Tascam recently announced the DR-08 recorder. The DR-08 is about half the=
size and weight of the already small DR-07, so the DR-08 would be no probl=
em to carry in a shirt pocket to record field notes.
One nifty feature I didn't realize that the DR-08 has is the ability to set=
the recording start and stop time. I find this useful for recording the d=
awn chorus without stumbling around in the dark, scaring away the wildlife.=
Position the recorder (and external mics if desired) during the day, set=
the record start and stop time, and go to bed. Retrieve the recorder the =
next morning.
Yamaha (Sanyo) offers a similar feature in its Pocketrak recorders. Sound =
Devices recorders have a way to set the record start time for several hours=
in the future. I don't know of other machines that offer a "set and forge=
t" recording function.
The DR-08 goes one better, allowing you to repeat the recording session on =
a daily basis. So you could record an hour of dawn chorus for several days=
without the need to attend to the recorder. It remains to be seen how lon=
g the DR-08's battery will last under these conditions. Perhaps with the a=
ddition of an external battery connected by USB, the DR-08 may become an in=
expensive alternative to the "frog logger" style unattended recording devic=
es under certain circumstances.
When the DR-08 was first announced, I thought it would replace the DR-07 in=
Tascam's recorder offerings. The web page for the DR-08 now says both rec=
orders will be offered. The DR-07 costs about $140, the DR-08 $180 to $200=
.
This information comes from a quick look at the DR-08 manual. I expect the=
DR-08 to have performance similar to the DR-07. Does anyone have hands-on=
experience?
--oryoki
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