Ask Engadget: SD and MP3-friendly portable audio recorder?

Like we promised, we're here with a week of Ask Engadget. Like always, you can send in your questions to ask at engadget dawt com, and we'll bring the best here for answering by your fellow Engadget readers. Yesterday we were asking a question of our own, about media player preference, and today we've got a question from "No Trab," who's looking for a portable audio recorder:

"I need a portable digital audio recorder that records onto SD cards in MP3 format, or if absolutely necessary, WMA. I'm trying to standardize my gadgets on SD cards so I can interchange 'em easily and connect them to PC. And I want a standard audio format so anyone can play it without special software. How hard is that?

"I'm aware of the Roland R-09, pretty high end stereo recorder. Records onto a HD but also has SD card for transfer if you like. And Pogo Electronics has the Radio YourWayLX, which adds the radio recording feature but also does voice. I'll be using this for interviews as a reporter, sometimes in moderately noisy environments, like restaurants."

What say you guys? Sounds like he doesn't have the cash for an R-09, and not much else he's found fits the bill.

[Mark @ Apr 28th 2007 8:41PM]

M-Audio Microtrack. Love it.

[LukeHarbinson @ Apr 28th 2007 8:44PM]

I'm pretty sure (because i used to have one) that some of the Philips mp3 players record and use SD, but this was a few years ago and I think it may have only been 96kps or something. I dont have any specifics but try hitting up the Philips website, sorry if its a wild goose chaise. Luke

[Joe Smith @ Apr 28th 2007 8:45PM]

zoom h4. $300. built in dual condenser mikes. dual xlr or trs inputs if you want. sd card. battery or wallwort powered. pocket sized. perfect.

http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1901

there's also an h2 coming out soon if you want it, but it doesn't have xlr inputs.

[John Krumm @ Apr 28th 2007 8:55PM]

I'm guessing that the IAudio D2 might be nice with an external microphone (it has a built in one, likely just good for memos and such, and a line-n with direct encoding to mp3). I used to listen to a podcast called Bikescape, and he did (maybe still does) all his interviews with an IRiver 799 and external microphone, similar to the D2 in some ways but without the SD cards. But if you want something just for interviews probabaly something like the Microtrak would be superior (although I noticed it doesn't take sd cards).

[AndyB @ Apr 28th 2007 9:09PM]

A few points:

- Memory cards are now so cheap that you don't need to be precious about having them all in the same format. At $15 or less for 2G, how big a deal is it to have different ones?

- The Roland (Edirol) R-09 doesn't record to an HD. It records directly to the SD card, and has no built in memory of its own. It's a fantastic unit, worth considering. Anything significantly cheaper is going to sound pretty poor (assuming you're recording music).

- If you want Audio recording gadgets, look on musician sites, not a general gadget site. There's a number of competitors to the Roland - check out units from Marantz, Zoom, M-Audio, Korg, Tascam. They're all around the same price as the Roland though, and the Roland has great reviews.

- If you're only recording speech, check out dictation devices. Again, don't sweat which memory format they have - since memory is too cheap to make a buying decision around.

[David Reid @ Apr 28th 2007 9:23PM]

Add another vote for the M-Audio MicroTrack 24/96. It's a little on the expensive side, doesn't have built-in microphones, and records onto compact flash instead of SD, but as an avid user of DAT recorders of years past, this is the only device I would consider purchasing to replace my trusty old Sony PCM-M1. Find it here:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/MicroTrack2496-main.html

[John Wheeler @ Apr 28th 2007 10:26PM]

I have to agree with Joe Smith - the Zoom H4 is an awesome device. I paid $400 for it when it first came out and it is one of the best $400 I ever spent. Audio recorded using the onboard mics is fantastic, plus it has two XLR mic inputs, phantom power, and direct recording to MP3. Listent to my podcasts for samples (http://thisweekinnuclear.com).

And get this - the H4 will also function as a USB audio PC interface (essentially an external sound card). In this mode the sound output quality blows away my internal sound card.

I understand Paul's concern. I'm also trying to standardize around SD cards (Palm Tungsten T3, Treo 650, Zoom H4, Cannon digital camera, etc all use SD cards). I realize that in some cases I'll have to use other formats, but why not keep as many devices standardized as possible?

[Ryan @ Apr 29th 2007 12:59PM]

I have owned the R-09 for since September of '06, and I absolutely love it. the Quality is Superb, I use it for mainly recording church Choirs, and it separates the sounds well, and creates a great recording. I also love the reverbs that it has built in to the player, which are great for classical recordings.

[Maneki Neko @ Apr 28th 2007 11:00PM]

I'm looking for something similar, but I want it to be as small as possible so I can use it to record lectures. I'm willing to compromise on the memory card format as long as I can connect it to my computer to download recordings still. Anyone have any recommendations?

