UPDATE, 2008-01-10: Our review of the PCM-D50 is now online, and it features answers to many of the questions you asked here. We also have a new forum dedicated to portable digital recorders, so feel free to continue this discussion there. Thanks again for sharing your questions! —David
If you're looking for the ultimate handheld stereo audio recorder, you'll probably want to check out the Sony PCM-D1. Scott Bourne reviewed it for us last year and called it "nearly perfect." Alas, perfection in this case comes with a $1,995 list price.
Happily for the rest of us, Sony just unveiled a more affordable version — the PCM-D50. For around a quarter of the price, this little guy has some high-end features, like aluminum casing, adjustable mics, 4GB of onboard memory (expandable with Memory Sticks), Hi-Speed USB transfer, discrete circuit boards for audio and power, and a pre-record buffer that continuously captures the five seconds before you hit the Record button. It also runs on standard AA batteries instead of those annoying proprietary types.
Mark Nelson, whose exhaustive yet entertaining reviews of five previous handheld digital recorders grace the O'Reilly Digital Media site, just got his D50 review unit. When he started his last review, we asked what features you especially wanted us to check out, and got such a great batch of suggestions that the resulting article became a true community achievement.
So let's try it again: Let us know in the comment section below what you'd like to learn about the new Sony PCM-D50 recorder.
UPDATE, 2007-12-22: When we switched to our new site design, the comments on this entry between December 4–15 disappeared. Here they are again, in chronological order:
Does this thing sound better than DATs or Minidiscs, especially with external microphones?
So far, the two Zooms, the Edirol R-09, the MicroTrack, they all sound WORSE than the old technology.
Is this one any better?
DR
It looks like a stun gun.
I'd love to see a side-by-side comparison of features with the Zoom H2, which sells for 1800 dollars less. Or if you wanna be more fair, instead (or maybe in addition), compare the Sony with the Zoom h4, which sells for 1600 dollars less, and looks even more like a stun gun.
MWD
Wow! I want one!!
...I'll just keep it in my Christmas wishlist. (LOL)
Dan | December 4, 2007 08:41 PM@Michael: To be clear, the PCM-D50 pictured here streets for $499 — that’s $200 more than the Zoom H4 and $300 more than the H2. Sony’s earlier PCM-D1 — which seems to have inspired the H4 — was $2,000 (with a street price of around $1,850).
David Battino | December 4, 2007 09:37 PMCan it be used to record for exemple nature sounds with the internal mikes, i.e is the machine totally quiet?
George | December 5, 2007 01:04 AMI have been hoping this review would pop up; my wife is pressuring me for my Christmas list.
I'm trying to decide between:
- Sony PCM-D50
- Zoom H2
- Korg MR 1000
- Sony PCM-D1
I guess I'm most interested in the differences between the Sony PCM-D1 and the Sony PCM-D50.
Any ETA for when the PCM-D50 review will be posted?
@Tom: Lucky guy! Our PCM-D50 review likely won't come out until after Christmas because Mark still has a bevy of tests planned for it, but he told me he's liking it so far.
Sony's site linked above has specs on both the D1 and D50, and a bit of Googling will turn up more reviews of the former. The other recorders you list vary greatly in size, price, and capability, so it would help to know what your requirements are.
David Battino | December 5, 2007 11:46 AM- Startup time, from when you press the button to when you can hit record.
- Battery consumption, record (various modes?) and playback.
- Some idea of level control functionality, ie. true input attenuation/amplification vs. digital limiting (a la H2)
- Ability to switch off all lights (purely for power-saving reasons, of course)
Looking forward to it! Looks like a decently sized screen, too!
Sampson | December 5, 2007 12:07 PM@David Wow! Thanks for the quick response, but bummer about the timeline. I guess I'll tune in later to find out if I made the right decision! ;-)
I've been on Sony's site, but from what I can find, it is (understandably) vague (at least to me) about the difference in audio quality between the D1 and the D50. For example, has the D50 inherited the high quality signal process of the D1 such as how it converts 20-bit data to 16-bit (super bit mapping), and high pass filtering?
By the way, I've eliminated the Korg MR 1000. I like the idea of 1-bit, but because the reviews of the hand held weren't great (and that fixed battery is a deal killer for me), I briefly considered lugging around the MR1000, but not anymore. For me, it is down to the Sony D1, Sony D50, or the Zoom H2.
