M-Audio MicroTrack 24/96
Here is a new recorder for location audio that has no moving
parts!
I recently purchased a M-Audio
Microtrack 24/96 CompactFlash recorder. This unit has a metal case and
looks and feels like a solid professional unit rather than a toy. The
M-Audio unit is strictly a two-track recorder and doesn't have the
built in effects and multi-track capabilities like some of the other
competitive units. I tend to avoid equipment that has lots of bells
and whistles that are useless for my needs and just tend to complicate
operation.
This unit has an MSRP of $499 but the selling price was $299 which
compared favorably with the Zoom H4.
The MicroTrack 24/96 came with a
small CompactFlash card of 128K which would only record 10 or 15
minutes of audio, so I purchased a 4Gb card from Costco for $50
which will hold 6+ hours of CD quality audio.
The unit is simple to operate, and
the interface is well thought out. There are 2 - ¼ inch balanced phone
jack inputs on the top of the unit for microphone or line. These
inputs also supply phantom power to the microphone. There is a 1/8
inch stereo mike input on the top also as well as a headphone jack.
A little stereo microphone is included with the unit and is great for
recording nature sounds and other location and ambient sound.
RCA line outputs are on the bottom
as well as a SPDIF in and out and a USB connection which also charges
the battery. The unit is menu driven and all controls are well thought
out and convenient.
The unit will record in .WAV or
.MP3 formats and is capable of 24-bit recording at 96 kHz. which
presents some interesting opportunities for high quality recording and
signal analysis. The only down side of the unit seems to be that the
Lithium Ion battery is not user replaceable. The unit comes with USB
cable, charger, earbuds and a stereo microphone.
Recently,
I used the unit to produce several CDs
for local high school and adult choirs.
The unit was a pleasure to use and the
performance flawless. For the past couple of years I have been doing
location recording with my laptop and a USB mike adapter. This is much
easier and I don't have to worry about the laptop crashing.
If you do location audio, this
unit is hard to beat. |