I really appreciate any recommendations, truly thanks in advance!

[Andrew @ Apr 28th 2007 11:07PM]

It's a little pricey, but I'll put in another vote for the Edirol (Roland) R-09. Both my fiancee and my mother have one--easy to use, good recording quality, very portable. I researched them pretty heavily back at Xmas, and the Edirol seemed to get better reviews than its competitors.

[Greg @ Apr 28th 2007 11:13PM]

To Maneki Neko, I just picked up a 1GB Creative Zen Nano Plus from buy.com for around $35 (it's now a few bucks more). Built-in mic and mic-in, records to wav and mp3. No memory cards, and you'll then have to USB2 your recordings to your computer, but it sounds like it fits your bill. It's cheap and it's tiny. Takes 1 AAA battery; I'd prefer a built-in rechargeable. For the record, I don't have much experience with it. I'd recommend an iRiver H1xx or H3xx with Rockbox firmware to anyone, but it's not a small package (and records to its hard drive, no memory cards).

[David @ Apr 28th 2007 11:37PM]

Get a Sansa e250 2GB ($106 on newegg) and whatever size microSD card (most come with a standard SD sleeve adapter). The player has a microSD expansion slot so that you can store your recordings on the card and move them as you wish. The voice recorder works pretty well and the player is great... tiny and fits in your pocket without notice.

[Maneki Neko @ Apr 29th 2007 12:42AM]

The Sansa e250 David recommended seems awesome, exactly what I'm looking for. How is the mic on that thing? Would it be sensitive enough to pick up a lecture in a lecture hall clearly?

How is the battery life when recording?

I assume the recordings don't take up much space right? With 2GB you could basically record days if not weeks worth of sound?

Thanks for everyone's help! I appreciate the recommendation on the Zen as well.

[MacMan @ Apr 28th 2007 11:42PM]

You should try the Apple iRecorder. It's truly magnificient. It has built-in microphones, and records onto compact flash, easy to use, good recording quality, very portable, and carries up to 50 GB. It needs 4 AAA batteries. Plus it's a little bit on the smudgy side. You can fine them at Apple stores, for about $99.

[Carl @ Apr 29th 2007 12:12AM]

You say the iRecorder is a good deal but are you talking about the add-on attachment for an iPod? The iRecorder plugs into an iPod and provides a mike duo and good sound quality. But the cost is not just $100, dude. You have to provide an iPod with it. Your comments were misleading.

Personally, I use the MicroTrack from M-Audio and it does just what I want it to, records premium quality sound on-the-go to a CF card.

[Ron @ Apr 29th 2007 4:11AM]

Look at ikey plus, www.ikey-audio.com, although this records to a USB flash drive.This would be a cheaper option.

[David @ Apr 29th 2007 1:23AM]

The mic works great, it seems just as good as any other voice recorder that I have used in the past, however, I just tried to save a recording on the SD card but there aren't any options to save to the expansion slot or move the WAV file after a recording is saved. So it looks like you're limited to saving to the onboard memory for voice.

Here's a review if you still want to check it out:
http://shopper.cnet.com/mp3-players/sandisk-sansa-e250-2gb/4014-6490_9-31644065.html

There is a record button on the side of the player so it's really convenient. As for the battery life, I hardly have to charge it since it lasts so long on a full charge (if I had to guess, probably a solid 16+ hours... it says it's supposed to be 20).Maybe the player has a big brother that has more options for saving to the expansion slot...more $$$ though.

Hope this helps...

[Veronica @ May 1st 2007 8:55AM]

I'll add my name to the list of H4 proponents. It's road-worthy, and does its job without a hitch. Much better than the m-audio product, which suffers from mfg-only-replaceable lithium-ion batteries and no built in microphones.

Just don't go on a plane with it. It looks like a tazer.

[O/Siris @ Apr 29th 2007 8:44AM]

Is everyone forgetting a recent posting to Engadget?

http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/26/sansa-express-takes-its-turn-gets-reviewed/

Only 1GB on it's own, but tiny, Micro-SD is SD-compatible, so it'll do. Not stereo, so far as I can tell, but worth a look-see. And at $59, it's certainly affordable.

[John Federico @ Apr 29th 2007 10:54AM]

I'll add my vote for the Zoom H-4. I've had it for about 6 months and I love it. I just wish it supported SDHC, but you can store a LOT of mp3 audio in 2GB, especially if it's only speech. I typically record in 320 KBPS mp3, which is *very* high quality, but allows me to record more than 14 hours of audio, compared to uncompressed WAV.

