Posted by: "oryoki2000"
>
> "The FR2-LE can record to one track [mono], resulting in smaller files
> and longer continuous recording before the file size limit is hit."
>
> Thanks for the correction. I forgot that firmware update 1.10,
> released in June 2007, adds the mono recording option. Here's what
> the notes for firmware 1.10 say about mono:
>
> "You can now select the track mode between stereo and mono using the
> 'Track Mode' item which has been newly added to the Format item in the
> Disk menu."
>
> Any FR-2LE purchased from mid-2007 onwards will have the ability to
> record mono to a single track.
>
> Many recorders say they record mono, but write the digitized signal to
> both channels. Or they record silence in the other channel. The
> result is a file that is the same size as a stereo recording. As
> Flawn says, recording one channel only, in true mono, will result in a
> file that is half the size of stereo. This helps when you need to
> conserve file storage space. I don't think recording in mono saves
> much battery life, however.
More importantly mono looses all space, all directionality. Everything
out there will play back on a single point, the call you want, other
calls out there, any noise source. All will play in the center of your
head. You have to have seriously perfect recordings for this jumble to
sound good. And even then it will not sound like the natural system you
recorded.
On the other hand, with stereo you have sound with dimension and
directionality, not a point. This will play around you. Your brain can
fairly easily tune in on the one sound in the one direction that you
want to hear and suppress the rest coming from elsewhere. Stereo is far
closer to recording what you hear out there than mono. And far easier to
listen to and identify the sounds out there.
I'd take ten minutes of good stereo over hours of mono any day. I'd even
bring the sampling rate down to 44/16 if you were using higher, just to
get the stereo. Or buy more storage. Do what it takes to record stereo.
Walt
|