

But it's certainly no lightweight when it comes to recording audio. The Olympus LS-P4 is tiny, no bigger than a twin-bar Kit Kat, and weighs in at a diminutive 50g. It would be awesome to hook it up to some top-notch mics to take advantage of its fabulous sound capabilities. It's just a shame it doesn't feature balanced XLR inputs. Unusually, the PCM D-100 can record in DSD format, which some audiophiles believe sounds smoother and more 'analogue' than PCM. These can be positioned independently too, swiveling 90 through 120 degrees. Preamp circuitry is isolated from its power supply for reduced noise, and levels can be set for each mic. Instead, every effort has gone into making sure the PCM D-100 captures the best recording possible, whatever the location or the conditions.
Portable mp3 audio recorder Bluetooth#
There's no fancy Bluetooth app, and it won’t help you tune your guitar.
Portable mp3 audio recorder pro#
This is a no-nonsense field recorder that's aimed squarely at the pro end of the market and it has a price point to match. Its sturdy aluminium frame and scaffold-like mic cage make it look and feel reassuringly robust – drop it and the pavement will probably come off worse. It may not give you quality on a par with bigger, heavier, feature-laden recorders, but its portability and simplicity mean it will spend less time languishing in a drawer and more time capturing those priceless, unexpected moments. Its Bluetooth capabilities are genuinely useful, enabling you to place the R-07 close to the action but control it from a distance. Dual recording provides a back-up track recorded at a lower level for increased headroom too. Select the most appropriate Scene and the R-07 sets an optimal configuration. It's dead-simple to use – hit the big Rehearsal button to automatically set levels and you're good to go.Īdditionally, Roland has included ten parameter preset 'Scenes' that fine-tune the R-07 for common recording needs – Loud Practice, Vocal, Field and so on. This fun-sized marvel just begs to be taken everywhere with you, always ready should inspiration strike. Roland's baby recorder has a surprisingly grown-up feature set. Plug it into your laptop and it serves as a USB interface too. You can mix, trigger sound pads, overdub and even connect to Zoom's Guitar Lab for a huge assortment of amps and effects.

Zoom likes to call it a 'Handy Recorder' but it's so much more. Of course, there's the obligatory phone app that covers similar ground, but the built-in screen feels more immediate. The large high-resolution touch screen is a joy to use, especially for monitoring levels.

Or you can swap the included mic capsule with one of more than half a dozen other mic options including an Ambisonic array. A whopping eight inputs and 12 tracks means that you're unlikely to run out of sonic capacity, but if you do, you can remove the included mic capsule and replace it with a further four XLR inputs. Whether you're a musician, a podcaster or a field recordist the Zoom H8 has dedicated modes just for you. This is a recorder firmly targeted at the new-breed of creators. It has managed to pack an awful lot into its characterful, if slightly awkward-looking, robotic form. Zoom is well-known for its innovative product line – from the budget H1n right up to the pro-level F8n – but the Zoom H8 is possibly its most ground-breaking yet. The new Zoom H8 may look like the unfortunate love-child of Transformers' hero Optimus Prime and a Nintendo Gameboy but there's nothing '80s about the tech. There's is also a peak reduction feature, and a limiter, to ensure clean, idiot-proof recordings. Tascam has implemented its own version of dual recording, which provides more headroom by recording a second safety track at a slightly lower level to capture any wayward spikes distortion free. The perfectionist in you can also overdub as many takes as needed and, when happy with the result, bounce the tracks down to a final mix. Six different reverb effects, which can be applied to the input or output signal, are on tap to make your band sound suitably vast and the onboard tuner will keep you all in tune. You can play back all four tracks simultaneously, while adjusting both the mix and pan of each individual track.

The DR-40X is littered with other musician-friendly features too, including a basic but very welcome mix facility. Thankfully, the XLR inputs don't override the built-in mics, making the DR-40X a true four-track recorder/interface. Not only does it feature two balanced XLR inputs for additional mics, or connection to a mixer, but it also operates as a class-compliant audio interface over USB 2.0. Tascam has musicians firmly in its sights with the DR-40X.