Price is somewhat a factor, but we're fine with paying more if it was worth it to do so.
The faux surround of the Zoom H2 is intriguing, plus we use SD cards for everything in our home from PDAs to cameras and I like the format. I can see how it might be handy in some instances for it to record in mp3 format; then I could give away or post the recording raw and as is with no processing. Ultimately, if the Zoom H2 sounds good enough, why pay more -- especially given all that Zoom packages with it (tripod, windscreen, etc.)
On the other hand, the most attractive feature for me of the Sony recorders is the WAY NIFTY limiter feature. Plus I can see how the pre-record would be nice and slowing down playback while keeping pitch is handy for me as a musician and as someone who would want to accurately transcribe a quotation.
As for applications, for the most part I want to capture live music and rehearsals, and I want to interview people while out.
BTW, +1 on Sampson's list.
Cheers!
Tom | December 5, 2007 12:39 PMI like to know things like:
- Noise figure of the mic inputs.
- Mic Preamp headroom
- Actual sample rate for 44.1KHz & 48KhZ (important for DV & other device syncing).
- Does a a long recording session where the resultant filesize would exceed 2GB file size, seamlessly create a new file, or does it use Wave64 to permit larger filesizes.
- Handling noise. Could you conduct an interview in a room whilst holding it in your hand without too much handling noise getting recorded.
I'd like to know if this will sync accurately to video/film. Most of the cheaper audio recorders will not because the timing isn't very accurate. I need an external recorder that doesn't cost and arm and a leg.
Peter | December 6, 2007 09:55 AMAlong with recording, I'm interested in playback convenience. Does it understand long file names and nested directories? It looks from the manual that you can have up to 3 levels of subdirectories. Can they be named anything you like or do you have to stick with DOS 8+3 naming conventions?
With the remote control, can you make multiple "takes" with the divide button so you can leave the unit mounted on a tripod (or located someplace away from you while you are at your instrument for example)?
Greg | December 8, 2007 07:34 PMHi,
Is the review coming out before Christmas?
George | December 10, 2007 08:46 AM@George:
Is the review coming out before Christmas?
We publish no review before its time. ;-) Seriously, my projection right now is for the first half of January. Mark wanted to record some acoustic musicians who won't be available until the end of this month. As I mentioned below, though, he's liking the D50 so far.
In the meantime, be sure to read his five previous portable recorder reviews to get a sense of the field.
Keep those questions coming!
David Battino | December 10, 2007 10:18 AMHi all -
I can't tell you how useful your questions and comments are. So keep 'em coming.
My goal (after I get out of the Denver airport) is to take the next couple of weeks and put the D-50 through the wringer. You can bet I'll take note of your questions and try my best to answer them.
@Peter: Not owning a video camera, I'm trying to come up with a way to test this. My idea is to record a five minute track at 44.1/ 16 simultaneously to the D50 and my computer and compare clicks at known intervals (at the sample level, 'natch). Any thoughts on the methodology?
Till then.
Mark Nelson | December 10, 2007 03:33 PMMark, here is the methodology I used to determine the sample rate clock difference between 2 Panasonic GS-400 videocams and a Zoom H4 at 48Khz.
My particular H4 runs 4Hz faster i.e. assuming the videocams are running at exactly 48,000 Hz, the H4 runs at 48,004 Hz, a 1/12000 difference or 300ms slower after 1 hr.
Dan Bridges | December 11, 2007 01:24 AMHow important is it to actually record in MP3 format in your humble opinion? What's your feelings on the pre-amps built inside? What' the quality of the mics? Is there lots of hiss?
Kelly Pettit | December 12, 2007 03:25 AMI'm particularly interested in the low frequency response of the inbuilt mics as I am would use the D50 for recording pipe organs. For this, 18 Hz without significant drop-off would be most welcome. Sony doesn't include a meaningful specification of this in the manual (which is available online) that I've been able to find.
David | December 12, 2007 04:18 PMIs it safe to use lithium batteries? I use them in my cameras and flash units - last way longer than alkalines, but wondered about the safety in the D50. They're not mentioned in any of the .pdf's or manuals.
