Which Portable (mp3) Recorder?

Upgrade to a Sony HiMD. I love mine to bits! Full PCM quality, USB transfer as well as optical and line out.

Other options a plenty, but none are as cheap as HiMD.

Plenty of voice recorders around nowadays, but none have the frequency response you need.

MZ-NH900, don't think it's current anymore but I got it for AUD$200 about 6 months back and it included a stereo mic! Absolute bargain!

boo-hiss M-Audio! Bad experience just last week with an M-Audio box!

Yeah, looks nice, but speaking of pricey stuff... wowsers!

The NH900 is full metal case, so no nasty plastic to bust. I've had mine around 5 months now, travelled throughout New Zealand for 3.5 weeks with it, taken it to gigs and rehersals, my fiancee uses it on the treadmill, it ran party music for 8 hours the other night without skipping a beat...

basically, no hassles whatsoever. These are great units, especially since the price has dropped considerably in the face of the mp3 player onslaught.

I use an iRiver iHP-120 for this. Here's a link to a recording I did with it and a pair of cardioid mics.

Link Removed

(Quote from earlier post in this forum)

I have been using the iRiver IFP 590T for over two years now and I am very happy with the quality that I get, not to mention the many features and the very easy navigation (for instance, if you stop the playback mode it will automatically switch back to record stand by mode).
But you do need to use an external mic for live recording. I have a cheap stereo mic, very tiny, clip-on type (no battery). I just place it somewhere in the middle of the rehearsal studio, it picks up everything (especially bass!).

I don't know whether it is still in production, maybe you can still find it online (or the 990T model). Recording at 126 kbps will give you more than 3 hours recording time. You can also take a version with more memory.

My band members are still stunned by the quality of this little devil.

I was recording with an iRiver H340 for a while, with great results (records up to 320kbps). Unfortunately they aren't the most reliable pieces of equipment, I had returned 2 models that had died on me before they discontinued the line. If they bring out something with the same features but better reliability then i'd be tempted.

Check out the stuff from Cowon/Iaudio.

Cheers Rody

My personal argument would be "if you're using MP3, you're already losing quality". Conversion to MP3 automatically means removing part of the information.
You say you're transferring it "analog using Audacity".... I've never found that software to be the hot ticket. But I'll assume that you are recording to .wav files. Plus, what device are you using as an interface? If you're running a stock or less expensive aftermarket soundcard thru the "line in", that very well could be the issue, as well. The input qualities of even a pretty decent consumer soundcard just aren't up to the job of making good recordings.
And... how are you listening? If you're checking it out on the MD player through your expensive practice monitors, or a decent home stereo, and then dumping it in and listening on stock computer speakers.......there may be nothing wrong with the files, it could be the monitors.
I'd suggest a couple of things.... first, if you can shell out some cash, install a MD peripheral into your computer, so you can import the actual, original, unaltered .wav files and edit with those.
If that's not an option, and it's a toughie, because MD drives aren't exactly all over the place, try using a higher quality software. Cubase, Nuendo, or if you can support it, the Trial version of ProTools will all yield a better recording than Audacity.
Consider an external interface like the Edirol products or similar, I've found them to be very good, and not all that expensive.
And make sure you're not converting them to MP3 on the way in... in my work I've never found the "perfect" way to convert a .wav to an MP3 and have it retain ALL of the quality.
Plus, when using Audacity, make sure you're not compressing the signal on the way in.... a heavy compressor will create the issues you've described..... it just sucks the life out of a recording. Ensure that you are recording to at least 16 bit, 44100 hz .wav files (cd quality) to preserve your work best.
But as a guy who records and engineers every day at work, my number one recommendation is don't use MP3...it just doesn't sound as good. It can't. Even the best MP3 conversion still removes a large chunk of the information, and that's going to hurt quality. There's not a (quality) recording studio in the land that records to MP3 for just that reason.
Good luck!

Minidisc also compresses, so there is no reason to choose it over mp3 from that perspective. Also, depending on your application, both mp3 and MD yield perfectly good results. If you want a cutting edge demo designed to blow label execs away, go to a real studio. But if you just want to do some simple recording of rehearsals, ideas, or make a simple demo, there is absolutely no reason not to use them. IMHO, YMMV etc blabla.

Cheers Rody

ps My 20 gb Cowon Iaudio M3 records from its line-in up to 320 kbs, straight from the desk. I never felt the need to go above 128... Also, I hook it up to the computer and ten seconds later all my files from that particular session are transferred.

Minidisc also compresses, so there is no reason to choose it over mp3 from that perspective.

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Not true. HiMD allows 90 minutes of recording in full CD quality PCM wave files.

install a MD peripheral into your computer, so you can import the actual, original, unaltered .wav files and edit with those.

Click to expand...

This is unnecessary with HiMD because of the USB connection. Also note the above.

And, the price is right.

Sean said:

Question about the MZ-NH900, does it support USB download to a PC?

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Sure does.

Plus, I can get 1Gb HiMD discs for AUD$4.75 so I don't know where you're buying them, Sean!


For this sort of money (AUD$200), nothing comes close to HiMD. Almost obsolete it may be, but who cares?

Sean Baumann said:

Also.. you folks using iRiver and other mp3 players, what kind of mic are you using? Are you using a powered mic, and just plugging into the line-in?

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As I said I am not using a powered mic, just a stereo clip-on mic into the line in. I record at 126 kbps because I want to limit the size of the files for other bandmembers to listen back to through the internet. But going up to 320 kbps and a better mic might give you the quality that you seem to be after.

For me it is most important that all instruments can be heard clearly on rehearsal recordings, this takes a bit of experimenting with placing the mic in the right place when recording. Nowhere near my bass amp

Just a note. You can make a very good mic preamp for about 50 bucks in parts. The upgrade from most built in mic-preamps (or no preamp) is huge, even if you change nothing else. It was a bit tricky to build. It took me almost three days to build my first one. The second one, though, I whipped out in a day and squeezed it into a box only slightly bigger than a cigarette pack. I use a Nomad Jukebox 3 and record in .wav. The quality is excellent. They don't make it anymore, unfortunately, nor am I aware of any currently available portable music players that do line-in .wav recording. I think that the best solution for the budget conscious would be the HiMD. Not for me though. I am committed to a lifetime boycott of Sony. The recent Rootkit scandal furthers my resolve. I ain't got no Ipod neither!

I can email the schematic for the preamp if anyone wants.

Robobass