When Apple introduced the 2nd generation iPod Nano music player in
August, they gave the Nano the ability to record two channels of audio
in 16/44.1 WAV format. Audio input is made through the docking
connector at the base of the Nano.
A company called XtremeMac has just introduced an external adapter
called the MicroMemo that takes advantage of this new audio recording
feature. The MicroMemo for Nano ($60 MSRP) adds a built-in mono mic,
tiny speakers, and most important, a 3.5mm stereo jack for mic and
line-level input. Read about the MicroMemo here:
http://www.xtrememac.com/about/press/2006_12_04.php
Clearly, the Nano is not a good replacement for a dedicated field
recorder. Where a field recorder has dedicated buttons for record,
pause and so on, the Nano uses selections from a menu. This is a
recipe for disappointment when you need to start recording quickly.
The preamp in the first generation Nano was pretty good, but had no
ability to amplify the signal very much. A dedicated recorder can
boost the signal as much as 70dB, useful when your subject is
soft-spoken, or distant, or (all too often) both.
The Nano has a battery that will last for about 24 hours of playback,
but (I'm guessing) maybe 6 hours of recording. Installing the
MicroMemo blocks access to power the Nano from an external battery.
The XtremeMac design does not pass power from the Nano to an external
mic. So your mic will need its own battery power source.
Even considering these drawbacks, the Nano with MicroMemo would be a
great way to record field notes, to capture ambience in situations
where a regular recorder would be too intrusive, and to act as a spare
recorder for emergency situations.
Another interesting project would be to sync JPEG photos of your
subject with previously recorded audio. The result: Photos you can
watch as the audio plays back -- a great way to learn to associate
sounds with the singer. Note that photo viewing shortens battery
life, too.
One helpful addition to the new Nano is a search feature in the music
section of the Nano's controls. You can search for several letters to
find tracks by name, or number if you prefer to name your tracks
starting with a numeric code.
The iPod Nano prices range from $149 for a model with 2GB storage,
$199 for 4GB and $249 for an 8GB model. 2GB is enough space for 3
hours of 16/44.1 stereo tracks, or about 500 songs in MP3 format with
moderate compression.
The Nano is tiny, about one-third the size and weight of the
ubiquitous iPod. The Nano uses solid state flash memory in place of
the small hard disc in the iPod. This is more expensive, but
considerably more durable. Several vendors make waterproof cases big
enough for the Nano with Micromemo attached.
XtremeMac makes a version of the MicroMemo for standard iPods, too.
Two other companies, Belkin and Griffin, make audio recording gear for
the full-size iPod. Perhaps these other vendors will introduce audio
recording equipment for the Nano.
--oryoki
"Microphones are not ears,
Loudspeakers are not birds,
A listening room is not nature."
Klas Strandberg
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