"Lindsay Cargill" wrote:
>
> Does anyone have any experience of of a Nagra ARES-M for recording
> bird calls or its suitability for this purpose ?
>
I visited the Nagra booth at the recent NAB conference, and took a
look at the ARES-M. I was disappointed with the machine's
construction. It's about the same as a consumer-grade minidisc
machine, and far from the indestructable quality we have grown to
admire Nagra for over the years. The ARES-M's controls are logical
and easy to operate.
The ARES-M has 1GB of flash memory, but it's not removeable.
Digitizing two channels at the top rate of 16/48, 1GB provides only 90
minutes of file storage. So you have to transfer your recordings to a
computer or other storage device regularly. This might not be
acceptable if you're in the field all day.
For the list price of $995, the package includes a mic capsule built
into the top of the ARES-M, and a cable to attach other microphones
externally. The cable connection does not provide power to the
external mic.
One feature of the ARES-M not found on too many less expensive
recorders is a pre-roll buffer. The buffer is activated when you set
the recorder to record/pause mode. The buffer captures a few seconds
of audio, so you can relax about missing the start of your subject's
vocalizations.
Given the limitations of the ARES-M, I'd take a close look at two
competitors which will be available this month. First is the Sony
MZ-RH1 Hi-MD minidisc recorder (about $300). Second is the Edirol
R-09 flash recorder (about $400). Both are about the same size as the
ARES-M, capture similar quality recordings, and cost a lot less.
If the recorder's size is not a concern, and you've got $1000 to
spend, then take a look at the Marantz PMD671 and Tascam HD-P2.
--oryoki
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