Consumer minidisc products have proven to be rugged and reliable under
challenging field conditions. Their combination of quality recording
and durability is unmatched in the below-$300 price range. There is a
good supply of used minidisc machines at bargain prices via online
auction sites, too.
It's hard to ignore the advantages of consumer minidisc as a field
recorder. But you asked about solid-state recorders, so here goes:
The possibilities for an inexpensive flash memory device suitable for
use as a field recorder are obvious when you look at flash voice
recorders from Sony, Olympus and Panasonic. And Sony teases us with
its NW-MS70D Network Walkman player, which Sony could easily modify to
include external analog and digital inputs.
Unfortunately, this potential is largely unrealized. Instead,
companies are focused on iPod-style hard-disc devices with the
capacity to hold thousands of songs. The hard discs are proving to be
fragile in field use. Two examples popular with live concert-tapers are:
Creative Nomad Jukebox 3
http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?prodid=296
I-River H120
http://www.iriveramerica.com/products/H120.aspx
Two inexpensive flash products that could be used for field recording
today are the Pogo Products RipFlash Plus ($150) and the Archos Ondio
128 FM Recorder ($100). Both are MP3 recorders with line level input.
The Ondio has a slot for an MMC card, too. Both are smaller and
lighter than a consumer minidisc machine. Unfortunately, both use a
low MP3 sampling rate more suitable to voice recording, so it's
unlikely that they would be satisfactory for critical recording.
Pogo Products RipFlash Plus
http://www.pogoproducts.com/ripflash_plus.html
Archos Ondio 128 FM Recorder
http://www.archos.com/products/prw_500554_specs.html
Neuros takes an intriguing approach. The Neuros recorder is a 128MB
flash player/recorder with line inputs. The device records in MP3 or
WAV formats. The Neuros Backpack is a 20gb hard disc that attaches to
the back of the recorder when you want larger capacity. The bundle of
recorder and backpack costs $280.
Neuros 20GB Backpack Bundle
http://www.neurosaudio.com/store/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=DigitalInnovationsCatalog&category%5Fname=Neuros+Players&product%5Fid=4020300
128MB is only enough space for 24 minutes of monaural 16/44.1 WAV
recording, but it's good for 100 minutes of high bit-rate MP3
recording. So you could carry the Neuros recorder alone in the field,
then transfer the recordings to the Backpack when you return to the car.
Note that, for all three of these devices with line inputs, you would
need an external pre-amp to input signals from a microphone. As an
example, see
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?item=SP-PREAMP
None of these flash recorders is likely to be as satisfactory for
field recording as a consumer minidisc machine. But the potential for
flash recorders is there, tantalizingly just beyond our grasp.
--oryoki
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