Greg | December 13, 2007 07:03 PMYes, sony is very good with built in mic or even external mic. Within £500 Market it may possibly blow away every recorder including Korg MR1. To be fair the Fostex F2le is also very good and its going to be neck and neck between these 2.
- Edirol R-09 - very expensive and the external mic pre-amp are too hissy.
- Zoom H4 - better recorder than R09, but very difficult to use.
- Marantz 620 - another version of R09 but released 2 years later offering limited sample rate.
- Korg MR1 - good build quality, poor mic pre-amp, built in disk drive can oveheat the equipment and dedicated built in power source which is a bad idea for field recording.
- Foxtex FR2le - Unit is abit Large, but superb sound quality (uses CF).
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check this link and look at Grahams comment (D50)
http://www.bradlinder.net/2007/10/comparing-sony-pcm-d50-fostex-fr2-le_06.html
I'm interested to record practice-sessions of my band in our small space (12sqm). I already have the H2 and love the 4-channel-mode, but it cannot handle high volumes :( . Would the PCM-D50 an option for this? What about the Marantz PMD620?
Yes, please compare to the Olympus LS-10. I was just about to click the "Buy" button for the PCM-D50, but now that the tiny LS-10 is out I'll have to wait for some reviews to surface. Thanks!
@Peter:
Yeah, the Olympus does seem to be inspired by the Sonys. ;-) I've been really pleased with my Olympus voice recorders, though, so I'm looking forward to checking out this new high-res offering. I just set up a meeting with Olympus at the NAMM show.
Olympus just announced a new hand held recorder, the Olympus LS-10. I'd love to see a comparison.
http://gizmodo.com/340007/olympus-ls+10-pcm-stereo-recorder-is-a-studio-in-your-pocket
The Sony PCM-D50 does not record in MP3 format. Is this a big deal? Can .wav files be converted to MP3 with ease?
I've had mine now for about 2 weeks.
I really like how fast the transport controls work - like instantly! That was what made me move away from the M-Audio - controls were slow to react and could only be worked with the right hand.
Recordings from the line-ins are quiet.
The headphone output is crystal clear and powerful! I didn't realize what I was missing on the M-Audio 'til I heard this.
Battery life is excellent. Really appreciate being able to have user replaceable ones.
Love the durability and the ability to operate it easily with either hand.
Couple of things I'd like to ask about:
1. Why the 99 file limit in folders? Since it's designed for playback, I don't see why we couldn't have 1000's of files in subdirectories.
2. Why doesn't it display files in alphabetical order? A list of files copied over from the computer display in the order in which they were created on the computer (not alpha or numeric). When I need to have a number of files in alpha or numeric order, I have to copy them over one by one. I find this to be particularly crippling when trying to find files.
3. Is there any way to balance recording volumes left and right separately?
It's not perfect, but maybe there could be firmware updates to improve it along the way,...
I'd really like to know how the PCM D50 compares with its bigger brother, the PCM D1.
I have the new D50 unit and really like it, but I would like to know what I may be missing out on with respect to the D1 - and whether the D1 is worth the extra cost.
Stuart
Quote by Tom: "By the way, I've eliminated the Korg MR 1000. I like the idea of 1-bit, but because the reviews of the hand held weren't great (and that fixed battery is a deal killer for me)"
Hi Tom,
I think you meant the MR-1 with the above.. That is the one with the fixed battery, not the MR-1000!
I'm a very proud owner of the MR-1000. Did you hear what it's capable of? I've heard a few headphone-amps in my life, but never heard one this clear, crisp, powerfull and detailed!
Even lowest setting (16bits 44.1Mhz)-recordings from a high-end CD-player sound great!
The 1-bit performance (field-recordings) is superb on high-end equipment! The only things I would wish for: digital in- and outputs!
Recorded my LP's at 1-bit 5.6Mhz to preserve the analogue feeling.
Marry X-mas..
Ralf.
I would use the unit for field recordings.
I'm interested in something small enough to take with me just about everywhere. Quality of the mics and pres are important. I like the size of the Zoom H2 and the quality is surprisingly good but I intend to record quite a bit of low level sounds (quiet room ambiances etc) so keeping hiss out is important. The H2 kinda falls short. So,what does it sound like with the pres cranked all the way up in a quiet room? Any better than the H2?