Edirol R-09 Recorder: initial impressions

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Yup, Dave's great, and a fun hang as well. I just sent him CDs of the whole night. Two hours of his playing, dumped into the computer in about 20 minutes. It's really great to have a recording of nights like this, since they don't come as often as I would like. I love the R-09.

 

[Kurisu]

Chris, that's an amazing recording - the cymbals on the drum sound fantastic. (Oh, and your playing is terrific too... )

My lab is ordering an R-09, I hope I can borrow it now and then to play with at home.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Thanks, Kurisu - I agree about the cymbals. I take the damn thing everywhere I go these days where there's any chance of any music happening.

 

[Richard Lindsey]

Invalid Link Removed a cut from last night's gig that was recorded with the R-09. No processing was done later. I love this thing!

Damn, Chris, that sounds really good. I've paid for and owned records with less presence and air than that. Not to mention that the playing is great.

 

[Richard Lindsey]

Yup, he's done quite a lot of patches for my products. Wow, what a small world!

Seanm, the R-09 doesn't have XLR inputs, which makes things a little more complicated. I wanted something that would work out-of-the-box with my setup with a minimal amount of equipment to lug around. Also it only goes up to 48 khz quality (zoom can go up to 96 khz). I've also heard that the screen scratches up really easy, as well as having problems with MP3 playback and variable bitrate playback. Not to mention that its noise levels aren't great, which is a bit turn-off for me since I work in the sample industry and thus am crazy about noise levels.

Of course, I'm basing my opinion on a lot of rumors in addition to the technical specs of the recorder, but I didn't want to risk it and hope that I don't encounter the same problems with it as other people.

And the M-Audio MicroTrack... well let's not go there, I've heard way too many terrible horror stories about firmware problems, etc.

I'm sure the Zoom H4 has its own set of problems, but so far I'm really getting my money's worth. I've recorded a lot of sound effects with it as well as used it as a mobile jamming tool (its multitracking ability is GREAT for that), as well as a tool to record tracks for tunes (I'll put a song from my computer onto it, as simple as copying files to an external harddrive, then take it somewhere and record some takes over that). Three of my friends are buying their own after I showed it to them.

Oh, and you don't have to install any software in order to connect it to your computer and copy files off of it, since it acts as a removable storage unit. That's a big plus, IMO.

What do you think about the built-in mics on the Zoom? I know a guy who's got one, and he claims not to be crazy about the built-ins. I haven't been able to borrow his H4 and use it yet, though....

 

[geoffkhan]

Personally I like the onboard mics on the Zoom. They capture a nice range of frequencies, and have a nice stereo sound to them. I've heard people say they like them more than the onboard mics on other recorders...but that's of course just opinions--you really just need to try it out for yourself.

And of course, the two combo XLR inputs with 48v phantom power are very handy.

 

[driver800]

Has anyone used the Edirol R-09 to record in a loud environment? Chris Fitzgerald's recording is tremendous - I'm just curious if it can capture a loud rock band. We're drums, bass, 2 guitars, keyboard and 2 lead vocalists. I'd love to hear sample or at least someone that can comment on how it might work for a 6-piece rock band.

I'm considering either the Edirol or the Zoom H4. My main purpose is to record rehearsals and gigs for the band members to review.

 

[mactac]

Has anyone used the Edirol R-09 to record in a loud environment? Chris Fitzgerald's recording is tremendous - I'm just curious if it can capture a loud rock band. We're drums, bass, 2 guitars, keyboard and 2 lead vocalists. I'd love to hear sample or at least someone that QUOTE]

no problem at all. we are only a 3-pc, but i have an aguilar db750 cranked through a schroeder 410. it's *loud* , and the recorder has no problems/

 

[pierre]

i come a little late but
Chris your recording is a real pleasure... your playing very musical... and this little recorder incredible

Have you ever heard or could compare it with a recorder like the ZOOM H4 that have more features(the XLR input with phantom powerabove all) I was sure the zoom was for me the best Now with your recording i'm very hesitating

Thanks again for posting such a good song

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Thanks! I did an A/B session between the Zoon H4 and the R-09 at the end of the semester last year. While the Zoom worked very well and i would heartily recommend it to students, I liked the R-09 a little better. The R-09 was easier to find a "set & forget" recording level, where with the Zoom you had to go through a couple of menus to get there. On top of that, the Zoom had a bit more of a hyped hi end to it.

OTOH, the Zoom does quite a few things that the Edirol doesn't do, has better connectivity, and acts as an audio computer interface to boot. If you need those things, it's a great choice. If you just need a really good small field recorder, I prefer the R-09.

 

[uglybassplayer]

Hmmm, I wonder if the upcoming Zoom H2 will be a little more plug n' play.

- Frank.

 

[pierre]

Your a king Chris

Thanks again. Your analyse is clear and your always a helpful guy Its you that make me discover the Dominant strings too(one year of happiness now)

One more question have you try it in a concert situation the omni don't have cause problem ?

 

[Hawkeye]

I find the R-09 so intuitively easy to use, even a drummer could operate it I've used mine to record my jazz quintet rehearsals. I'm not really using it to its full capability. It really is hifi. I kind of wish it came with a remote so that I could position the unit for proper microphone imaging and turn it on and off from a different position (by my amp).

But I'm being a bit churlish. I have no complaints whatsoever about this recorder. Simple, simple to use and the results are very solid.

 

[Munjibunga]

Thanks for the review. To be honest, based on your review, I'm glad I went with the Zoom H4. It does require a little practice to get familiar with the menus, but that takes a half hour or so. On the other hand, I can plug my Rode NT4 or NT5s into it for higher fidelity, and it has 48v phantom. I have to say that the mics on the unit sound very good, though. It records onto SD cards, as well. I used it to record an outdoor gig we did a week ago, and I was very happy with the results.

 

[Munjibunga]

What do you think about the built-in mics on the Zoom? I know a guy who's got one, and he claims not to be crazy about the built-ins. I haven't been able to borrow his H4 and use it yet, though....

I set the mic to emulate a Neumann U87 (there are several options) and liked the sound. I still haven't tried it with external mics, but the next go-round will be with a Rode NT4.

 

[Hawkeye]

I set the mic to emulate a Neumann U87 (there are several options) and liked the sound....

The Zoom marketing guys have been busy.

The R-09 also has a couple of anomalies, like reverb on the playback.