I also have an Olympus DS-30. It doesn't have an SD card, but it has a tiny form factor and records in high quality WMA format. You can transfer files to a Mac or PC using the built-in mini-USB connector on the device.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1276

I couple it with a cardioid stereo condenser mic from Giant Squid Audio Lab and it works great for recording one-on-one interviews.

http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/gs/gs-cardioidstereo.html

Hope that helps.

Regards,

-jf.

--
John Federico
http://www.newrules.com

[R @ Apr 29th 2007 8:38PM]

I do research that requires exact transcriptions of oral interviews (often with soft-spoken children). We've been using the Olympus WS-200S and WS-300M recorders, which are older models that can be found pretty cheaply on Amazon and the like.

They do NOT record to SD cards, but I think it's pretty pointless to have the extra hassle of a memory card when you can just move the files to your computer (via the built-in USB connectors) or even stick in a pair of headphones and listen straight from the recorder itself.

The recorders do tend to pick up a lot of ambient noise with their built-in mics, but using a good quality external mic will eliminate that problem. So unless you really need more space and the SD card compatibility, I say save a few bucks and go with one of these Olympus recorders.

[jean van mourik @ May 1st 2007 3:36AM]

Buy a Oono dabradio. It records dab, fm radio and voice from internal or external microphone (supplied) onto SD memory. I have looked at mp3 player features for a while and this is the only one that has the required combination of features I have seen so far. You can also scedule your recordings in advance.

[encosion @ Apr 30th 2007 9:36AM]

Hold out for the Zoom H2... Should be out in May, some stores are taking pre-orders with April ship dates... It's much cheaper, smaller and possibly easier to use than any of the dedicated competitors... Here's some more info:

http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1916&brandID=4
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2007/01/26/namm-zooms-199-usb-h2-mobile-micrecorder-found-in-the-wild/

And a bonus for artists looking for a portable field recording device - It has 3 mics (Zoom H4, Edirol R-09 and M-Audio offerings only have two), and mid and side patterns which allow a choice of the following:

(1) front 90-degree super cardioid (stereo)
(2) front 120-degree cardioid (stereo)
(3) rear 90-degree super cardioid (stereo)
(4) rear 120-degree cardioid (stereo), and
(5) 360-degree polar (surround sound)

Number (5) translates to 4.0 surround sound recording! Even if that's not what you're interested in, it'll work as a great portable digital audio recorder...

[encosion @ Apr 30th 2007 9:52AM]

I should've mentioned that the Zoom H4 is currently retailing on the streets here in Tokyo for ¥29,400 (aprox. $245 / £123)... I checked today whilst looking for the H2 which isn't out here yet... It's 'Golden Week' this week, so lots of companies are closed for business...

[WeakGeek @ Apr 30th 2007 11:06AM]

Here's an obscure one: Yamakawa MR-200. They have 256MB of built-in memory and take standard SD cards.

[Kenny @ May 7th 2007 1:06PM]

I have been very happy with my Truly Pic 'n Roll MP313X, its a great MP3 player with Radio and Voice Recording (There's a built in Mic and a Line-in jack), it has 1Gb of onboard memory, and it takes SD/MMC cards(upto 2Gb with firmware update.) You can choose which type memory your running from, all the specs can be found here: http://www.picnroll.com/us/detail.php?id=11

I baught one up a couple of years ago for like $130, but I saw them for as little a $80 last fall. You might have to dig around the web for one, because both Frys.com and Newegg.com didn't seem to carry them anymore (I got mine at Frys.)

[Larry P @ Jun 30th 2007 9:11PM]

I think some of you may be missing the point of the OP (or at least I think I know what he is gettig at because I had the same problem). I was having the same problem finding an MP3 player that used standard SD cards and in my case the issue was a matter of being able to have all my stuff on one type card, I can afford to buy dozens of cards but I don't want to be botherd duplicaing the work and keeping track of MP3s in two different type media cards. I have a Garmin Street Pilot 7500 that uses standard SD cards that I have downloaded over a thousand hours of old radio shows to listen to while I drive on long trips and i want to be able to listen to them in the house without removing the Garmin from the car. I just found a unit that uses standard SD cards (it comes with a 128 MB card but it will read up to a 4 GIG card) at Walmart for under $80. It is the ZVUE 250. So far I am very happy with it but I have only had it for a few hours so I can't comment as to how long the batteries last (It says 6 hours per charge on the box) on a single charge. I guess it would be nice if it used AA or AAAs so I could swap them out with if they ran low but maybe 6 hours will be long enough on a single charge that swaping batteries won't be an issue.

[Larry P @ Jul 1st 2007 11:25AM]

PS if you need something with a microphone try a Zoom H2

http://www.zzounds.com/item--ZOMH2

Or an Edirol R-09

http://www.zzounds.com/item--EDIR09