if it suits my purpose.)
A negative is that the 4 AA's drain within 1 hour when
in the record mode. So I purchased a small (4-5
pounds) Bescor battery pack and wear it on my belt.
Problem solved. I can now record for 6 hours.
Another negative of the unit for recording birds is
that you have to navigate back through several levels
to get to the recording you just made. The entire
process from Save-Done to playing the call takes 10-20
seconds.
Also, since I have the Creative unit, a Radio Shack
hand-held speaker, the battery, and the mic- well, you
get the picture. Lots of connections. I carry
everything in a fly-fishing waist pack and velcro'ed
things in place so as not to drop stuff when trekking
through the jungle. Works well.
>From my perspective, another negative is that it
records in Wav. So, if I want to edit and load the
recorded call on the drive after returning from the
field so as to make it part of the "library," I have
to convert it to MP3.
The most positive apsect of the unit is that it holds
5 gigs of MP3. (The newest generatin is 20 gigs.) And
loading it is a breeze with the proprietary software.
Calls can be arranged by locale, family, country, etc.
No fumbling around for a cassette tape. With the newer
unit, a person could load every bird call in the world
plus a some albums for easy listening at night back at
the lodge.
I am now investigating the Archos20 Recorder. A friend
of my son has one and it only took me 5 seconds to get
to a recording. Much quicker than the Creative. And it
records in MP3 format. Hook it up to its USB and it
shows up as another drive on your desktop when you
open Explorer. Neat.
So, if anybody else is using this technology, I'd like
to hear about your experiences, +'s and -'s.
Thanks.
JP Wade
Harlingen, Tx
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